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Notice Board

AUF objectives and policy in the Review of the Australian Civil Aviation Regulations

August, 1997


(Please note: this notice is as published in the August 1997 issue of Australian Ultralights. The notice is still valid in 2010 — the focus on the goals expressed below has not changed; it's just that in Australian aviation the mills of regulatory change grind very, very slowly. The minimum mtow sought has been increased slightly to 760 kg and, of course, the association's change of name to Recreational Aviation Australia occurred in 2004.)



The AUF is participating in CASA's regulatory review program.
Our continuing objectives are to:
  • Register aircraft (a system which guarantees no loss of privileges)
  • train pilots (using our own instructors)
  • issue pilot qualifications
  • issue maintenance qualifications
  • and generally administer all of the above and conduct ongoing surveillance, just as we do now, but in the future do it on aircraft at least up to 750 kg mtow, 45 knots max stall and two seat maximum capacity.
The only way we can see this working (up to 750 kg) is for the approved organisations to operate under the CASR Part 103; as proposed and agreed by the majority of the sport/recreational industry!
Admittance of other players:
A non-negotiable position exists concerning allowing other players into the approved recreational aviation administration [RAAO] field. That is, while the AUF reluctantly accepts that there should not be a monopoly situation, we will not accept organisations being approved to do only part of the job! What we are saying is "if you want to be a player then you are involved in the whole game, not just the easy bits". We will not accept another RAAO being approved to, say, just "issue pilot licences" and take no responsibility for the ongoing operation of their product, while at the same time destroying the viability of our organisation!

For an RAAO to carry out the task it must be a viable operation and possibly should be a non-profit organisation. This is not an area for competition as we are not in the business of selling meat pies on a corner. We are overseeing a segment of the industry in place of the regulator.

The AUF is treating the Review in a pro-active manner and is keen to explore all avenues which will improve the lot of the recreational aviator. However, we will not accept a position which is going to disadvantage our members and push them into a new environment where they are worse off than they are now. Emotional claims concerning "poor" AUF standards are pure rhetoric and cannot be substantiated. The facts are the AUF system is working well and our standards are exactly that required for this type of recreational operation! The motives of people who make claims to the contrary need to be examined carefully from the conflict of interest angle!
Change of name:
While not agreed policy the AUF is considering a name change to remove the word ultralight from its title.

PAUL MIDDLETON
Executive Director
for the Australian Ultralight Federation Inc
August, 1997