– Steve Hitchen
OzRunways is the quintessential Australian small business that made good. From an idea spawned from the invention of the iPad, to a navigation and information app and approval as a full EFB, OzRunways has become a trusted application for both civil and military pilots. Along with AvPlan, the two EFBs revolutionised aviation cockpits in this country. So, it makes sense that a giant aviation corporation would come calling with cheque book at the ready. Boeing, who this week announced they'd bought OzRunways, already had ForeFlight and most of the USA's EFB market, but struggled to gain substantial market share in Australia. It seemed that Australian pilots loved their home-grown EFBs and weren't in a hurry to surrender to the call of the US product. Boeing's move to buy OzRunways is a classic corporate exercise in buying market share and available cash. We don't know the details of the transaction, but I hope the OzRunways team held out for a lot of greenbacks; their company and its products are worth it. What does this mean for Australian customers? Not a lot at the moment; OzRunways service and development will still come out of Adelaide. However, Boeing now has two apps battling for market share against each other, which is a risky strategy. Long term, I expect ForeFlight to be withdrawn from the Australian market, or OzRunways to be re-branded and essentially relocated to the USA. It is hard to see them both flourishing side-by-side in a relatively small market such as Australia.
Aeria Management Group (AMG) has called on the Federal Government to financially compensate Bankstown operators for the extra cost imposed on them by the proposed airspace redesign at Sydney. This represents a rare occasion on which a metro airport operator is standing up for their aviation customers; normally they are too absorbed in non-aviation development to worry about problems plaguing the operators at their airport. So, we have to deliver kudos and a bunch of flowers to AMG for using their influence on the Federal Government for the better of aviation. That's not to say I believe the government will take a whole lot of notice; they're too busy manufacturing a white paper that the industry and aviation community doesn't want. And the nature of the compensation is problematic. Is a one-off payment true compensation for extra costs that will be incurred forever? If an operator chooses to relocate to another airport, will the government cover their costs? Perhaps the first move should be to quantify the exact cost penalty to operators, given that the industry almost exclusively believes those used in the Western Sydney Airport Environmental Impact Statement represent a position well below reality. Five times below reality if the Urbis figures quoted by AMG are accurate. That's a big difference that hints at convenience more than simple variation. It's going to take a lot of irresistible force for the government to give in to demands for compensation, and it's only the general aviation industry and community that can provide that momentum.
The Australian Aviation Hall of Fame has lost a lot of dedication a determination with the retirement of Steve Padgett OAM from the board. That's OK, good people have come in to fill the hole Padgett leaves, and Steve deserves to step back after all the effort he has expended on AAHOF over the years. In truth, AAHOF owes its existence to Padgett and other people like Geoff Breust and Paul Tyrrell, who together propelled a great idea forward to the institution AAHOF is growing into today. For them, it must have been like watching a child grow-up and mature into a superstar. Padgett can rest assured that the AAHOF is in good hands with Greg Hood, a bloke who has breathed aviation almost from berth, and has held senior management positions with several aviation institution, including ATSB, Airservices, CASA and the RAAF. With Chris Manning as deputy and new colleagues in Sam Fairbairn and Jenny Houghton coming on board, the future of AAHOF is looking bright and exciting. All it needs now is for people to come. If you're on for Airshows Downunder Shellharbour, take the time to get the lift from the HARS cafe up one flight to AAHOF and immerse yourself in some aviation history.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch