Wed Sep 02, 2015 11:31 pm
#1402124
jerry_atrick asked
There isn't, and the reason is........
Various UK organisations grew up over the years to represent different facets of aviation and they all worked with the CAA to put their own members' points of view. They would sit down together at meetings and thrash things out together.
With the advent of EASA all of this changed. EASA weren't interested in talking to a multiplicity of different national organisations, each representing one facet of aviation in their particular country. They wanted to deal with European organisations, not National ones.
For AOPA this wasn't a problem. All of the AOPA's around the world are members of IAOPA, an international organisation that has a seat at ICAO. They had IAOPA Europe to represent them at EASA. This means that all of the European AOPA's speak with one voice through IAOPA Europe.
It wasn't so easy for the other UK representative organisations. They in the main were not part of a larger international organisation, so they had to form alliances with other national organisations throughout Europe to gain recognition at a European level and representation at EASA. Generally speaking the UK orgamnisations rallied round the Royal Aero Club, which together with similar organisations in other European countries became a member of Europe Air Sports. Europe Air Sports in turn gained recognition at EASA and represents their interests. The General Aviation Alliance respresents their interests at a UK level.
No doubt someone will correct me if the above generalisation is wide of the mark.
This situation doesn't imply any rivalry or disunity between AOPA UK and RAeS or GAA, it simply arises because AOPA UK was already part of an international organisation and so was able to gain recognition at EASA while other UK bodies were not and had to organise into a European structure to gain recognition. In one way it's an advantage because EASA has to deal with two bodies representing GA interests not one, so the noise is louder.
The idea that AOPA only represents people with high-end aircraft with IR's is very wide of the mark. The aircraft I fly is older than I am and doesn't have a DI, flaps, a vacuum pump, a fuel pump, or pitot heat. It's only electronics are a strobe, a COM and my portable Garmin 196.
This isn't a plug for AOPA, simply an answer to the question that was posed. I'm a member of AOPA because I am both a pilot and an aircraft owner. I'm also a full member of LAA because I fly a Permit aircraft. Join and support at least one organisation that will represent your interests at EASA because that's where the rules are made.
Is there not an overarching body that represents the alphabet soup organisations in a united matter? If there isn't, then maybe its time to think about it. In Australia, they created one, so it didn't matter what organisation one belonged to, on common/general GA matters, there was one voice...
Maybe a separate thread as we are well into max angle of drift...
There isn't, and the reason is........
Various UK organisations grew up over the years to represent different facets of aviation and they all worked with the CAA to put their own members' points of view. They would sit down together at meetings and thrash things out together.
With the advent of EASA all of this changed. EASA weren't interested in talking to a multiplicity of different national organisations, each representing one facet of aviation in their particular country. They wanted to deal with European organisations, not National ones.
For AOPA this wasn't a problem. All of the AOPA's around the world are members of IAOPA, an international organisation that has a seat at ICAO. They had IAOPA Europe to represent them at EASA. This means that all of the European AOPA's speak with one voice through IAOPA Europe.
It wasn't so easy for the other UK representative organisations. They in the main were not part of a larger international organisation, so they had to form alliances with other national organisations throughout Europe to gain recognition at a European level and representation at EASA. Generally speaking the UK orgamnisations rallied round the Royal Aero Club, which together with similar organisations in other European countries became a member of Europe Air Sports. Europe Air Sports in turn gained recognition at EASA and represents their interests. The General Aviation Alliance respresents their interests at a UK level.
No doubt someone will correct me if the above generalisation is wide of the mark.
This situation doesn't imply any rivalry or disunity between AOPA UK and RAeS or GAA, it simply arises because AOPA UK was already part of an international organisation and so was able to gain recognition at EASA while other UK bodies were not and had to organise into a European structure to gain recognition. In one way it's an advantage because EASA has to deal with two bodies representing GA interests not one, so the noise is louder.
The idea that AOPA only represents people with high-end aircraft with IR's is very wide of the mark. The aircraft I fly is older than I am and doesn't have a DI, flaps, a vacuum pump, a fuel pump, or pitot heat. It's only electronics are a strobe, a COM and my portable Garmin 196.
This isn't a plug for AOPA, simply an answer to the question that was posed. I'm a member of AOPA because I am both a pilot and an aircraft owner. I'm also a full member of LAA because I fly a Permit aircraft. Join and support at least one organisation that will represent your interests at EASA because that's where the rules are made.
Mike
Popham and Lee on Solent. AOPA UK Exec Committee Member.
www.curiousblackbird.com
Popham and Lee on Solent. AOPA UK Exec Committee Member.
www.curiousblackbird.com
FLYER Club Member
