Macca is obviously confused. The "stupid red card" was not a CASA
initiative. It came from the security folks. One day these same folks
will learn that any glider or ultralight pilot is just as capable of
flying a light aircraft as any PPL holder and then the same security
vetting will be applied to GFA and RAAus members wanting to learn ot
fly as is applied to prospective SPL holders.
As for the ease of getting an Experimental certificate you can't
praise GFA for that. GFA had nothing to do with Australia getting the
Experimental categories. You can thank the SAAA and Boyd Munro for
slightly earlier removing a legislative impediment that would have
prevented Experimental at all.
In fact the GFA proposed banning gliders with Experimental
certificates from contests when they first came in nearly 10 years ago.
GFA has had first of type etc since about 1982. Getting a Permit to
fly from GFA was like getting blood out of a stone at times for some
of the major repairs/mods I knew about. Typically the method was wait
weeks or months, go fly the glider anyway and then when GFA had heard
it flew OK they would send the permit.
This thread started with my post about the SSA removing the
requirement for FAI sporting licences for most circumstances within
their control, surely a welcome reduction in stupid bureaucratic
requirements and slightly cheaper for their members. We've had one
CASA employee somehow confuse this with pilot licences issued by the
state and another GFA apparatchik claim that the "rubber stamp" was
OK because it was cheap. The sound you hear is the founders of the
GFA rotating in thier graves.
We still haven't seen a defence of the GFA position of "our way or no
way" when it comes to the *option* of a state issued licence to fly
gliders. Just so someone doesn't get to think that by "state" I mean
Queensland , NSW etc, "state" in this context means "Commonwealth of
Australia".
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
Int'l + 61 429 355784
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
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