– Steve Hitchen
Silence is always a difficult thing to analyse due to the lack of data it contains. Consequently, I am unable to judge whether or not the government intends to extend the ADS-B for VFR rebate. The second deadline expires on 31 May–three weeks from now–and the uptake so far has been, to put it diplomatically, disappointing. The silence coming from the department is actually understandable; the 2024 Federal Budget is due to be delivered on Tuesday night and, unless an announcement is considered earth-shatteringly good for the ruling party, it is customary for departments to remain tight-lipped on spending issues in the build-up to Budget Night. Analysts are expecting a broad tax cut and $3 billion wiped off the national HECS debt, among other funding announcements. All this has to be paid for, and often peripheral projects are cut to divert funds towards headline promises. There may not be an appetite for continuing to fund the ADS-B scheme, especially given that the GA community really hasn't embraced it. Hopefully on Wednesday morning the silence will morph into message, and this time next week we'll know if the rebate will continue for another 12 months or be silently laid to rest.
When it was leaked to me earlier this month that George Morgan and the late Peter Furlong were going to be inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame, I was quietly very pleased. General aviation internationally owes a great debt to these two men for creating the GA8 Airvan, a gun utility aircraft that continues to amaze with its capability even now, 25 years after it was certified. The saga of GippsAero and the sale to Mahindra is well documented, as is the buy-back, but what has remained largely untold is the story of the dedication, blood (literally) sweat and tears that went into making sure the Airvan did Australia proud on the international GA stage. As company co-founders, George and Peter thoroughly deserve this honour, but there are two other names that should be up there beside them: Marguerite Morgan and Dave Wheatland. Whilst conceding that not everyone has a spot waiting for them on the wall at Albion Park Rail, I believe these two people also need to be recognised for their contributions. Marguerite has spent decades toiling in the background working on the business almost constantly, and Dave as test pilot has literally bled to make the Airvan such a remarkable machine. They too are part of the GippsAero story, but I'd be willing to bet they are comfortable with staying in the background a bit, and come the induction dinner in October, they'll applaud the loudest when George's and Peter's names are read out.
Money for remote airports is always welcome, and it's encouraging to see that the Remote Airports Upgrade Program has been through 10 rounds and doled-out $115 million for airport works. What's more encouraging is that the RAUP has survived a change of government, demonstrating that a good idea can cross ideological boundaries. Funding improvements at airports is not just a good idea, it's a great idea, one that should be extended to all airports and aerodromes in Australia to make sure the infrastructure stays in place. When the government abdicated responsibility to municipal councils under the ALOP scheme, not enough consideration was given to the issue of long-term funding. Some councils buckled under the burden of funding an airport, forcing them to hunt for alternative ownership structures. When that happens, the future of the airport is immediately in peril. Between 2020 and 2023, some $100 million was made available to regional airports for specific projects, but what's needed is ongoing financial support for day-to-day expenses to ensure Australia's aerodrome network remains intact or is actually expanded. Upgrades are fine, but they'll still be bulldozed if the council can't accommodate the airport running costs.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch