The more things change, the more they stay the same. Australian Flying crawled into the archives, dusted off the binders, and pulled out a few interesting pieces from its 1960s editions that reflect some of the issues still relevant to general aviation today. Then we asked those in the know– which is what Australian Flying does best– what they thought.
GA and regulation
Issue 1 of Australian Flying was more Douglas Skyhawk than Cessna Skyhawk; blasting straight into the timeless “civil aviation and regulation” debate in a lengthy four-page feature.
DG Anderson, CBE, Director-General of Civil Aviation, in an article titled “DCA WANTS TO HELP THE LIGHT AIRCRAFT INDUSTRY – Claims that the Department of Civil Aviation wants to Restrain the Development of the Light Aircraft Industry are Ridiculous!” wrote; “Everyone in aviation knows– or should– that safety is the keystone of aviation progress. […] Yet, no-one likes to be regulated–particularly the type of person whose spirit and inclination has attracted him to flying. […] Despite the claims of some critics, we do NOT regard the Australian aviation industry as starting and ending with the airlines.”
Anderson defends the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) by explaining that it has, in fact, stimulated private flying in Australia through a raft of “encouragements”, including:
• Jandakot and Bankstown airports being developed “virtually• flight training organisations subsidies• aircraft replacement fund to modernise [flight training organisation] fleets• private pilot bible - the Light Aircraft Handbook
