Straight and Level

Staying positive

Smith Chairman

Hardly a day passes without news headlines confronting us with one crisis after another. Just as we hoped that 2022 would enable us to emerge from the worst effects of Covid and rekindle our aviation passion, we have been faced with the events in Ukraine, the energy crisis and now the wider cost of living crisis. We are all beginning to see and feel the impact on our personal circumstances. For an Association that emphasises our flying as ‘affordable’, escalating fuel prices means that it’s not just the dramatic increases in aviation fuel we have experienced, but also the costs of getting to and from the airfield, whether that’s to fly or simply to carry out regular checks and maintenance.

And it’s having an effect, as I hear reports of members reconsidering the frequency and duration of flights, while trying to maintain currency. As the causes are beyond our control, we are likely to be faced with higher costs for some time to come.

Against this backdrop it can be difficult to remain positive. Last month’s Royal Aero Club awards showed just how resourceful members can be, and that spirit continues. After two years of planning, but thwarted by a combination of Covid and weather, it was great to see the LAA’s Tour of Scotland take place. Full marks to Neil Wilson for pulling the programme together; Chairman, Ian

Updates from the Chairman and CEO

and members of the Scottish Aero Club, for their hospitality and support; to everyone who made the week possible and, last but not least, those members who flew north to Perth! As always the weather had a hand in events and while this limited flying opportunities in Scotland most experienced the opportunity to fly to Glenforsa and importantly all returned south safely with memories of a successful week. Let’s hope we can repeat the trip again.

Among the features in this month’s magazine there is an in-depth report on IFR/Night; an initiative which reflects the aspirations of a number of members that was a long time in the making and not without its challenges! With the first Night/IFR approvals for Permit aircraft taking place in 2016 progress continues to be made. Along the way there have been many lessons learned which are leading to initiatives to recruit additional assessors and help expedite the process for future applicants.

Elsewhere we continue to evolve the HQ Engineering function both in terms of personnel and how we organise and undertake activity. The Board was recently briefed on a series of measures that Engineering Director, John Radcliffe, and team will be following through in the coming months aimed at improving and streamlining processes and ensuring that actions are chased up both internally and with members.

In closing I am delighted to welcome Lucy Wootton as the LAA’s new Chief Inspector replacing Ken Craigie who is retiring after some 30 years service with the Association. You can read more about Lucy’s appointment and Ken’s reflections on his time with the Association elsewhere in the magazine. ■

Airfields, Airspace and Airworthiness have been at the head of the agenda in the past months, and are fundamental to enjoying our flying freedom.

Starting with AIRSPACE, we are all well aware that there are increasing pressures on access to Class G airspace, with many airport operators seeking to expand areas of controlled airspace to increase their attractiveness to the executive charter sector. It is effectively monetization of airspace.

In our response to a recent strategic airspace review, we have pointed this out and hopefully, it will be acknowledged as policies move forward. But… While there is a positive attitude from many to whom I have spoken, it is clear that so far, the principle architects of the strategy have viewed it only from an air traffic management perspective. Currently, the strategy implies an increase in controlled airspace by around 300 percent!

We also need to think about RPAS, whether small ‘drones’ or larger commercial uncrewed aircraft. It is clear we are going to have to share the air with them and that in the longer term, they may even contribute positively to the viability of some airfields by their acting as road cargo interchange hubs. Understandably, this emerging industry will in future not want an ‘under 400ft restriction.

There is a simplistic assumption in some quarters that ‘electronic conspicuity is the answer’. It may be but, (again)… While more affordable and portable EC has developed significantly in the past few years, there remain at least four incompatible systems in use. It is the GA community that has driven the development of multi-system display platforms, the rest of the aviation community still has to catch up. The Pilot Aware ATOM ground station system has demonstrated that integration can be possible and that investment in a more open approach would be a definite enhancement to effective, affordable, future safety for all.

We don’t do it on our own, and speak as an integrated voice as a member of the GA Alliance, along with other representative bodies. In addition, there is the Airspace 4 All Trust which has been funded both by DfT and GAA members to commission studies and fund more specific expertise when needed.

Likewise in our advocacy on AIRFIELDS, we are active members of the General Aviation Awareness Council lobbies at the highest level with both DfT and the newly renamed Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, working up to Ministerial level to emphasise the role of small airfields in transport infrastructure, as community and social amenities and as vitally important environmentally-friendly open green spaces.

Space is tight, so I will leave AIRWORTHINESS for another day, not least because in the coming weeks the CAA will reopen their discussions on future airworthiness oversight. LAA was unhappy with aspects of their original proposals, and it remains to be seen whether the points we made have been heeded. ■