General Aviation August 2011 5

DGAC, is a private pilot who had beenunable to take time out to study for the JAAIR exams. There are seven written examsfor the JAA IR, which are full of irrelevantand sometimes nonsensical questions. Thecandidate must study full-time for about ayear to pass the exams, and as a result thenumber of private pilots with instrumentratings in the UK is around one percent.

In contrast, the American IR requires asimilar level of flying training but has noneof the arcane theoretical knowledgerequirements, and almost 50 percent of USpilots have an IR. Because the JAA IR isnot achievable for all but a handful of non-professional aviators, many European fliersobtain FAA IRs and fly in Europe on the N-register.

M Gandil travelled to the USA in May tolook at the FAA IR and flew with BruceLandsberg, head of the AOPA Foundation.The two men flew from AOPA’sheadquarters in Frederick, Maryland, toHagerstown, 35 miles to the north west, ina G-1000-equipped Diamond DA40, withM Gandil in the left seat. Bruce Landsbergdescribed M Gandil as “making an excellentjob” and added: “That France is embracinga much simpler instrument rating is highlycommendable and will not only save livesbut provide French pilots with a realincentive to upgrade their skills at areasonable expenditure of time andmoney.”

For years, European authorities haverecognised that the theoretical knowledgerequirements were an unnecessary barrierto the IR and have worked to reduce them.The JAA set up a committee to winnow outthe nonsense, but it was never allowed tofinish the job. Now, the EmmanuelDavidson of AOPA France says: “Thewritten exams for private pilots is centeredon the subjects that are pertinent to theconduct of IFR flights in single or twinengine pistons up to FL195. There will beno questions about the hydraulic systems ofairliners or the calculation of Mach

numbers, only subjects relevant to whatpilots needs to know.”

In France, fewer than three percent ofprivate pilots hold an Instrument Rating. Ajoint study by AOPA and FFA showed thatmore than 3,000 French pilots would liketo train for an IR(A) in the next 18 monthsif they could be trained in a mannerresembling the one used by the FAA.

The new IR will allow the pilot to fly oninstruments to the same minimums as JAAIR holders. It allows French PPL holders tofly IFR on French registered airplanes inFrench airspace, and there is provision forFAA IR holders to validate their US IR ontheir French license – if they have 100hours on instruments (including sim time)they simply need to fly a ‘skills test’ at anapproved FTO.

The theoretical knowledge exam calls forthe student to answer 150 questions on airlaw, radio comms, IFR-related humanfactors, instrumentation and radionavigation, flight planning, flight following,and meteorology. While an accredited FTOmust be in charge of the training, pilots cando the flying in their own aircraft, or in anaero club plane, which further drives downcosts.

The first Frenchcandidates for the newrating should be takingtheir written andpractical exams as earlyas September. The wayis open for otherEuropean countries toaccept the Frenchrating, given that it isICAO-compliant, bymaking an agreement with France underwhich French rated pilots could fly intoother countries. M Davidson says: “Ifenough European countries accept theFrench rating, EASA could decide to adopta system that is already functional and hasbeen proven as a functioning alternative toits own plans.” �

France’s Private Pilot Instrument Rating,first revealed in the June issue of this

magazine, has been formally announced byAOPA France, the Direction générale del’Aviation civile (DGAC) and the FrenchAero Clubs Federation (FFA).

The new IR, for which only a singlewritten examination on pertinent topics isrequired, means that French pilots canobtain the benefits and protection of an IRwithout going through the nonsensicaltheoretical knowledge requirements whichhave hitherto made European IRsunobtainable for 98 percent of privatepilots. Holders of FAA IRs will be able toconvert them to French IRs easily andcheaply.

In Britain AOPA has brought the Frenchmove to the attention of the CAA, which isstudying the implications. France is invitingother European countries to makeagreements to accept the Frenchqualification, and to adopt it where they seethe need.

Exactly where this leaves EASA’s long-delayed plans for instrument flyingqualifications is unclear. Early indications ofthe Agency’s attitude are not promising.The word from Cologne is that EASA’slawyers are going through the small print ofthe French rating to see “whether it’s legalor not.” Elsewhere in Europe the officialresistance is getting its boots on becausesome civil aviation authorities don’t wantan increase in IFR traffic from which therewould be no revenue; sub-two-tonneaircraft do not attract IFR charges. Wheremoney is concerned, safety has a rival.

EASA’s Notice of Proposed Amendmenton instrument flying, originally due to havebeen published in the summer of 2010,has been repeatedly delayed and is nowpromised for August or September. Somesources say it is being amended to includea private instrument rating similar to thatoffered by the French, but with powerfulvoices expressing concerns about adding tothe IFR load, especially when they don’t getpaid for it, nothing is guaranteed.

The delay in revealing the contents of theNPA makes life particularly difficult becausethe deadline for implementation hasn’tchanged – it’s still April 8th, 2012.Originally, the industry and its stateregulators were expected to have almosttwo years to plan for the switch – now, thatlooks like being about six months. AOPAhas always had a jaundiced view of EASA’sdeadlines, which are entirely arbitrary butwhich are treated as holy grail by EASA;some flexibility will have to be found inimplementing FCL, however, becausedelays in writing regulations have becomeexcessive.

The French IR came about because MPatrick Gandil, Director General of the

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Instrument ratings, safety and money

By the time you read this a top-levelmeeting should have been held

involving the CAA, the Department forTransport, the Home Office and theCabinet Office concerning the airspacerestrictions imposed in the Home Countiesto cover the Olympic and ParalympicGames.

The CAA and NATS largely side with thegeneral aviation industry in saying that therestrictions are too extensive and coulddeal a devastating blow to many GAcompanies, who stand to lose a major

portion of their business during what oughtto be the busiest two months of the year.Given that GA is already in the grip of anunprecedented recession, the loss couldprove fatal for some.

Unfortunately, those segments of theHome Office which consider themselvesresponsible for public safety couldn’t give amonkeys about the general aviationindustry as long as they can fulfil theirallotted task, which is to serve up anincident-free games – not just free ofterrorist incident, but with no embarrassing �

Olympics – spooks not for turning

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:37 Page 5

intrusion by some halfwit dressed asBatman under a powered parachute, orwhatever.

During the planning of the vast restrictedarea the CAA and NATS were“consulted” in the flimsiest way;they were almost as shocked asGA when the Home Officeannounced its plans. It hassince been made clear that thesize and shape of the area is

non-negotiable. The spooks believe they’vealready erred in favour of GA.

Martin Robinson says: “Dawn Lindsey

but they have yet to be put to the HomeOffice and there’s no guarantee that theywill accede.

“What is certain that all our efforts tochange hearts and minds at the HomeOffice over the issues of transponderequipage and radio use have hit a brickwall. The sad fact is that if you’re underthe restricted area and you don’t havethese, then your only course of action is tomove out of the area for the two months ofthe games, if you can. Try as we might, weare not going to make any headway onthese issues, and neither is the CAA or any

and her colleagues at the CAA, and anumber of officials at the Department forTransport, have been indefatigable in tryingto improve on what the Home Office isoffering by trying to get some flexibility intothe arrangements, but it has to be said thattheir options are extremely limited.

“In fact, as far as winning some groundback for GA is concerned, they’re reducedto fighting for specific corridors and small-scale local arrangements, largely on theperiphery of the restricted area. Somepeople seem to have gained theimpression that these are already assured,

6 General Aviation August 2011

about flying there in the lastmagazine, but let me just say it’s abeautiful country with unique flyingopportunities, and if you can get acheap flight there, it’s worth a visit.Drop me a line and I’ll give you somecontact details for the AOPA Iceland guys –the welcome is fantastic.On May 18th and 19th I was at

Eurocontrol for a discussion on theamalgamation of all its advisory bodies intoone – there have been three up to now. A lotof the stuff we discuss is not germane to GA,but when things like Mode S, 8.33 andTCAS come up we have to be there to fightGA’s corner. David McMillan has workedmiracles in reforming Eurocontrol in the faceof labyrinthine political and practicalproblems, and the streamlining of theadvisory bodies is a good idea – it meansmuch more than having three meetings ayear instead of nine.On the 21st AOPA Chairman George

Done and I competed in TopNav in hisPA28; we still don’t know how we fared, butwe’re quite heavily handicapped, having wonour class four years ago. The worse we do,the better our chances next time. Two dayslater I was in Brussels for a meeting of theEC’s Industry Consultation Body, where thefirst piece of business is the implementationof IP1, which is the first stage of SESAR,finishing off existing Eurocontrol projectssuch as datalinks and 8.33. The airlinesaren’t sure who they want to run SESAR’s

deployment – there are a lotof thorny business-relatedissues surrounding it – andthere are powerful voicesthere with no time for GA,like Airbus. If they get theirway we’ll wake up one day andfind we can’t fly without TCAS.You can’t turn your back. Nextyear we have the introduction ofthe Emissions Trading Scheme(ETS) which will cost the airlines

about €9 billion a year. As with much else inEurope, the bureaucratic cart has got in frontof the industry horse – the FunctionalAirspace Blocks (FABs) which were to havemade navigation easier and routes shorterare nowhere near ready. Reducing 67 ATCcentres to about 20 is very ambitious andfaces political resistance. Getting 36 differentATC computer languages to communicate asone is daunting on a practical level, choosingbetween future systems like UAT and 1090for ADS-B is fraught with difficulty. The costof equipping for all this is massive, and GAcan easily get swamped. Luckily we havesupportive voices like the head ofperformance review body, Peter Griffiths,who keep in mind the effect any move willhave on the economy of GA. Are the rightdecisions being made? They weren’t onMode-S. My goal is to ensure that GA cancontinue to fly VFR non-radio, and if wemust be seen electronically it must be with alightweight, low cost portable system thatputs you on ACAS and TCAS and all the restof it. That’s got to be the baseline.On the 25th I was in Beirut representing

IAOPA and meeting the Transport MinisterGhazi Aridi and the acting head of the CAADaniel Haibi. Lebanon is making a choice

Sorry for jumping straight onto my hobbyhorse but the European Commission has

made a rod for all our backs with itsinsistence on strict deadlines for EASA. TheAgency is way behind in its work, yet withFlight Crew Licensing, for instance, the fixedand immovable deadline remains April 8th2012. We’re heading for a regulatory carcrash, making bad rules in a desperate hurrywith no time for real oversight orconsultation in order to meet an entirelyarbitrary and utterly realistic deadlineinvented years ago for reasons few canremember. Yet to the bureaucratic mind, thedeadline is more important than the efficacyof the regulation.Bureaucracy is piled on bureaucracy. This

level of official drag on business may be thenorm in parts of Europe but it’s utterly aliento the UK. A few days ago I was in Brusselsfor a Eurocontrol meeting on futurestandardisation issues. One fellow wasgrinding on about the 93 comments they’dhad to a consultation. It took me a fewminutes to twig that he was talking about 93responses to the way the document wasformatted, and much more work would beneeded before they even began to wonderwhat to put in it. If bureaucracy had builtRome, it would have been planned for acentury and built in a day. Sometimes I wantto scream and run away.Anyway, picking up where I left off in my

last diary, on May 10th I went to Gatwick fora GA Strategic Forum meeting. This hasbeen going since 2006 and has done a lot oftalking to little effect, but at the top level theCAA has decided it should be made to workso I’ve raised it up my personal ‘must attend’list. Rather than addressing broad,amorphous goals like changing the CivilAviation Act to remove the bias against GA,it has to be more specific and take aim at theissues we face, such as the future of avgas,barriers to flight training, threats toaerodromes.On the 11th I was in Iceland wearing my

IAOPA Senior Vice President hat to addressthe AGM of AOPA Iceland. I wrote a story

Chief executive’s diary:Chief executive’s diary:

Building Rome in a day

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Meeting inBeirut – fromleft, HaythamAzhari (AOPALebanon),MartinRobinson,LebaneseTransportMinister GhaziAridi, HadiAzhari (AOPALebanon)

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:37 Page 6

General Aviation August 2011 7

between the EASA and FAA approaches,and EASA is courting them to lure them ontothe European road. I urged them to lookclosely at FAA systems, which serve tosupport the aviation industry where EASA’sapproach restricts and damages it.Into June, and on the 3rd I was at one of

the UK Department for Transport’s regularbriefings on EASA. These are fairly informalexchanges; because EASA has had its remitextended into air traffic management, theATM people are coming up against theproblems we’ve been having for years –they’re saying how difficult it is to deal withan Agency that doesn’t obey its own rules interms of how it consults and operates. Thewhole of the aviation industry is findingdealing with EASA extremely challenging.Our own regulator and our governmentpeople need to work harder in Europe touphold our interests, but there’s still thisdebilitating notion that we’re ‘bad Europeans’if we speak up. We are supposedly reducingred tape in this country, but Europe is goingmad with red tape. The French protect theirindustry – we must do the same.On the 7th and 8th I was in Cologne for

the EASA Advisory Body meeting; EASA’sExecutive Director Patrick Goudou attendedand repeated his increasingly threadbaremantra about EASA being concerned withsafety, safety, safety. In truth, it’s EASA firstand the rest can go hang – regulations arewritten to protect the Agency. They don’thave enough money, enough staff, they don’thave the right people in the right jobs, theirattitudes are elitist and obstructive. And thanksto the EC, they’re operating to ridiculousdeadlines. You couldn’t create a betterframework for bad regulation if you tried.On the 13th June I went to the three-day

EASA-FAA conference in Vienna, where therecently-signed bilateral agreement onaviation, the BASA, was debated. Twooversight boards have been established, oneto look specifically at technology matters.The main board, known as BOB, is unwieldy– all the European states are represented, asis the EC, EASA, the Parliament, the FAAand the industry. The primary objective is tolook after Boeing and Airbus and ensure thatno silly requirements are imposed on them;there will be a broader reliance on eachother’s systems, and acceptance of STCs willbe easier. Of great interest to GA is the first

annexe, which will be on licensing. This is afairly long-term debate and there certainlywon’t be anything in place in time forEASA’s 2014 deadline on third-countrylicence issues, so one would hope someflexibility can be found. IAOPA will besticking to private pilots’ concerns when itcomes to tackling the N-reg issue – politicalarguments about transatlantic employmentrights are for others. The most impressivepresentation of all in Vienna, with thepossible exception of one from the AmericanAirline Pilots Association, was by the CAA’sGretchen Burrett, who was light years aheadof some of the other people on the panel.Patrick Goudou, in summing up, said EASAwas going to be more risk-based in itsapproach. Ten years late, but welcomenonetheless.A quick stop in London for a change of

underwear and I was off to Sywell for AeroExpo. Those who went will agree that it wasa pleasant event in a good location, andAOPA will continue to support it. I was ableto meet a lot of members old and new, and itwas gratifying to hear that the work we do isappreciated.On June 20th we had the AOPA Instructor

Committee, where the main topic wasEurope and FCL; Nick Wilcock representsAOPA on EASA’s new Partnership WorkingGroup which will be trying retrospectively toimprove regulations already imposed. Isincerely hope this important group can bemade to work, but it’s a bit of a strange beastwith no formal status within EASA. Still, it’sthe best forum by which industry caninfluence EASA on these issues, and NickWilcock has a really good grasp of thecomplexities.We had the AOPA Executive Committee

on the 22nd, and I gave my regular report.On the 24th I went to the Airspace InitiativeCo-Ordination Group, ASICG, which is theover-arching body that deals withinfringement issues; it has Olympic issues inits brief, and although we can’t give specificsyet, things are happening – the CAA, theMoD and everyone else is trying to thrashout workable solutions to problems, but itwon’t be right for everybody. I don’t thinkthe Home Office will budge an inch from thebasic flight plan, transponder and radiorequirement. Nothing we have said has evenremotely touched them.

On the 27th and 28th I was in Brusselsat the invitation of the Commission to takepart in a ‘fitness check’ on some existingregulations. This is what the EC calls ‘smartregulation’ – as opposed to ‘dumbregulation’ I suppose – trying to ensureafter the fact that the operation won’t killthe patient. Most don’t concern us – thecommon rules for the operation of airservices in the EU, the code of conduct forcomputerised reservation systems – but oneof them, 785 2004, covers the insurancerequirement for air carriers and operators.This is the statute that forces warbirds likethe B-17 Sally B to carry the sameinsurance as a 737 in scheduled service,even though Sally B flies as much in a yearas a 737 does on a Monday. The EC saysit’s aware of the issue, but didn’t specifywhat they’re going to do about it. This isalso where the proposal to ban all flights ofbetween 100 and 300 nm is underdiscussion – a nonsensical proposal which ispart of the environment lobby’s attack onaviation. The EC seems to be looking forlong grass to kick it into, which is wise. Iwent on to a meeting with the EBAA andGAMA with whom IAOPA has a workingarrangement to share information andadopt a common approach to this ‘betterregulation’ process.On July 6th I did a BBC Radio Berkshire

interview on Olympic airspace and theimpact on places like Popham and WhiteWaltham, then went to Gatwick for ameeting of the General AviationConsultative Committee where, amongother issues, we received an update on theCAA’s Safety Programme. For GA they’regoing to focus on risk management anddecision-making of pilots, which is a goodway to go. Dealing with the CAA after aspell in Europe makes me appreciate howlucky we are in Britain; under the currentmanagement, relations between the CAAand industry have never been more positive,even while the CAA cedes more and moreresponsibility to EASA, which believes thatits regulatory mistakes can be solved bymore regulation. I went from the CAA backto Brussels to listen to that chap making afantastic meal of the format of a documenton which a regulation might one day bewritten – it’s a parallel universe out there.

Martin Robinson

of the politicians towhom we haveturned for help.

“The flight planrequirement willremain, and thespooks are sayingthat the issues ofcapacity will be dealtwith, althoughexactly what theymean by that andhow it will be handled is unclear.Discussions on this subject have been

effectively stonewalled. He asked whatvolume of traffic was expected in therestricted area, what mechanisms werebeing put in place to manage that traffic,what assessment had been made of theloss of earnings to aviation businesses, andwhat compensation was available. For thegovernment, Earl Attlee played a dead bat,addressing only the issue of the additionalcommercial movements during the Games,referring to GA activity as ‘leisure flights’and claiming NATS was still working onflight plan reception and handling issues.There would be no compensation. �

some of the mostfrustrating I’ve everhad, marked byextreme inflexibilityand a total lack ofresponse toargument.”

As reported in thelast issue of GeneralAviation, AOPA’sPresident LordStevens sought

answers from government on Olympicrestrictions in the House of Lords but was

CLOSEDDUE TO THE

OLYMPICS

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:37 Page 7

all the Channel Islands’ air traffic.”The existing requirement for VFR traffic

to file a flight plan should give ATC all thenotice they need of VFR movements. MrStrasser says: “ATS in New York, LosAngeles, Frankfurt and Berlin (for example)manage ten or more times our volume oftraffic using only simple radiocommunication methods, without any kindof flight plan or notification from VFRaircraft. It is astonishing, therefore, thatJersey ATS should attempt to present theiroverlay of additional prior permissionrequirements, as a ‘a relatively normalcourse of action’.

“The Channel Islands Zone is unique.Nowhere in the free world does a zonewith so little traffic impose the requirementthat every VFR flight in or out of the zonemust file a flight plan. Thus, Jersey ATC

already has a vastamount of informationand prior notification ofVFR traffic, comparedto ATC in any majorairport in the USA orGermany.

“We would like tounderstand why JerseyATS appears to beincapable of executingits responsibilitieswithout anextraordinary overlay ofrestrictions that are notneeded by any otherATS unit in the westernworld managing similartraffic volumes.

“Jersey ATS points toits new computer

system. Obviously, every ATS unit in theworld at some point changes itscomputers. We are not aware of anyoccasion that incredibly busy zones likethose in the USA or Germany have neededthe restrictions that already exist in the CIZone, let alone additional ‘prior permission’restrictions.

“It is a matter of record that the newsystem, planned and specified in 2008,now has significantly less traffic to copewith in CI airspace. There is noconceivable reason for ATS to needrestrictions that could not have beenforeseen years ago. Therefore, AOPA CIdoes not accept the proposals orexplanations of Jersey Airport and ATSmanagement, nor do we believe ourcommunities should accept their negativeeconomic and reputational consequences.”

Pilots wishing to fly into the islands mustfirst register on www.cicz.co.uk, thenconform to the 17-step permissionsprocess. �

about as a result of the installation of newcomputers and radar equipment in thenew multimillion pound tower at JerseyAirport. Despite extensive training beforethe delayed launch last December, andover six months of operational use by fullyqualified, skilled and licensed air trafficcontrollers, the new system can apparentlynot even handle the movements easilycoped with by the old system, furtherreduced by the approximately 20 percentreduction in traffic since then.

“Clearly the system, as at presentinstalled, is therefore not fit for purpose.We have requested an independentinvestigation and scrutiny of this. We havealso repeatedly asked for the movementcapacity of the system ordered, thecapacity delivered and the reducedcapacity limit now operated on, together

with the comparative actual movements,individually for the three peak months lastyear. This information has not beenforthcoming.”

He goes on to say: “This is anextraordinary encumbrance relative to ourmodest traffic volumes and the existingrequirement for all aircraft to file a detailedflight plan. It is claimed this is necessarybecause of the new computer systemintroduced in 2010. Jersey ATS have failed

to consult the generalaviation communityproperly at any point inthis process, and AOPACI’s feedback in privatehas been ignored.

“Not only do webelieve that the prior permissionrequirement is unnecessary, we think it iswrong that an organisation entrusted witha duty of care for aviation safety shoulduse these principles to cover up itsapparent inability to properly plan to serve

8 General Aviation August 2011

New restrictions have been imposed onVFR flights to the Channel Islands

because a new multi-million pound ATCsystem is apparently unable to cope withthe traffic handled by the old one.

Since June 30th, all VFR flights toJersey, Guernsey and Alderney have been

made subject to prior permissionvia a 17-step online systemwhich largely duplicates theinformation already provided inVFR flight plans, which are alsomandatory when flying from theUK to the islands, as is the filingof a GAR form.

The restrictions, which according to theislands’ authorities will last for “about threemonths”, are all the more bizarre becausethere are no restrictions on VFR flightsacross the Channel Islands Control Zone –you just can’t land.Furthermore, GA IFRflights are unaffected.

AOPA is fighting thePPR mandate, which itbelieves will result in afurther reduction of airtraffic to the ChannelIslands, where aircraftmovements are alreadydown by about 20percent in two years.AOPA’s Channel IslandsChairman CharlesStrasser believes the newrequirements will put GApilots off coming to theislands and his view hasbeen borne out by thenumber of regularvisitors who have writtento the islands’ authorities saying the PPRdemand is a step too far.

Pilots based in the islands willthemselves be worst affected because theywill be unable to return home withoutgaining a VFR slot via the online system.

Charles Strasser says the PPR demandbetrays inadequate performance ofsystems and equipment which is “not fitfor purpose”. He has produced statistics toshow that by comparison with air trafficcontrol areas elsewherein the world theChannel Islands, withsome 130,000movements a year, area quiet backwater, yetpilots there alreadyoperate under Class A airspace restrictions.He has engaged in a spirited debate withthe authorities on radio and in the islands’newspapers and has faced personal insultsfor his temerity.

Charles Strasser says: “This has come

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More hassle in the Channel Islands

Many millions have been spenton a new Channel Islands ATC system

the new system canapparently not evenhandle the movementseasily coped with bythe old system

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General Aviation August 2011 9

After many requests from IAOPA, EASA has finally agreed to areview of the Part M maintenance requirements as they apply

to GA, where increased cost and bureaucracy has been aconstant complaint.

EASA’s Deputy Director of Rulemaking Eric Sivel has asked forfeedback on how Part M is operating in the general aviationsector ahead of a workshop in September or October which willassess its impact on the industry. The request creates an officialchannel for the torrent of complaints about Part M which havefallen on European politicians for years, but which EASA hasbeen reluctant to address.

Part M was a maintenance revolution foisted on the GAindustry despite the fact that the old systems were workingperfectly well. It paid insufficient heed to ‘proportionality’ andimposed similar requirements on GA to those for commercial airtransport. While many commercial outfits had to hire more staffto deal with the new paperwork GA outfits were often unable todo so, and aircraft were immobilised for long periods whiledocuments going back 20 or more years were sought out andmeticulously cross-checked. EASA initially recognised theproblem and promised a ‘Part M lite’ for general aviation butthere has never been any real alleviation.

The problems include the fact that recommendations inmanufacturers’ manuals now have the force of Europeanregulation, which means that liability lawyers for foreigncompanies are effectively writing European law. Where theserecommendations are interpreted literally, for example in Sweden,maintenance has become a near-impossible task.

EASA specifies that descriptions of problems in Part M shouldbe accompanied by proposed solutions, and says that someareas where they are particularly interested in receiving feedback,inter alia, are format of the rules, generic maintenancesprogrammes and indirect approval procedures, approval andacceptance of repairs and modifications, acceptance of

components from the US and Canada, scope of work authorisedto the pilot-owner, and scope of work authorised to independentcertifying staff.

Martin Robinson says several IAOPA-Europe representativeswill be attending the workshop and arrangements are being madefor the co-ordination of submissions for feedback. “We arepleased that EASA is taking steps to address this situation andwill work to ensure that the recommendations brought out at theworkshops are acted upon,” he said. �

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AOPA FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR SEMINAR

JAR-FCL Flight Instructor Refresher Seminarconducted by AOPA and approved by the CAA

Dates & Venues

15/16 November 2011 Booker

20/21 March 2012 Bristol

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To register for the seminar visit the AOPA website www.aopa.co.uk or phone 020 7834 5631

What’s wrong with Part M?

May’s Airbox Aware winnerAOPA and Airbox award an Airbox Aware anti-infringement toolworth £150 to one new member drawn from a hat each month.The May winner was Simon Blaxsell, who will be using it in hiswork as a flying instructor. Simon got his PPL in 1984 and addeda CPL in 2001, followed by an FI rating in 2003. He got his IMCin 2006 and became an IMCinstructor three years later, anda GR examiner in the same year.He flies most light singles butpredominantly the PA28 andC172, and does groundinstruction for PPL exams, flighttraining for PPL, Night and inBedfordshire andCambridgeshire. Simon says:“Aware will be a very useful aidas a backup to well preparedand flown pilot navigationexercises.”

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:37 Page 9

Biggin Hill has become the 206thBritish airfield to sign up to AOPA’s

‘Strasser Scheme’, under whichaerodromes agree to waive fees for GApilots forced to make emergency orprecautionary landings.

There remain only six airfields in thecountry now refusing to join the scheme,which aims to promote safety by removingthe fear of excessive charges from pilots

who are making decisions onunplanned diversions, often instressful circumstances. Forinitiating the ‘Strasser Scheme’and for his persistence over thepast 11 years in getting almostevery UK aerodrome toparticipate, AOPA’s Channel

Islands Chairman Charles Strasser wasawarded the 2010 Civil Aviation AuthorityGA Safety Award.

Apart from initiating and promoting thescheme, Charles Strasser also mediates incase of disagreement between a pilot andan airfield over whether fees should belevied.

Biggin Hill had previously declined tojoin the Scheme, saying it was a de facto

participant and had adopted its tenetsindependently. The airport’s ManagingDirector Jenny Munro has now decided toformally commit the airport to the StrasserScheme.

Charles Strasser says: “This is verywelcome, and my thanks go to Ms Munro.I obtained considerable help in achievingthis long-sought signature from my fellowflying Rotarian John Bowden, and I extendmy grateful thanks for his help innegotiations.”

The Strasser Scheme was born after theCAA produced CAP 667, which warned ofthe dangers of ‘press-on-itis’ and urgedaerodromes to remove obstacles to easydiversion. CAA CAP 667 9.2 (c) says:“There were a number of fatal accidentswhere a timely diversion or precautionarylanding could have avoided an accident. Inthe UK there is a ‘culture’ of pressing onand hoping for the best rather acceptingthe inconvenience and cost of a diversion.This ‘culture’ needs to be changed, firstlyby educating pilots and secondly bypersuading aerodrome owners that thereshould be no charge for emergencylandings or diversions. It is recommended

10 General Aviation August 2011

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that all aerodrome owners be persuaded toadopt a policy that there should be nocharges for emergency landings ordiversions by general aviation aircraft.”

While making the recommendation, theCAA made no move to take the matterfurther. So Charles Strasser, a member ofthe AOPA Board, took it upon himself tosign up aerodromes to a scheme underwhich they agreed to comply with therecommendations in CAP 667 9.2 (c).The Ministry of Defence was quick tocommit all RAF, Navy and Army air basesto the Scheme and they have provedinvaluable to aviators in trouble. Over thepast 11 years Charles Strasser hassucceeded in getting all but sixaerodromes to participate (Heathrow,Gatwick and London City have not beenapproached). He has also mediated duringdifferences of opinion between pilots andairfields. These have been pleasingly rare,and there has been no suggestion thatpilot misuse of the Strasser Scheme hasbeen an issue.

The six hold-outs are BelfastInternational, Cardiff, Carlisle, Leeds-Bradford, Luton and Manchester. �

Biggin Hill signs with Strasser

2011 AGM2.00 p.m. Friday 16th September 2011at the Victoria Charity Centre11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB

The formal notice follows:THE BRITISH LIGHT AVIATION CENTRE LIMITED

Trading as

THE AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION OF UK45th Annual General Meeting 2.00 p.m. Friday 16th September 2011

1. Apologies for absence

2. To confirm the Minutes from the 44th Annual GeneralMeeting

3. To receive and approve the Directors’ Report and FinancialStatements for the year ended 31st March 2011.

4. The election of Directors to the Board of Management. Thefollowing Directors are due to retire by rotation: GeoffreyBoot, John Pett, Chris Royle and Charles Strasser. GeoffreyBoot, John Pett, Chris Royle and Charles Strasser offerthemselves for re-election. The election of other properlynominated Members of AOPA.

5. To appoint as Auditors Messrs Waller & Byford, at a fee tobe fixed by the Board of Management.

6. To conduct any other business which may properly be dealtwith at an Annual General Meeting.

By Order of the Board George Done, Chairman

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:37 Page 10

Say again?The safety ramifications of the use of

languages other than English in the IFRsystem have been highlighted by an airproxover France involving a member of AOPAUK. The pilot was flying IFR at FL11 in hisCirrus when he became aware through hisACAS system of another aircraft passingclose behind him. At the same time, hecould hear ATC having a conversation withanother pilot in French. He thought nomore of it until weeks later he received aletter from the DGAC telling him he was

“It makes a mockery of ICAO’s insistenceon English language proficiency,” Martinsaid. “I can understand French or otherlanguages being used in VFR flight, but inthe IFR system it’s vital that everyoneunderstand what’s going on at all times.Because this pilot did not speak French hewas unable to build a picture of the activityaround him, to the detriment of his safetyand that of others.”

AOPA assisted the pilot in thepreparation of his response, and he laterreceived a reply from the DGAC whichindicated that the file on the incident wasbeing closed. He remains unaware of thedetails of the airprox. �

under investigation following an airprox andasking for his version of events.

The pilot contacted AOPA, and ChiefExecutive Martin Robinson became awareof a safety anomaly when he discoveredthat under French national law, aFrenchman is entitled to speak French inFrance whatever the circumstances. Thislaw is the product of national angst at thecreeping encroachment of the Englishlanguage, but it does not sit well with therequirements of aviation safety. ICAO’s Parisoffice is trying to persuade the French toadopt an English language requirement inthe IFR system, at least in the busy sectors,but so far there has been no agreement.

General Aviation August 2011 11

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wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 11

The AOPA Members Working Groupmoved to Coventry Airport for its May

meeting, on a grey day which discouragedflying in – the long journeys some membershad made by road encouraged discussion oftele-conferencing, which has since beentried on an experimental basis and showspromise.

The meeting was held in the Airbasemuseum offices at Coventry, and if youhaven’t been yet, it’s well worth the trip.They have a fantastic collection of aircraft,including the Air Atlantique fleet, which they

endeavour to keep airworthy.Museum’s the wrong word for it,really – it’s a working engineeringhangar which just happens tokeep aloft some of the mosticonic aircraft in the country.They have the world’s oldest jet,and you can get rides in their

Rapide. Have a look atwww.airbasecoventry.com and make plansto drop in when you’re in the area.

The MWG meeting was chaired by ChrisRoyle, and members included James Chan,Auri Stephenson, Richard Warriner, PaulineVahey, Timothy Nathan, Nick Wilcock, andPat Malone. AOPA Chairman George Donewas present – Martin Robinson was inLebanon.

The group discussed a wide range oftopics, starting with preparations for theAOPA Bonus Day at Duxford on September10th; there’s been a review of what wentwell and what went less welllast year, and this yearshould be smoother. AuriStephenson remarked thatshe’d been at WhiteWaltham when MartinRobinson had delivered the‘Robinson Roadshow’ – itwas a superb presentationand enthused a lot ofpeople, but there wasnobody there to takememberships so anopportunity was lost. Itought to be possible to

George Done reported on theMaintenance Working Group, which he saidwas getting quite busy as a result of EASA’sPart M maintenance requirements.Maintainers feel oppressed, he said; theyare subject to unpredictable inspections byauthority figures who are often out of theairlines, who are sent out to do theirinspections after a one-week course andwho are highly variable in their approach.

Other topics discussed includedcommunications, the magazine, and theworkings of EASA on FCL issues. �

dragoon a volunteer into dispensingmemberships, perhaps the AOPA RegionalRep or just a passing AOPA member…

The website has been updated, looksmuch better and has more functionality –have a look at www.aopa.co.uk if youhaven’t been on for a while. Chris Royle saidthere was a new volunteer on board, AlexBerry, and thanks were due to James Chan,Mick Elborn and Mike Cross. More workneeds to be done, and some of it is in hand.

Heavy-handed police handling of GARsubmissions came in for discussion; this issomething member John Murray has beenengaged in. It was suggested that a ‘cribsheet’ stating exactly what is and is notrequired could be produced for every AOPAmember to produce to police ifunreasonable demands were made bypolice.

A discussion document on ‘AOPA pastand future’ was circulated briefly beforebeing deferred until everyone had had achance to read it; the situation with theAOPA Regional Reps was also touchedupon. The AOPA office has takenresponsibility for administering the reps, andthere have been suggestions that they couldusefully be got together for a meeting. Planswere laid to experiment withteleconferencing, using a hub operated byTimothy Nathan – who also updatedmembers on the situation with the onerousOlympic Games airspace restrictions in theHome Counties.

12 General Aviation August 2011

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Members Working Group goes on the road

The AOPA Members Working Group hassuggested that the background of AOPA

be explained from time to time in thismagazine because there are a lot ofmisconceptions about what the Associationis and who runs the show.

AOPA is a not-for-profit organisation thatis owned entirely by its members and owesnothing to any corporate body or agency ofgovernment. If anyone asks you who ownsAOPA, you can say that you do – presumingof course that you’ve paid your subs.

AOPA’s stated aim is to defend all formsof general aviation from unreasonablerestriction from whatever source, and tomake the best possible case for itsmembers who may find themselves inconflict with the authorities. It alsomediates between owners and engineers,airfields and pilots, flying schools andstudents – any aviation-related matter.

AOPA’s strengths lie in the fact that ittakes no money from any regulator or stateauthority and can thus represent pilotswithout fear or favour; it represents all ofgeneral aviation rather than one segment;and it is an integral part of a global entity,which is vital in an increasingly globalindustry and regulatory structure.

AOPA, the Aircraft Owners and PilotsAssociation, is the trading name of the

What is AOPA?

This photo:some of themembers atCoventry – James Chan, George Done,Auri Stephenson and Richard Warriner

Top: the unique aircraft at Airbase include aCanberra, DC-3 and DC-4

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 12

The Members Working Group’s firstteleconference was facilitated through

Timothy Nathan’s ‘Gotomeeting’ hub, forwhich chairman Chris Royle and allmembers extended their thanks to him.Given that it obviated the need for a trip toWhite Waltham for all concerned, itworked out very well. There were a coupleof minor equipment glitches, peoplesometimes got stepped on and it calls for adifferent moderation technique in order toensure that everyone can say their piece,but communication was relativelystraightforward – which is fitting, becausecommunication was the main topic for thediscussion.

The idea was to bolster AOPA’s system fordisseminating news between magazines. Itwas agreed that this has to be done withoutimposing any more work on the office andin particular on the Chief Executive; it mightbe possible to do a monthly, or even weekly,enews for the UK if someone can be foundto do it. At the moment, because of thepublication schedule of the magazine it maybe four to six weeks before a formal AOPAor IAOPA communication is issued on aparticular topic.

This person would have to have some

GA (see adjoining notice).All members like the magazine and it's

seen as a significant member benefit.Although reading journals and newspaperson iPads and the like is becoming morecommon, there are many advantages tothe conventional printed page. Theimportance of clear and timelycommunication with members wasreaffirmed.

Teleconferencing, it was thought, canaugment but not replace face-to-facemeetings; single topics can be discussed,although there’s a limit to how manypeople can get in on a debate. There’s atendency to defer to the most forceful,which has to be guarded against. All in all,a very good start. �

journalistic knowledge, and could also helpwith the magazine, whose editor PatMalone made the point that even thoughtthe magazine seems to give acomprehensive account of what AOPA’sdoing, it’s not really doing so – meetingssuch as those of the Instructor Committeeand the Executive Committee are veryrarely mentioned because he can’t get tothem, and more help would be useful. Tothis end, Pat agreed to put an appeal for asuitable person (someone who is politicallyand aviation savvy with some journalisticskills and abilities) in the August edition of

General Aviation August 2011 13

Virtual members’ meeting

A major part of AOPA’s work is explaining to the membershipwhat you’re getting for your money. It’s all well and goodrushing around trying to ensure that general aviation is notground to dust and that pilots’ and owners’ interests are

defended, but the members also need a full account of what’s being in their name and with theirmoney. For this we have the website www.aopa.co.uk, the bimonthly magazine General Aviation, amonthly news bulletin that goes to AOPA’s local representatives, occasional ad hoc emails tomembers, and a Europe-wide enews that also goes out monthly to 23,000 pilots. It’s getting to be abit of a stretch, and given that AOPA hopes to further improve its communications with members,we’re looking for capable help.

Do you have journalistic or communications skills, and a basic knowledge of general aviation?Can you volunteer some time to help the Association? The subjects we deal with can sometimes becomplex and arcane; can you sort wheat from chaff clearly and concisely, without waffling on likeI’m doing in this ‘help wanted’ notice? We’re particularly keen on improving our electronic mediaservice to members. If you think you can help, contact pat@richmondaviation.co.uk. Vast rewardsare on offer, largely in the hereafter.

Association of British Aero Clubs andCentres. In 1966 it merged with theAviation Centre of the Royal Aero Club toform the British Light Aviation Centre. BLACstill exists today – AOPA is its trading name.

In 1967, AOPA in the United Statessuggested BLAC Ltd should become AOPAUK. Increasingly, aviation was controlledinternationally, and it was important to beable to influence the development ofstandards on an international level.Eurocontrol had been up and running since1963 but the main target was ICAO, whichhad been setting international standards foraviation since 1947. ICAO was willing torecognise AOPA as the voice of generalaviation if it could show that it representedsix countries. Thus, International AOPA wasborn, and today it has 66 national AOPAsin membership.

Apart from accepting common rules, thenational AOPAs have no control or influenceover each other. The rules say there canonly be one AOPA in each state, it has to beautonomous and free-standing, and it cannot accept any government funding orcontrol.

Many important figures in the aviationworld have helped to build AOPA. ProfessorGeorge Done, AOPA’s current chairman whoalso deals with members’ engineeringqueries, is a world-renowned expert onflutter and helicopter aerodynamics. He wasan aerodynamicist on the Delta Dart projectand is a former Dean of the Aeronautics

Department at the City of LondonUniversity.

CEO Martin Robinson brought a newdimension to AOPA when he beganhelping out as a volunteer in the office in1991. A City broker specialising inpension loanbacks, he left to become acommercial pilot before gettingsidetracked. Martin brought the benefits ofhis commercial background to AOPA andhas made innovations which manymembers today take for granted. Headded legal services and started sitting inon CAA interviews with accusedmembers, and revamped the members’magazine, which used to be called LightAviation and appear in black and whitethree times a year. Now, as GeneralAviation, at is published bimonthly andsets a high standard for aviationpublications everywhere. He hasencouraged member participation, and setup the Members’ Working Group.

Nationally and internationally, AOPAtoday is in a stronger position than it hasever been. Through AOPA, generalaviation’s voice is heard from ICAO inMontreal to EASA in Cologne, Eurocontrolin Brussels and in countless other forums.Internationally, AOPA-UK is part of anorganisation with 460,000 members,including 23,000 in Europe.

If you have any questions about AOPA’sstructure or how it is run, email them topat@richmondaviation.co.uk. �

British Light Aviation Centre Ltd. This is acompany limited by guarantee, whichmeans it has no shareholders. Instead, itsmembers guarantee to contribute amaximum of £1 each to the creditorsshould the company fail.

The Articles of Association set out,among other things, who can become amember – a qualified pilot, a flying club, anassociate and so forth – what the votingrights are, how the Board is elected anddismissed, how members can be expelled,the objects of the Association, the protocolat meetings etc. The Articles give themembers, through elected representatives,control of the organisation and explain insome detail the required operatingprocedures. These Articles are governed bylaw and can only be amended with theconsent of the membership. They’re on fileat Companies House.

Some elected representatives are Boardmembers, others sit on such bodies as theInstructor Committee and influence AOPA’sactions that way. Board members, who areunpaid, have traditionally been people withenough of an interest to give their time tothe corporate governance of the Association.

The origins of AOPA go back to 1928,when the Council of Light Aeroplane Clubswas formed as a subsidiary of the RoyalAero Club, which had extensive social aswell as aviation interests. The Council splitfrom the Royal Aero Club after the SecondWorld War and became independent as the

Help wanted

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 13

Duxford, one of Britain’s mostfascinating and GA-friendly airfields, is

staging an AOPA Bonus Day on SaturdaySeptember 10th at which you’ll be able toget the most up-to-date information on thevital issues facing GA pilots in Britain,direct from the horse’s mouth.

The coming year will be one ofrevolutionary change in GA, withEASA taking responsibility forflight crew licensing from April8th, 2012. The CAA’s Head ofFlight Crew Licensing CliffWhittaker will be explaining thechanges, and you’ll be able toput any questions you have

directly to him.AOPA’s Chief Executive Martin Robinson

will be there to fill in the blanks in yourknowledge on any other subject – and ofcourse, Duxford is a fantastic fly-indestination, home to the Imperial WarMuseum’s aircraft collection, and there’s adiscounted landing fee on the day of £7.

The September 10th event follows thesuccessful AOPA Bonus Day at Duxfordlast year, which attracted some 50 aircraftand 160 visitors, and is open to AOPAmembers and non-members. A greatprogramme has been put together for the2011 day, which has five ‘flavours’:

to visit Corporate members’ displays – alljust a step away from the mezzanineviewing gallery overlooking the magnificentexhibits in the AirSpace hangar.

The morning programme includes thekeynote presentation by Cliff Whitakerfollowed by question time on that topic,which promises to be a lively affair. After abuffet lunch, Martin Robinson will runthrough AOPA’s position on the key issuesaffecting GA. There will then be time for ageneral discussion and an ‘Ask AOPA’session where AOPA staff and membersinvolved in particular projects will beavailable to answer your questions. Thepresentations and discussion, with lunch,will begin with refreshments at 11.00 andrun until 15.30.

MuseumA new feature for this year will be expert-led guided tours of the Museum in themorning and afternoon – perfect for eitheryourself, or your guests while you areattending the presentations. Additionally,Classic Wings will be offering attendeesdiscounted flights in their de HavillandRapide.

If you are not an AOPA member andwant to know what the Association can dofor you, come along. If you are a member,bring your aviation friends – family willalso enjoy the day at Duxford.

A ticket for the day, including admissionto the presentations, a buffet lunch, tea orcoffee and discount entry to the Museum,will cost £20 per person. In addition, thediscounted landing fee for all visitingaircraft will be £7. If you’re driving in,Duxford is right next to the M11 andthere’s ample parking.

For full details and booking, check outthe AOPA website www.aopa.co.uk. Youcan also book your landing slot on thewebsite. �

� ‘A guide through the flight crew licensingminefield’ by Cliff Whittaker, CAA Headof FCL

� ‘AOPA’s views on key issues facing GA’by Martin Robinson, AOPA CEO.

� Questions and discussion – have yoursay.

� Meet AOPA people.� Enjoy a day at Duxford at discount

prices, with lunch includedThis year the Imperial War Museum has

generously provided the use of theAirSpace Conference Centre for the day.Presentations will be given in the purpose-built Marshall auditorium, withrefreshments and lunch being served inthe adjacent Concorde meeting room.

There will be ample time for networkingand meeting old friends and new, and time

See you at Duxford on September 10th

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Above: flightsin a Rapide willbe on offerLeft: membersat last year'sAOPA BonusDayBelow: some50 aircraft flewinto Duxfordlast year

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 14

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by David Ogilvy

Although wind turbines continue to be in the lead on problemsfacing operators and users of GA flying sites, they are not the

only obstructions to success that are causing concern.High on the list is Denham; here various proposals for the route

of High Speed 2 railway extend from blocking a safe forced landingarea under the climb-out/approach path to the 06/24 runway to alater plan in which the branch line to Heathrow could cut acrossthe runway itself. Various messages of objection from AOPA (andothers) have not produced even the basic courtesy ofacknowledgements, let alone responsive replies. What does thistell us about democracy?

Among a wide variety of difficulties facingowners of smaller sites, Northrepps isseeking support for permanent planningpermission and Slinfold is threatened with alarge number of new houses that couldcreate a so-called ‘congested area’ (see Rule5 of Rules of the Air) under the circuit.Twelve aircraft owners have been told toremove their machines from Wombleton, inYorkshire, despite the absence of anyalternative homes within reasonable reach.On a happier note, though, an application

to erect a substantial building on the hard runway at Enstone,which might have led to the airfield’s closure, has been refusedunanimously by West Oxfordshire District Council. Full marks to alocal authority for that.

Reverting to wind turbines, these are creating potential problemsat Breighton (the home of many significant historic aeroplanes) inEast Riding of Yorkshire; also at Glebe Farm airstrip in Avon andan active aerodrome at Thornhill near Stirling. A turbine has beenerected in the direct line of the runway at Truro, with no priorconsultation, despite the local authority being fully aware of theaerodrome’s existence.

We have been advised to expect a rash of new applications forwind farms, and that many are likely to impinge on operationsfrom flying sites. The majority of these may be in Scotland, wherestrong winds and open spaces predominate, but no part of the UKis exempt, so AOPA is likely to face numerous calls of ‘Help!’ We

will continue the fight for the freedom offlight, but when a threat appears, please letus have chapter and verse immediately.We have just lost one chance of possiblesuccess because the aerodrome concernedfailed to notify us until after the deadline.To be effective, AOPA must be the first andnot the last port of call. �

16 General Aviation August 2011

Wind turbines – again!Strong concern is growing within GA because future safety is being eroded at many aerodromesand airstrips due to a steady increase in the number of applications for wind turbines; thissparked the General Aviation Awareness Council (formed by and originally administered fromAOPA) to draw together almost all organisations and many individuals involved in the problem.The gathering was at the Royal Aeronautical Society on 20th May, which made this report justmiss publication in the June issue.

The overall situation was described by Charles Henry, the GAAC Chairman, as probably thebiggest single long-term problem likely to affect GA. (Note: the reference to ‘long term’ as mostpeople agree that the difficulties over EASA and over airspace restrictions during the Olympics,are the more immediate concerns.) No-one present dissented from this view; even RenewablesUK (formerly the British Wind Energy Association), the industry’s trade body, commented thatthey refused to support many of the applications, as some were destined to be sited inunsuitable positions. Many proposals, however irresponsible, are easy to promote, aslandowners willing to have turbines on their property are paid very substantial sums.

Regarding protection from developments that affect flight safety, there was considerablediscussion about owners of airstrips not notifying their local planning authorities that theyexist. Some said that such people had the responsibility to do so, while others supported thosewho had good cause not to publicise their sites. The key reason for this was that they wishedto discourage uninvited pilots from flying in without prior notice. Whilst fully understandable,this precludes the opportunity to apply for safeguarding.

Civil Air Publication (CAP) 764 – CAA Policy and Guidance on Wind Turbines – calls fordevelopers to consult all stakeholders and lays down recommendations for minimum distancesfrom runways at which turbines should be erected. Unfortunately there have been numerouscases in which both these have been ignored. An encouraging outcome of the meeting, though,was that the CAA wishes to be informed when there is no such consultation or when a localauthority refuses to consider a flying site’s application to be safeguarded. The person tocontact is Paul Askew, Renewable Energy Projects Officer, Directorate of Airspace Policy, CAAHouse, 45-59 Kingsway, London WC2B 6TE (Tel: 0207 453 6529).

Another significant issue is the lack of research that has been carried out on the scale ofturbulence created by wind turbines. There have been many – sometimes conflicting – reportson this. Although there was some detailed investigation several years ago, it was based oncomputer modelling and not on practical in-flight experience. The CAA is seeking funds so thatthis important task can be tackled, but in today’s economic climate it may not come to fruitionin the near future.

Whenever there is a proposal for wind turbines (or anemometer masts) to be erected near aflying site, AOPA should be notified at the earliest opportunity. So far your association has beeninvolved in such problems at 36 UK aerodromes or airstrips, some of which have been or arethreatened with severe operational constraints or even closure. Viewed solely from the flightsafety angle, AOPA is able to put forward strong reasons why aircraft and turbines cannot co-exist in the vicinity of active GA bases.

The subject affects everyone who flies GA aircraft; the GAAC is to be congratulated onbringing the matter to a head by coordinating the thoughts and problems of all parties activelyinvolved. – David Ogilvy

More on aerodromes

Left: the local authority allowed a turbine tobe erected in line with Truro’s runway

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 16

Life is for Living is the name of thebook – the aviation memoir of David

Hastings MBE, and the sub-title is ‘thestory of an exciting generation 1932 to2011’. Today’s general aviation pilots canread it and weep. Hastings is one of those‘doers’ who seem to be getting increasinglyrare. A PPL since 1963, he was a Directorof Norfolk and Norwich Aero Club, workedon the Air League Youth Training Scheme,served the Scout movement for 24 yearsflying many air experience flights forscouts and GirlsVentureCorps, was aDuty Officerwith theRoyalObserverCorps,Chairman ofthe 2nd AirDivision USAAFMemorialTrust… the listwould fill abook. He was afounder of theNorfolk VintagePilots Association,and he’s a long-time AOPAmember.

David Hastings isa gentleman of

love the story of how, coming home fromAmerica, he was picked up at Heathrow inthe club’s Rockwell Commander, parked atGate 50.

There’s so much more in his book,including descriptions of his Transatlanticflight in the CAF’s B-24 DiamondLil, and of how he almost killedhimself more than once, which isagainst the law now. What has thenext generation to look forward to?Accidental death is a tragedy, butthe greater tragedy is thesuppression of the spirit, and in aviationwe have gone too far in seeking to nannythe appetite for risk out of our youth. If weall die of old age having lived the lives ofshopkeepers, we will not have lived at allin the sense embodied in Hastings’ book.Can the tide be turned? – Pat Malone �

mature years, and it’s difficult to get awayfrom the fact that as far as flying isconcerned he and his contemporaries hadthe best of it. His flying history wouldprofoundly shock civil servants and no-win, no-fee liability lawyers. As a PPL heflew the Wallis autogyro without benefit oflessons, mixed with Lightnings at Coltishalland went night flying at Swanton Morleywith goose-neck flares. His twin rating, on

a Gemini, cost £6 anhour. When Norfolk andNorwich Aero Clubwanted to hold an airshow they did so witha minimum of fussand no bureaucratictomfoolery, attracted20,000 people towatch club membersflour-bombing andmade a ton ofmoney for the clubtreasury, and hisbirthday treat was aflight in a Lightningduring which hejoined the 1,000mph club and gotplenty of sticktime. He onceflew a Whirlwindin exchange fora go in theWallis, and I

General Aviation August 2011 17

No risk, no reward

Working for

YOU

AOPA

Annual General MeetingThe 45th Annual General Meeting of the British Light Aviation Centre Ltd, trading asthe Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of the UK, will be held on Friday 16thSeptember 2011 at The Victoria Charity Centre, 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V1RB, commencing at 2.00 p.m. The formal announcement and agenda of the AGMappears below.

A set of the financial accounts for the year ended 31st March 2011 will be providedin advance of the meeting on the AOPA website www.aopa.co.uk together with theminutes of the 44th AGM and brief personal details of the members offeringthemselves for election and re-election. These data will also be available at the AGM.

Any member wishing to elect another member to the Board of Management mustprovide notice in writing or email to the AOPA office at least 35 days in advance. Astatement of willingness to serve will be expected from the proposed member togetherwith appropriate personal details. Proxy voting is permitted, either by nominating inwriting or by email a member who will be present at the AGM as proxy, or bynominating the Chairman as proxy

Following the formal business of the meeting, there will be time for informal reportsfrom the Chairman and CEO and for general discussion.

Tea, coffee and sandwiches will be available for those attending from 1.00 p.m. andit is expected that the meeting will finish by 3.30 p.m. The VCC require an attendancelist for security purposes, and it is therefore important that members who intend toattend are requested to please let the AOPA office know in advance, either bytelephone (020 7834 5631), email (info@aopa.co.uk), or by post to AOPA, 50aCambridge Street, London SW1V 4QQ. This is equally important in planning for therefreshments.

As an additional member benefit,AOPA provides FREE classified advertisingfor aircraft sales in General Aviationmagazine.

General Aviation reaches thousands ofactive pilots, of whom 39 percent are alreadyaircraft owners. This is a far higherpercentage than any other aviation magazinein the UK, and many commercial advertisersalready recognise General Aviation as aprimary marketing tool.Members who wish to advertise their

aircraft should email a photograph of theplane, and a concise description – no morethan 30 words – together with their name,contact details and AOPA membershipnumber tofreeads@richmondaviation.co.uk.If you can’t remember your AOPA number,you can get it from the office on0207 834 5631.Adverts will run for two issues, unlessaircraft are sold earlier, and there is amaximum of two different ads each year.Terms and conditions, as they say, apply.

Advertiseyour aircraftFREE

wfu rrr3:GA 13/7/11 14:38 Page 17