– Steve Hitchen
It's like aviation has been set free; we've been at the holding point for a few years and now the brakes have been released. Avalon 2023 is likely to be remembered as one of the great ones and there's still two days to go. Exhibitors are flat out; the trade visitors are smiling. Aeroplanes are being sold; investment is happening. More positive words are being used to describe the future than I have heard in many years. No, we are not on the brink of optimism–that is going to take regulatory change–but we are most definitely on the cusp of a change in attitude about the future. Avalon is a prime example. Not only has the exhibition space completely sold out for the first time in the history of the event, but also AMDA Foundation closed the bookings after turning away 120 companies. That's a very telling stat; it tells of an aviation community that wants to be in on the good stuff again. It will take many weeks yet to be able to assess the knock-on effect that Avalon 2023 has had on the health of GA in Australia, but consider that capital investment is a tool for the future, and almost never happens when the future is assessed as bleak. Yes, there is still a lot of unnecessary burden placed on our industry and that needs to be dealt with before we can advance the throttles towards optimism, but in the mean time, it looks like the aviation community just wants to get on with the job of being the aviation community.
Speaking of futures, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Catherine King's announcement this week about the Jet Zero council shows the ALP is determined not only to press on with net zero by 2050, but also is prepared to put in place pathways to make it happen. They have recognised that their green ambitions are not achieveable without sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and the co-operation of the Australian aviation industry. One of the bright sides to this is the project to develop SAF in Australia, creating a new industry and new jobs. Our country is the perfect place for a SAF industry in that we have the space and the sunshine needed to grow the feedstock. Developing and processing our own fuels will do two things: create jobs and guarantee a more reliable supply. SAF is hard to get, and our market just is not big enough in the world-wide scheme of things to get any priority over US and European markets. If want SAF, we have to do it ourselves. Now we need to turn our attention to avgas. Avgas is not, and never will be, a very green option, because no matter how much lead you have or don't have, it's made from limited-resource fossil fuels. The forum at Avalon this week mulled over electric options and ethanol possibilities, which means the problem is on the government radar and hasn't been completely swamped by the thirsty needs of the heavy commercial sector. Without the GA sector there is no flight training. Without flight training there is no native supply of pilots for kero burners. The two are intrinsically linked, and it is good to see the Federal Government dealing with them like they are the one problem.
One of the most heart-warming pieces of news to come from Avalon 2023 is that AMDA Foundation is taking over WOI. This is an initiative that I expect will give GA a huge boost. WOI founder Mark Bright has been to hell and back over the years getting WOI to the finishing line every year, with weather, pandemics and personal tragedy marring the way. Despite that, he and offsider Lucy Mellor made WOI an air show that they are handing over to AMDA in great condition. AMDA is deeply embedded in the aviation industry in Australia, and the esteem in which Justin Giddings and his team are held will add some very serious credibility to WOI as a major aviation event. What the GA industry needs to do is realise that AMDA is building an event for us as an industry and a community, and we need to get in behind their efforts and adopt Airshows Downunder Shellharbour as our very own. I found the inclusion of "Shellharbour" in the show name interesting. Perhaps I am making a short story read like a novel, but to me it hints that AMDA is not stopping with the Airshows Downunder name at just Shellharbour. AMDA has spread its aviation influence and support further afield from Avalon in the past few years, taking over RotorTech and funding Fly'n for Fun and the RAAA roadshows. Are we to presume that Airshows Downunder Shellharbour is the end of the expansion plans? Don't bet on it.
May your gauges always be in the green,
Hitch