Putting food on the table

Without the ability to respond quickly to pest pressure, disease or weed competition in crops, Australia would simply not be the agricultural powerhouse it is.

The potential impact of that on many city dwellers – who struggle to understand where their food comes from, let alone the commercial risks inherent in farming – should not be lost on policy makers, primary educators or the agricultural industry itself.

Australian shopping trolleys would be all but empty without plant science and agricultural innovation.

Farmers take protecting their crops very seriously. When a single application at the right time applied by a professional can cover sunk costs and then put dollars into farmers’ pockets, this should not be a surprise. The multiplier effect this has on local communities is immense.

This is why aerial application offers so much to agriculture. Highlytrained, highly-accountable pilots and operators investing hundreds of millions of dollars into specialised aircraft and equipment to ensure farmers get the support they need, when they need it.

Being able to cover up to six hectares a minute regardless of how muddy the paddock is and without the soil compaction and weed and disease transfer from tractors provides a wide range of benefits.

The ability to utilise small windows of opportunity to take advantage of good spraying conditions and cover large areas is good for the environment as well as production.

When travelling through agricultural areas at certain times of the year – such as cotton defoliation – the sound of turbines on ag aircraft hard at work should bring a smile to every aviator – knowing that here is another example of aviation’s intrinsic value to all Australians.

AAAA CONVENTION TO FEATURE SIDNEY DEKKER AND ALAN CORR

A great speaker line-up for AAAA Convention will include Sidney Dekker on aviation safety and Alan Corr from the US on optimal aircraft set-up. The Convention is on May 30- 31 at Seaworld Resort at the Gold Coast. Details are on the AAAA website.

‘Farmers take protecting their crops very seriously.’

Boards matter
The CASA and Airservices boards lack aviation experience

Something is amiss with the makeup of the CASA and Airservices Australia boards. The pub test is that you would expect these senior aviation boards to be populated by people with significant commercial aviation and operational experience. Guess what? They are not. Things are so bad that the Airservices board has had to contract in an aviation consultant to provide commercial and technical advice.

The situation is almost as dire on the CASA board. Once the current technically capable and commercially experienced chair leaves at the end of June, there will be only one person left on the board with significant commercial aviation experience.

Having a lawyer or an accountant on a board can be a sound decision in terms of ensuring high quality corporate governance. But when such skills dominate government aviation boards something has gone awry.

These boards need people with deep commercial aviation industry skills in order to set clear policy and make informed judgements about the regulatory and air traffic management ideas being placed before them. They must lead and guide senior management, not the other way around.

How can board members make informed decisions if they have little or no commercial aviation experience? With one or two notable exceptions, what is the point and expense of these boards if they cannot command the respect of industry as well as the organisations that they lead.

Of course the make-up of these boards is not the fault of CASA or Airservices. These appointments are made by Cabinet after consultation with the relevant Department. No comment is made on the worthiness of individuals but rather shouldn’t a government aviation board comprise considerable hands-on civil and commercial aviation experience?

The aviation industry is a complex and safety-focused environment. We swim in a sea of federal aviation law. The development of those laws and regulations are informed by the government aviation boards. If boards do not have the necessary aviation and aerospace experience how can they possibly give advice on the aviation laws that we live by?

The solution is for government to look very closely at the skills required and make highly considered appointments. The travelling public and the industry deserve aviation boards that have the skills to understand and add value to the myriad aviation issues that are placed before them.

The appointment trend can be turned around if there is the political will. The aviation industry is alarmed at what has happened and the government is on full notice that future appointments will be scrutinised carefully.

‘Future appointments will be scrutinised carefully.’