Long time board member Marc De Stoop is the new president of general aviation lobby group AOPA Australia.
De Stoop is managing director of air conditioning company Climatech and is involved in the aviation industry via Falcon Air, a company specialising in international aeromedical evacuation using Falcon 20 corporate jets.
He takes over from outgoing president Allan Brooks.
“The industry faces many challenges and it is going to be the job of AOPA to present ideas and solutions, not just to CASA but to their government masters via a strong membership base,” De Stoop said.
“There are many initiatives such as reforming medical standards to make it easier for private pilots to operate general aviation aircraft that need to be pursued in order to reinvigorate the industry.
“There has never been a more important time for the various general aviation groups to find common ground and work together to reinvigorate an extremely important sector of the Australian economy.
“Overseas aviation markets like New Zealand and the United States are thriving yet in Australia we seem to be bound by stifling regulations like the newly introduced Part 61.”
AOPA Australia is based at Bankstown Airport in Sydney and has a membership base made up of GA aircraft owners, commercial pilots and private pilots.