robinsm

[Comment removed - Mod] I thought the duty of the CEO was to oversee the day to day running of the organisation, that includes the monitoring of the correct adherence to rules, procedures and operations requirements. Why is this incompetent being allowed to fade into the sunset instead of being pilloried publicly for continuing to oversee an organmisation with a history of incompetent, self serving senior executives. The term here is PROFESSIONALISM. I hope for our sakes he did not get any sort of a performance bonus. For goodness sake employ a professional MANAGER, not a CASA cast off wannabe or someone looking to climb on our backs to get into CASA positions.

I dont think its the up and down that is the problem. It is the wing droping without notice in thermals and gusty weather that tends to be uncomfortable. I do a lot of Xcountry flying in the X air and find that in Summer I have to go high (5000 plus) to get out of the thermal layers. Or I cam stay at 4500 to 6500 and ride the bumps out. I know the aircraft is strong enough to take the bumps and track deviations both in yaw and pitch but it still remains a good feeling when you get out of the area. Case in point... last saturday, left Goulburn arrived Bathurst, good weather. Left Bathurst for Mudgee, still reasonable but mechanical turbulance building over the ranges. Departed Mudgee and the rotor was operating above the airport, lifted off, and at about 100ft the aircraft dropped a wing and it was a battle to get it straight and level. Continued north to Casillas area over the plains and had to climb to 7500 to get some smooth air. Thermals giving 800ft up and down with pitch and yaw excursions in the uncomfortable range. At 55kts cruise you tend to be in the rough for a bit longer than usual. The rough lasted untill 200ft above ground and then totally disappeared. You can imaging what the crosswing approach deteriorated into. Yep, bump tolerance is a really good thing and the onl;y way to get used to it is to trust your aircraft, fly in it a lot and relax. Have fun. (by the way, the return trip to Goulburn was just as much fun.)

Nobody remembers who came second. Did anyone remembers Pearces birthday, he came first.

A dead idiot is still a dead idiot if an engine failed, etc etc.

X2 please

Deleted by robinsm. Information found in Raa Aus manual. My mistake.

I am lucky that I can use either mogas or avgas in the 582. I used an aerorefuellers card at Temora for avgas, I walked into town with a jerrycan on a small trolley that I carry in Ivanhoe and refuelled at the local gas station. (its only a 20min walk into tpwn at Ivanhoe)., and used avgas from the bowser at broken hill. I have a full set of carnet cards I carry with me. I landed at packsaddle and topped up from the mogas pump at the roadhouse and refuelled with mogas at cameron corner. Still able to taxi up to the bowser there as well. Same in reverse. (griffith takes a carnet card as well).

The local ultralight people have their own strip some miles to the north of Broken hill at Stephens creek (I think thats it). You wont need an ASIOC there and see if one of the members can run you into the Hill from there.

Stayed at the aeroclub accomodation a few months ago when I was passing through in the Xair. Great, cheap accomodation with the use of the clubhouse facilities. Taxi into town is the go, a little far to walk. Very friendly folk at the airport. Yes, you will need an ASIC. Fuel is available. Highly recommended place to visit.

"At the present time the members in general have not seen CASA documents referring to the central issue of Audit failures; if you don't know what the problem is then how could you possibly put forward a fix. " Again, here is the problem of not giving the information to members when they are directly affected by an outside decision. Transparent accountability would seem to be the order of the day. I have nothing to hide and no hidden agenda, I just want the organisation one to that represents me and my sport to the best of their ability and in the best possible light and, as mentioned previously by another member, one that I can be proud of. Turbs, no one is indispensible and if the CEO performs and is shown to perform, then he/she stays on. He/she is not elected. I was referring to the elected officials as far as the time frame goes. Again, as long as the employed officials are performing up to their specified key performance indicators and are seen to be doing a good job, then there would be no reason for them to go. I realise there is a down side to placing time limits on elected officials , but if that is the price we pay to keep the board and president working for us and not for themselves or their cronies then so be it.

The idea of monthly televideo board meetings is a good one. Could save the membership a fortune in accomodation and executive bar fridge expenses. Send the CEO immediately on holiday or whatever just to get rid of his influence out of the office. Let the staff run the organisation (they do any way and do it very very well). Could there be a quarterly published record of decisions, progress and actions to keep the executive honest and answerable to the members on a regular basis. (maybe in a members only section of the Raa Aus website). This may help to silence critics and raise our accountability profile with the powers that be (CASA etc.). The monthly magazine, while getting better, is not the forum for members only communication. Most of the executuive statements are vanilla and edited for public consumption. A members only section of the Raa Aus website would provide a venue for direct Q and A with the executive and the board. The stopping of membership renewal because of dissention with the executive is ludicrous and should have resulted in the immediate suspension of membership of the parties involved in making the decision. When we see elected representatives, the calibre of Cazza etc browbeaten and insulted by senior executives then a close look needs to be taken at the senior executive and their attitudes. Would it be possible to put a time limit on the length of representation, and the number of times you can be elected to the board. This would help stamp out the long term cronyism and male bullsh.t that seems to be present at the moment. An influx of new blood and ideas to the board (maybe after 2 or 3 terms) regularly would keep the organisation fresh and up to date and help stop the formation of political cliques, influence groups and bullying. Maybe a motion could be put to the next AGM that no representative does more than 3 terms in office, and the employed CEO must answer to performance indicators regularly or face sanctions, and possible the sack. The technical manager should have a well defined job description, and legal parameters in which to work, and not be held accountable for the mistakes and laziness of the CEO who, in our current case, has not done his job and made sure systems were in place to ensure the viability and legal adherence to the required rules and regulations imposed on us by our oversight organisation (CASA). How the hell can an efficient organisation fail 3 audits in a row when the CEO et al are tasked with ensuring that does not happen. These problems are management problems. As I have said previously, get rid of the executive bar fridge, get someone who actually knows what they are meant to do and aren't being so bloody self important that their ... dont stink and actually gets the job done.

Go Eric, enjoy the freedom, now you know.

enjoy the break mate and good luck with the job hunting.

Tizzard going can only be good for the organization. Maybe we can get someone that actually does something and has knowledge of the type of flying we do??

Interesting to note that there has not been an update on the Raa Aus site on this issue since the 15th. Good of them to let us know what the state of play is seeing it wasn't resolved by the 16th.

If the day to day functioning of the Raa Aus is the responsibility of the CEO, then he should return his salary and depart with his tail between his legs after this current debacle. Obviously the day to day operations, and the implementation of the rules and procedures, is to much for him to oversee. Replace the contents of the drinks cabinet at his expence. ( I mention the drinks cabinet constantly because I have met the CEO 4 times and each time he had a glazed expression, was unsteady on his pins and was slurring his words. He may have suffering from some illness each time or.........!) On each ocaision I was informed that if I had a problem I was to feel free to contact him as he wanted to know what the members were doing.? If management at Raa Aus could cut the crap, political bulls..., and "business lunches" and just do their jobs then garbage like this should not happen. Not happy Jan!!!

Mile high sounds great but its only 5280ft. (just about circuit height at Armidale, NSW.) Not much of a challenge really (yawn)

Can some one enlighten me as to the roll of the the CEO in all this. His name seems to be absent in all the discussions and and acknowledgements. With the knowledge that he possesses, surely he would be playing a leading part of the tidying up and implementing of the auditing trail.

So given that the president and staff are working overtime, can someone fill me in on the duties of the CEO and where he fits into all of this. Is his not an oversight Job that makes sure all parts are operating correctly? As I said before lock up the liquor cabinet untill the problems are solved.

I think the idea of a second organisation is the way to go. As the old saying goes ... "it keeps the b...ds honest". In this case I think NZ leads very well and has a lot fewer problems than we do. If the Raa-Aus has failed an audit then it raises the question of the competence of our entire senior management from the silent CEO down. I for one will be supporting heavily a second organisation in some form and will be putting my hand up at the next Raa-aus elections. I am not typically a joiner but the troubles and complaints aired on this forum and in discussions with many other Raa-aus members has driven me to it. I thought the idea of this organisation was to make it easy for people to enjoy flying on a budget and have fun, not become someones cannon fodder in their plans for world domination and political ambitions. I may be fairly naive but I enjoy my flying and these emus (flightless birds) are taking a lot of the mental pleasure out of it. Maybe we should lock up the liquor cabinet in the office for a while.

thank goodness I paid my rego and certificate in August.

Just rang RAA Aus and the lady I spoke to stated they had not heard of this. Could you list your source?

why?

I think I have just stopped taking passengers. To many ambulance chasers out there. How can John Guthrie be sued when all people travel in Ultralights at their own risk. There is even a sticker displayed stating that. What about the aircraft manufacturer. Doesn't this open up a can of worms. My membership funds at work again I see.

Hope they perfect it, could use the eggs,