Carbon Canary

.........and of course Textron purchased Pipistrel. With the market announcement of that, they also mentioned they were forming "a new business segment, Textron eAviation, focussed on the development of sustainable aircraft". Textron to acquire electric aircraft pioneer Pipistrel – Pipistrel Aircraft (pipistrel-aircraft.com)

My understanding was that the scarcity of slots at LHR factored significantly in the original business plan for A380 development, but the global decline of the hub and spoke airport model hastened its demise. There are still opportunities for capacity rather than frequency for specific point to point operations mostly in long haul and Emirates are clearly banking on them.

What I should have added is that ab-initio training in GA at ~ $430/hr (+ ~$30 landing fee) at metro airports is vastly beyond the reach of most school leavers and also beyond most aviation businesses to subsidise in any way. Volunteer organisations such as Scouts and Air League are not immune to the increased regulatory pressure and costs but both still operate at Camden as not-for-profit flying operations, and they should be applauded. Both have survived by extraordinary fundraising efforts, donations and sheer doggedness in the face of adversity. Neither operation competes with commercial flying schools - they deliver motivated students to them. RA certainly offers a cheaper pathway for flight training, but the demographic tends to be older and the motivation is predominantly recreational rather than a career - which is quite OK ! The key question that maybe Jackc is asking is 'How do we get more youth interested in aviation ?' The only answer I have to that is that enthusiasm is infectious, and RA offers a large amount of enthusiasm. Take a kid flying.

A volunteer organisation including volunteer instructors have delivered flight instruction to 15-18 yr olds at Camden airport since 1972. Celebrating 50 Years - Air Activity Centre (scouts.com.au) A QF captain who flew on the JFK to YSSY leg in the Qantas Sunrise test flights got his wings through there, as has a number of other current QF pilots, RFDS, Cathay, military, etc, etc.

I was a chainman for a country surveyor. We got a job to survey the subdivision of a dairy farm. The farmer advised he had switched off the electric fence. I had several tripods and very expensive theodolites/laser gear on my shoulder when I stepped over the fence in my shorts. Somehow, I still managed to conceive children some years later, but at the time my boss threatened to remove my scorched kahoonies for recklessly launching the theodolites, etc into the air. CC

I lived across the ditch in NZ for a few years in the early 90's. On hot (~28C) days, the road bitumen on bends would soften and start to ooze. I suspect the melting point spec for the bitumen that is used in cooler climates is lower. CC

If you haven't already, you may wish to contact Cootamundra Council - they also have a strong connection with Arthur Butler. The terminal building at Cootamundra Airport was named the Arthur Butler Terminal in 2007. CC

Rodgerc - I have a similar situation wrt CTA access and keeping my Pt 61 licence current. If RA-Aus gained CTA access, I'm sure there would be more GA deserters. Clearly there are areas on the eastern seaboard where avoiding CTA pushes you toward high ground. This would easily feed into a safety case. Additionally, once Western Sydney airport is opened, even more Sydney basin transiting traffic will be funnelled into the already busy VFR lanes.