45

Control personnel are employed for this purpose solely by Government. Their employment should be subject to qualification maintained by departmental systems. Compliance by Air Force aircraft with rules of the air is secured by Air Force Orders and discipline, not by civil law; This principle does not apply to the rules requiring all civil aircraft to be licensed, to be certified as airworthy, and to be operated by licensed personnel. Consultative machinery 116. We also consider it necessary that the framing of regulations should be carried out in the closest collaboration with those affected by them. Full recognition must be given to the fact that the difficult and intricate task of devising and administering aeronautical legislation can only be done satisfactorily if it is regarded as the joint responsibility of the rule-makers and those who will be bound by the rules. The Civil Aviation Directorate cannot command within itself the full range of experience needed. 117. We recognise that consultation between the present Civil Aviation Branch and representatives of aeronautical interests is already established practice in New Zealand, but we do not think it has been used hitherto to full advantage. It is not sufficient for the Civil Aviation Directorate to send draft proposals to selected bodies for comment, nor for such comments to be followed on occasion by an ad hoc discussion. All aeronautical interests within New Zealand which have technical contributions to make towards the devising of aeronautical legislation must be made to feel not only that their contributions will be welcomed by the Directorate of Civil Aviation, but also that they have a duty to bring their special experience to bear upon the task of regulating New Zealand civil aviation to the common good. They can only do this if their advice and help are sought during the early formative stage, and if this is done in accordance with an established procedure. 118. We recommend the establishment of a committee —which might be called the Advisory Committee on Air Regulations—whose functions would be to advise the Director General of Civil Aviation on the formulation and revision of the Air Navigation Regulations and associated instructions. The committee should comprise representatives of the New Zealand National Airways Corporation, Tasman Empire Airways, Limited, the New Zealand Airline Pilots' Association, the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, and the Royal New Zealand Aero Club. Aircraft suppliers and repairers and representatives of licensed aircraft engineers might be co-opted when the subject particularly concerns them. There should be no representation of trade associations or trade unions as such. The committee should be confined to professional and technical men with experience of specific aspects of civil aviation.