GAA - Page 3

Hey, grab some airspace for nothing, and make money

September 16, 2018

There seems to be an insidious trend towards obtaining the use of public airspace for private commercial gain, with no known dividend to either the public or to aviators who have customary rights to the airspace. The first hint of trouble came when a North Island enterprise called Incredible Skies unexpectedly won restricted airspace conditions on an enormous area around Hokianga – and then …

The first CAA Briefing: Now they’re talking a little more clearly

August 28, 2018

CAA Director Graeme Harris has issued his first CAA Briefing – to the surprise of many and the downright astonishment of some. The message was sent to everyone on the CAA’s mailing lists and it has now been published on the CAA website. The GAA welcomes this significant improvement in customer communications. Long may it continue and develop. We have been critical of shortcomings …

Changes: Why are we waiting? Because we’re at the bottom of the pile

July 28, 2018

The GAA has had a meeting in Wellington with CAA Board Chairman Nigel Gould and Director Graeme Harris. One of the topics was the length of time it takes to achieve a rule change. On his whiteboard, the Director drew a triangle which had the airline sector at the top, commercial GA in the middle and recreational GA at the base. He explained that …

Fuel Excise Duty refunds: Time to plan a different route?

Dealing with Ministry of Transport officials is incredibly frustrating. For years, the GAA has been trying to get the ministry to seriously look at the unfairness of pilots paying fuel excise duty on Mogas – a tax that goes towards building roads their aircraft will, hopefully, never need to use. After a long period with no communications from the person tasked within the MoT …

It’s official: The CAA has a virtual licence to extract unlimited money

A group of operators has failed in a complaint to the Regulations Review Committee about the Civil Aviation (Safety) levies Amendment Order 2017 and the Civil Aviation Charges Regulations (No2) 1991 Amendment Regulations 2017. The committee considered the written and oral evidence and the responses of the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority. It has made an interim decision not to draw …

The global pilot crisis. At last, people are waking up

July 16, 2018

Boeing, one of the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, estimates an additional 640,000 pilots will be needed worldwide over the next 20 years, 40 per cent of them in the Asia Pacific region. Air New Zealand has announced that it’s working on the issue behind the scenes with the Airline Pilots Association, and there is agreement that trainee pilots need better support and more funding. …

Remember Geoff Kitto

New Zealand’s GA agricultural industry has lost another respected pilot. We express our sincere condolences to Geoff Kitto’s wife Andrina and their son Tom. With Geoff’s passing, we have also lost a great mentor of young agricultural pilots. In the last decade, Geoff’s focus was on training – to the extent that, over the years, he trained 37 agricultural pilots. He was very good …

The cockpit video and audio recording case

The result of the hearing by District Court Judge Cunningham has been published. Her decision has gone against the case presented by counsel for the pilot involved. The issue for the Court in the application for a pre-trial hearing was about the status of the evidence presented. The prosecution, with the assistance of the police, had compiled a DVD which included footage from the …

Farewell to stalwart aviator Walter Wagtendonk

May 18, 2018

Walter J Wagtendonk passed away peacefully at the Waipuna Hospice in the Tauranga area in the early hours of 18 May, aged 88. He was a former RNZAF Flight Leiutenant, a highly respected flying instructor and the author of many books on aviation. He came to New Zealand as a 21-year-old in late 1951 and the following year was accepted for pilot training in …

No apologies for acting in the public interest, says the CAA

April 5, 2018

The CAA has now had the opportunity to consider the material presented by the Des Lines and Brian Mackie including their “Overview” document and the results of their “Client Satisfaction” survey. The CAA welcomes feedback on its performance. As a responsible state sector entity, the CAA must – and does – operate in an environment of accountability to the public, whose interests it ultimately …

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