So apparently the aviation community is not satisfied with CASA.
That's nothing new; we've being saying that since the moment John McCormick announced CASA would be a regulator with a capital R, and stories rolled out like Jaffas down a cinema aisle about unfair, obstinate and dismissive treatment by flight operations inspectors, lack of consistency, lack of expertise and lethargic responses.
Let's not even mention the AVMED division. So when DAS Mark Skidmore commissioned Colmar Brunton to undertake a satisfaction survey he really knew what was coming; the Forsyth Report heralded the issues, so the report really couldn't have said anything else. However, bureaucracies love numbers and this report is full of those. Now not only do they know we are unsatisfied, but also by how much. One positive CASA will take away is that Colmar Brunton is reporting increased levels of satisfaction over the last 12 months, which they will take as an indicator that some of their improvements are working. The DG might be pointing in the right direction, but the leg is long and there are headwinds.
Is Renmark Airport lost already? It's hard to be optimistic given our experiences with other airports that have been consigned into private hands. The council is saying that if they approve the sale to Sino Australia they will demand that it still be available to current users, but that is really not comforting given that new owners will likely want to boost charges to levels that don't ban general aviation outright, but certainly make it economically painful to use. Think Essendon; think Avalon. And Renmark Paringa council has admitted they carved the airport off the Community Land classification in 2000 specifically so "commercial proposals could be considered." That means "sell", so why would they not give this very serious consideration given they prepared for this 16 years ago?
Lachie Smart is due into Broome at 4.15 pm local time this afternoon. At the time of writing he is over the ocean about halfway between Java and the WA coast. When he leaves Broome, he'll be crossing Australia's north on the last part of his sojourn on his way to Maroochydore. If you're in the area when he is, give the lad as much encouragement as you can. He deserves a lot of credit for this adventure. But this is not because he will break a record; someone else one day soon will day it away from him. It's because he believed in himself and went for it despite the enormity of the task. Ultimately, that's how you get what you want in this world, and the younger you are when you understand that the better.
Speaking of believing in yourself, how good was Matt Hall's win at Ascot on the weekend?! He qualified in eighth place and greeted the judge with a blistering Final 4 time that was one second below the best he'd done to that point on the weekend. The challengers fell like flies in an Aerogard storm as they tried to beat him. Hall knew it was in him, and he pulled it out at the right moment. He must be high as a kite about the three remaining round in this year's Red Bull Air Race. I'm already looking forward to Germany in a couple of weeks time.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch