GA Strategic Expectations especially for Sports & Recreational Aviation (S&RA)

The GA Alliance team have been active in lobbying Government Ministers as well as the CAA and the relevant departments in the Department of Transport. The essential elements of our agreed lobbying position are in the following paragraphs. This effort has supported the CAA Strategic and Regulatory reviews of GA in UK. The GAA team have five members on these reviews.

Summary of GA expectations

Regulation on a more appropriate & lower cost basis

Automatic inclusion of S&R A in UK & EU Transport Policies

Policies that reflect S&R A’s value to long term economy

Recognition of GA/S&R A as a valuable business tool, education and recreation resource

Adequate and equitable access to airspace and airports

UK Government commitment to full consultation both for internal UK matters and when formulating the UK’s position on European matters

Fair and proper GA/S&R A representation on the relevant UK and European Boards

A fair and level playing field when considering costs, charges and taxation

Funding for volunteers to represent S&RA in regulation !

Government policies and GA

Despite clear benefits to the UK socially and economically there are no UK declared policies in support of GA

The UK’s policy of the “user pays” is perfectly valid until the “user” is forced to use, or do something to the benefit of a third party. The policy pursued needs to be that the “beneficiary pays”

Full application of the Cabinet Office guidelines requiring consultation with affected parties is welcomed, as long as it is enforced

Several Regional and County Planning Policies are actively hostile to GA airfields.

Taxation – The proportion of GA’s costs that go to the Government in taxation is considerably greater than that of the Airlines

GA Representation and Consultation

Within the UK a quality system of consultation has been evolved over the years. Generation of UK national positions is not using the same philosophy with respect to GA and Europe.

The CAA Board has no specific member representation from GA

Representation within Europe is at best minimal

Single European Sky Committee has no Sports and Recreational Aviation input

ICB has only 1 GA representative (IAOPA)

EC Provisional Council has one GA observer

EASA has 2 GA Repsantatives (IAOPA and Europe air Sports)

GA Access to Airspace

Within the UK a quality system of consultation has been evolved over the years with regard to airspace design and access that, subject to safety, keeps all users “equally unhappy”. So far the evidence from Europe is that the Airlines are getting things all their own way

There is a whole raft of often interlinked, not necessarily overtly so, impending legislation that could severely limit GA operations.

The Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs), where they exist, are fundamentally flawed. These regulations are both SES and EASA driven

There are the ICAO driven compulsory transponder regulations starting to come into force. There is specific concern at the possible quality of the RIAs, both UK and European