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rhysmcc

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Everything posted by rhysmcc

  1. rhysmcc
    And at risk of being negative (It's great to see some increase of communication), it lacks alot of information (referring to more information to come re AGM/Board decisions), but points for something thanks for your work.
  2. rhysmcc
    Hi Andy, just read the news letter and I don't see the "perhaps" part So it's 100% cancelled for easter, with the chance of another date later in the year. It's sad news considering AUSFLY was cancelled also, I was hoping to go this year but trying to work the logistics was hard. Hopefully the review will consider the location of any future event to easy transport and wider public participation.
  3. rhysmcc
    There was talk recently of Airservices charging ultralights due to the increase of CASA permissions in Class D airspace. Not sure if it's an intention or if its official from a certain date.
  4. rhysmcc
    Knowing what details are required by ATC and when, what needs to be read back aswell as the flying techniques/tolerances needed (keeping altitude, flying the cleared route etc).
  5. rhysmcc
    Yes, something along the lines of what SAAA have (ie 10-20% discount on premiums) would make more sense for individuals to make their own policy. If a collective hull insurance was possible, the cost would need to be absorbed into the aircraft registration fee rather then the membership fee.
  6. rhysmcc
    If you come out and said you were negligent, you are opening yourself up to massive legal suits for anyone who may have been wronged by it, that's the only reason why I can see it wouldn't be public (or member knowledge). The only reason why I suggested reducing fees is to counter the loss of the magazine subscription (from paper to online) as a suggestion. Also need to keep in mind you are competing now against the RPL which costs $50 once, granted hiring of aircraft is generally more. I'm happy to keep paying the RAA membership but not for just the privilege to fly (which i can do without RAA) but for the extra benefits it can provide (ie insurance, cheaper aircraft ownership/hire). However why should the 10,000 pay for the hull insurance for the 3000 aircraft owners? Where would a pilot see the savings of this insurance (ie will hire fees come down, i doubt it.)
  7. rhysmcc
    Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't all accidents report-able to ATSB regardless of fatal or inquires. This goes for all aircraft regardless of size or type of registration. Could the summaries be missed titled and are more based on incidents that are investigated rather then reported?
  8. rhysmcc
    I'm suggesting maybe an option would be that RAA doesn't take on the role of issuing pilot certificates and all that entails. Instead they would focus on the aircraft (like we do now), to pilot said aircraft you'd still need to be a member of RAA and do so in compliance of the Ops/Tech manuals. A possible way would be to have CASA introduce a new category of aircraft (for example Ultralight Aircraft) that suitably trained pilots would have on their license. It was just an idea, but makes sense to me.
  9. rhysmcc
    I've had a read and it doesn't include the details, it has summary of information and total figures but I can't seem to find where for example it says $X was made from magazine advertising, $Y was spent on printing, $W on delivery, $Z on editor/staff payments. The same can for most of RAA operations, ie $A is spent administrating pilot renewals, $B is spent on aircraft registration etc etc. Now it may be argued members don't need to know all the little details, the summary is fine. But my question is, does ANYONE know these details? If we are serious about cutting expenditure we need to know what activities is the money being spent on and is it been spent well. I'm happy to have Maj the benefit of knowing if we need the "legal fund" or not, as he would be more privy to knowing what wrong doing or negligence has been made that we will have to pay for in the future. I just hope these issues have been addressed so no future incidents can make the same claim.
  10. rhysmcc
    I'm not really sure what CTA training entails, haven't really been able to locate any documents on it, but I agree it would need to be the same (if not better). The medical requirements would indeed need to be the same (CASA wouldn't have it any other way), which brings me back to my point, for those who don't want CTA nothing should change (ie medical only for CTA). An ASIC isn't required for flying through CTA, but if you intend on landing at a controlled airport it would be. A question to ponder, do we even need a RPC? Is there a way we can incorporate the RPL as the licensing standard for our operations, thus reducing our overheads. RAA would then deal with aircraft rather then pilot licesning, with similar requirements needed to fly those aircraft under RAA control (ie a member, follow the manual etc).
  11. rhysmcc
    There's no mention of any income from the magazine in the budget, does RA-AUS even profit from ads or is it only the publisher who collects that and then charge a printing fee per copy to RA-Aus? Although we do seem to do that for flight training schools, another reason why we need more detailed break down. How much is spent administrating the schools and what income is collected other then new memberships? (Not saying it's wrong but you need to do what activities are costing and what are producing income)
  12. rhysmcc
    Indeed, it's good to have the cash with a plan (i.e. investment for the future). The idea of having it ready to pay for lawsuits doesn't sit well for me, but I don't really know what we are being sued for or what we likely can be sued for in the future (i.e. what neglect has been made and kept hush). It would be great to strive to lower membership fees and I believe is reflected in our mission statement (To foster, encourage and develop safe Recreational Aviation in Australia with minimum bureaucracy* and minimum cost). Right now I think the discussion is more about our we can prevent the fees having to go up to pay for the increase in expenses over the last couple of years, however any strategic plan should have the mission statement in mind, part of that in my opinion is keeping costs to members down.
  13. rhysmcc
    Yes Bankstown and Camden are both Class D, to about 3-5nms from the aerodrome and up to about 1500-2500 feet, then it's Class C. Coffs is a little bigger but still has class C around and above it. The only plus side with Class D is you don't need a transponder so more aircraft may qualify for it's access. If your safe enough to fly in Class D then there should be no reason why you can't in Class C as well, something is always better then nothing but I think our aim should be in line with the RPL (i.e. controlled airspace).
  14. rhysmcc
    I'm guessing the members market is a large part of the magazine income, something along the lines of $30 per ad each issue? Using the figures quoted, say the mag costs $60 per member per year, say a move to digital costs $10 per year per member, that $50 saving should be split between investing for the future and reduced member fees. Ie a $25 reduction in fee. For those who want the printed copy, subscribe for $50 per year. I think Russ is on the money though, our biggest cost is staff, about $1.2million. If we can invest now to reduce that in the future by moving from paper to more automated online systems, needing less clerical staff to process forms, renewals and registrations. Together with stream lining the magazine, if possible so it makes a profit as a monthly mag, or maybe a quarter edition with monthly newsletter style editions. If we really want to start saving money and cutting back or streamlining, we need more information then we have now. We need to know exactly how much is getting spent on what. For example, how much is spent on aircraft registration related matters, how much on pilot certificate issuing, how much is on auditing flight training schools. I think ASIC was one of the areas highlighted that was costing us money, is that something we really need to be doing?
  15. rhysmcc
    airspace is either controlled or uncontrolled, Class D is very limited (i.e. only around the aerodrome), if you need to get over ranges or coastal routes, it's generally Class C you'll be in (i.e. with Brisbane Centre). I don't see why you'd need to say only class d, but i guess it's a start. There would be no reason for a RA-AUS member to be flying their jabiru into sydney or melbourne, however places like Cairns or the Gold Coast makes sense and they are Class C. Most of the charges are for the use of the airport (i.e. landing), transiting airspace I didn't think cost too much (VFR). To answer your question Andy, i think it should be line with the RPL, i.e. an endorsement you gain after training with a qualified instructor (maybe with min hours in CTA or landings at a controlled aerodrome). But it should be a choice, those who don't want the access (and added requirements), shouldn't have any extra restrictions placed on them (i.e. medical, aircraft equipment)
  16. rhysmcc
    Very much so, your less likely to receive a friendly service if you haven't even bothered to file a flight plan (which costs you nothing), it can be very time consuming to put aircraft details into the system and usually multiple transmissions. As with any flight, do your brief, know the airspace procedures and submit the flight plan :)
  17. rhysmcc
    Atc don't care what aircraft your in, if they can fit you in they will. The issue is generally the space you need for the smaller guys is a lot bigger then for the jets. The airport companies on the other hand seem to be trying to encourage light aircraft operators to vacate the area. You could face up to $300 landing fees in cairns if you use the runway between 10am-2pm.
  18. rhysmcc

    SB inspect heads

    rhysmcc replied to jetjr's topic in Jabiru

    The AD was posted on the RA-AUS website, if that was what you were referring to.
  19. rhysmcc
    I can see where TP is coming from on this one, this time it worked out as there were no against votes, however what systems are being put in place to prevent non members from voting in future meetings? Maybe in future a "public gallery" area could be setup where's non members can sit, that way there can be no confusion.
  20. rhysmcc
    That's good to hear and thought as much anyway. Our largest expenditure appears to be staff, almost half in fact. Are we looking at ways to reducing the amount of positions either by utilizing "online systems" or the combining of some positions? At the current count (from the RA-AUS website) we have CEO, 4 Managers, 3 Assistant/Project officers, Ops Administrator and 8 Clerical/Executive Assistants. What does the Board and CEO think about our current staffing levels? I would rather see the mag online and some of the savings passed on to members, then increase in membership fees to cover our now increased expenses. If I had to choose between online and same fee VS paper and increased fee, I'd still go with the first option.
  21. rhysmcc
    According to the 13-14 Budget (and I'm not 100% if these are correct figures or what was forecast), Mag sales amount to $16,828 for the year, at $7.70 per copy (quoted on Titletracker) that amounts to just under 200 copies a month. I'm guessing it's actually alot less as one month (May 14) seems to have had 7 times the amount of sales as the other 10 months. I don't think spending $358,000 to sell less then 200 copies to non members can claim it's a good way of promoting our sport. The real question to way up is how much would an online version cost us (ie how much will we save) and the cost of middle ground, members get an online version with the option to subscribe to a print version. Ideally a share of the savings would be past on to members in the way of a reduction of fees, so that those who choose to subscribe are not paying a huge lot more. Does anyone know if the $358,000 includes the postage or is that just the printing only? Also there is no mention (that i can find) of how much is raised in advertising in the magazine, or does that all go to the publisher?
  22. rhysmcc
    I received my October Mag 2 days ago. The sooner we can get it online and eliminate the cost of printing and mailing it out each month the better, members might even engage more when they aren't given "reports" that are 6-8 weeks old. I believe this issue was discussed at the Board meeting and look forward to seeing the results, in particular the cost/benefit of the different options. Out of interest, how many magazines are sold each month through subscription or newsagents (ie not sent to members). From my exposure dealing with both my local board member and the president things seem to be going in the right direction, hopefully the recent board meeting will back this up with action.
  23. rhysmcc
    Maybe the guys at cabaero who make the webcasts could film and post for the rest of us who can't be there.
  24. rhysmcc
    It's no surprise members are more likely to voice negative opinion on this site then positive, it's human nature and isn't limited to this forum. I wonder how many phone calls or emails they get direct from members with only positive comments?
  25. rhysmcc
    Yes indeed it was and to an old thread (which I missed at the time). I don't understand why a draft can't be released, if people have concerns is it not better to have them pointed out now then wait until the document is final? What is the plan/timeframe as it stands now, if it's only coming out in Nov to CFI's surely it's going to be another 3-6 months before it's published and then a couple more months before it's in force? At which time you'll have members who are effected raising concerns and the whole process will need to start again
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