CEO Report

I’m proud to present this annual report for the 2021–2022 financial year. Challenging conditions during the year including COVID-19 lockdowns, floods and La Niña saw RAAus fare well and land ahead of our financial budget.

As members will see in the audited Financial Statement, our comprehensive surplus was $564,875, which was very much assisted by a positive revaluation of our office unit in Fyshwick, ACT. Excluding this revaluation, the underlying result for the year was a deficit of ($75,011), which was still ahead of our budgeted position.

Like most membership-based organisations, during the years affected by COVID-19 RAAus experienced a fluctuation in membership numbers, both positive and negative. At the end of the FY22 financial year RAAus had 9,090 ordinary members, which was down on FY21 where we saw a strong rebound after the initial lockdowns. In FY22 the rebound in membership numbers after the July 2021 lockdowns on the East Coast was not as pronounced, however there were other factors that came in to play none more so than the weather! Be it the case, our membership numbers continue to trend in the right direction with our temporary members exceeding expectations and this means more and more Australians are participating in aviation activities – which is great news. From an operational perspective this year was busy! We worked to embed the processes associated with our CASR Part 149 certificate, implemented the changes associated with the new CASA Flight Operation Regulations and assisted in the development of Part 103 – which will eventually replace the 95-series CAOs, developed our application for administering Group G (lightweight aeroplanes <760kg), assisted with the establishment of the ADS-B rebate program, hosted the inaugural Fly’n For Fun at Parkes, participated in a range of technical working groups and consultation activities, just to name a few. Not bad for a team of 16 full time and two part time staff!

Throughout the reporting period it’s pleasing to say we had some ‘wins’ with the regulator. These were brought about through assertive yet respectful advocacy. It’s important that we advocate in such as way that our message is heard loud and clear, but that we’re also ‘playing the game not the person’. That is, I take the view that the majority of people get up in the morning and go to work to do a good job. It isn’t their intention to be obstructionist or difficult, but pressures that are often not seen by us are the main driver for why we don’t always get what we want. On this basis we are respectful but we’re also tenacious in that if we fail to succeed, we regroup and try and different but still respectful approach. Three such examples of our wins in the last year include:

• CASA permitting ASAOs to apply for administering aircraft up to and including 760kgs. • The removal of a 45 knot stall limitation on the aircraft operating within the 760kg category. • CASA publishing a GA Roadmap that specifically calls out that they will shortly consult on a proposal to increase access to Class C and D airspace for sport and recreational aviation.

It’s true that these ‘wins’ have taken many years to come to fruition, but these matters are not always as simple as they may seem. There are often many stakeholders involved, there are also

I am proud of the result RAAus achieved for our members. We are a small organisation that exists for the advancement of aviation in this country and to encourage training in all areas of aviation.

those people for and against, and of course there is the need for us to demonstrate that there is a sound safety argument to proceed.

An area where RAAus has played a large role is in the world of airspace. As many of our members know, over the past year Airservices Australia published another consultation to seek industry views on the lowering of Class E airspace on the East Coast, this time from 8,500ft to 6,500ft. As a result of RAAus putting forward a strong rebuttal to their earlier proposals and by working with them, Airservices conducted considerable safety and economic modelling in support of their latest proposal. Although there is some financial impact to airspace users, the merit of the proposal was such that RAAus did not object to the proposal. Furthermore, with the ADS-B rebate program now in effect to financially assist our members to fit transponders and ADS-B this made the proposal more palatable.

I’d like to thank our partners at Pace that produce our fantastic SportPilot magazine. I regularly hear our members saying what a great publication this is. The care and effort the Pace team put in to producing our magazine is a real credit to them. Interestingly, SportPilot is one of only a few remaining Australian aviation-centric magazines still on sale in newsagents around the country and the sales are good, indicating continued appetite for aviation in this country. It can’t be left unsaid about the value our staff at RAAus continue to deliver for our members. Our team of professionals have worked solidly throughout the pandemic and beyond. Be it storing of online store stock at home and sending items to members at their local post office, spending their own time at events, burning the midnight oil to ensure a registration is completed or a membership is updated, or setting their workstation up on their dining room table to deliver seamless service to our members. This commitment is what makes RAAus great. It’s our aim to deliver exceptional customer service to our members and to make life easy for those wishing to participate in recreational aviation. It’s a privilege to lead this team and I thank them very much for all that they achieve.

In summing up the year that was FY22, I am proud of the result RAAus achieved for our members. We are a small organisation that exists for the advancement of aviation in this country and to encourage training in all areas of aviation. I believe we do this and more, whilst being supportive of other forms of aviation, be it our sport aviation cousins, new and emerging industries such as Advanced Aerial Mobility (AAM) or those operating in the CASA regime. We’re a relatively small industry and it’s important that we work together for the betterment of the industry and I’m proud to say that RAAus is playing our part.

Matt Bouttell Chief Executive Officer