The chairman of the UK General Aviation Awareness Council (GAAC) David Ogilvy was reportedly appalled recently when he visited a public examination of general aviation facilities in Northamptonshire. According to the GAAC, its interests were poorly represented, while the anti-aviation lobby turned out in force. Letters submitted by pro-aviation parties were deemed to constitute only one letter because they were all identically worded. Reporting on the fiasco, the GAAC newsletter said: "This latest complacency must be overcome if GA's voice is to be heard and heeded." \rIn Britain, each County Structure Plan convenes every five years to legislate on a variety of matters, including general aviation. The culmination of the procedure is an Examination In Public (EIP), where interested parties put their arguments to the county council. \r"The Northamptonshire action wasn't bad, we didn't have too much complaint, but there were plenty of anti-aviation parties present, and we wanted to be sure GA's interests were properly represented," said Ogilvy. He noted that Sywell aerodrome, whose case was constructed in cooperation with the GAAC, was well prepared at the EIP. Ogilvy said he wanted more individuals to apply pressure to local authorities on behalf of GA.\r"If you fly, this issue does affect you. Aviation's enemies take the trouble to write letters of objection in their hundreds. Aviation's supporters barely emerge from the sand. If we hope for a healthy future for GA, we must state our case effectively in the right places and at the right time."\rCommented the editor of the GAAC newsletter Jack Wells: "We frequently hear complaints about constraints imposed by the CAA or by air traffic controllers, yet how often do pilots think about the local planning authority and its - often uninformed - involvement in aviation matters?"