Let slip the dogs of war...well maybe the cardigan crowd.

Part 115 made it's way into law this week.
The full transcript makes for interesting reading...and it's only 12 pages long...too bad for a Gov't document.

The two interesting tables I thought were these;
The first describes the cost of accidents by aviation type...note the huge cost from hang gliding/paragliding (I can see why I left those sports 20 years ago...if I hadn't I mightn't still be here) but also skydiving and micro-blighters.

Now lets look at the cost of implimenting this wonderful new regulation...

If you add up the 6 years worth of on-going audit fees for gliding it equals the accident costs...zero sum game. If only it was that easy...what the table doesn't disclose is the CAA costs of operating this scheme...another $120,000 per year...which they will recover elsewhere no doubt.

Also I'm not sure it encapulates the cost to gliding of up grading instructors and tow-pilots to CPL's???

So what can we conclude from the first glance at this regulation;
For gliding the costs will out wiegh the benefits to the public.
Gliding has suffered from the bad accident rate in other sectors.
Clubs will incur costs even if they don't register or carry-out "joy-rides".
The current Government has failed in its pledge to "cut red-tape.