TERRIBLE NEWS FOR Australia's AVIATORS

  FROM BOYD MUNRO
  Fax: 02 9555 9365 www.airsafety.com.au
  e-mail: bmunro@airsafety.com.au

  WE WERE AT A WATERSHED ONE MONTH AGO - DESPITE YOUR HELP WE LOST

  Despite your terrific help, we have lost. Dick Smith has been forced out
  of the chairmanship of CASA. I believe this is the end of major aviation
  reform in Australia in my lifetime. It could have been prevented by
  strong political support from AOPA, but that support was not forthcoming.

  CASAs Airspace initiative was torpedoed on 9th December 1998 after a
  long struggle. Unfortunately AOPA ran away on 5th November and gave no
  further public support, leaving CASA completely isolated, and defeat
  almost inevitable. Then on February 17th Cheryl Kernot (shadow Transport
  Minister) made a public statement that Dick Smith had lost the confidence
  of every sector of aviation. Sadly, AOPA did not ever contradict that. A
  large number of individual members of AOPA did register their protest,
  but AOPA never did.

  Another blow followed on 8th. March, when the Senate disallowed
  legislation which would have permitted the establishment of
  community-operated control towers in places like Coffs Harbour and
  Karratha, thus lowering the cost of flying. This legislation failed
  because the Democrats voted against it. I immediately rang the Democrats
  transport spokesman, John Woodley, to ask why he had voted against
  something which was so much in the interests of Australia.

  It turned out that he had had representations from various aviation
  groups, but nothing from AOPA. I asked Bill Hamilton why not and Bill
  said he was unaware the legislation was before Parliament until after it
  had been defeated. What on earth is AOPA doing for us if not monitoring
  and influencing legislation?

  That completed a trifecta of defeat not just for AOPA but above all for
  those who pay to fly. The people who fly just because they like to fly,
  the people who fly because it takes them where they want to go, the
  people who fly because they like the view of Australia's wonderful
  landscape from 1000 feet in the air. Dick has been forced out of the
  Chairmanship of CASA. This is tragic for the future of private aviation
  in Australia. I fear that it will eventually mean the end of that
  precious freedom we now enjoy to travel throughout Australia in a
  private aircraft with our friends and family. We must put some steel
  back into AOPA's spine. Meetings between AOPA's committee members and
  the top bureaucrats are all very well, but they will never achieve
  anything of benefit for AOPAs rank and file. I recommend that you send
  a fax to Dick on 02 9486 3482 thanking him for the enormous efforts he
  put in on our behalf. He had no need to do any of this, his generosity
  to his fellow Australians has been outstanding. I also recommend that
  you send a fax to John Howard on 02 9251 5454 saying that you regret
  that his government failed to support Dick in his efforts to carry out
  the policies of the Howard government, or that it created the
  environment which led to Dick being forced out, or... words of your own
  choice. I also request that you forward this fax to your local newspaper
  or radio station.

  Yours with great regret,

  Boyd Munro  22nd March 1999