AP Forum Weekly Wrap: 26/11/23

First last week’s #SBG: Ineptitude, Insouciance and perhaps…

I would live all my life in nonchalance and insouciance, were it not for making living, which is rather a nouciance.

“Begin at the beginning”, the King said (very gravely). All well and good for the King; he did not have to ‘begin’ at the beginning’ did he? But the BRB did; and, I must add, it was quite a session. The ‘problem’ – for a humble scribe, was to define, exactly, where it it all did begin. The subject was casually raised by one of the fellahin; “Yeah but what about the fatal in WA and Ministers King’s ABC interview? “Howzat for the purblind leading the ignorant?”. Well, nothing else would do but ‘that’ interview was played to all; and, that’s about when the roof was raised about four inches. The ATSB report, the Spence comments; the ATSB’s softly – softly; and, the CASA board joy flight into the world of adventure flying. Go figure, FOI not allowed to sit in the cockpit (safety concerns) but; when the ‘board’ is offered a free flight (with water) over the remote regions of swamp and crocodile breeding grounds; nothing else would do but a ‘free-be’ flight at about $350 an hour or so was acceptable, with ‘board members’ inboard? WTD – BOLLOCKS!

But now I digress; begin at the beginning. Fair warning, there is a lot of reading and listening to do. In the beginning an aircraft with a clearly identified ‘problem’ was undergoing ‘checks’ – furry muff. There was a ‘strange’ vibration a ‘rattling’ of spoons in a critical element; so the guru’s were called in to listen, look, hear and ‘test’. So far so good; critical component vibration noted, engineers in attendance; pilot to do the honours – just another day in the helicopter world. Alas; the ‘BANG’ preceded the ambulance, required to take away two dead. WHY??? This should never, not ever, happen. There was an identified ‘problem’ there were professionals on site to analyse and rectify a critical preventative maintenance ‘problem’ and as it eventuated, a young life taking critical element. All routine properly (i.e – by the book) attended to and actioned ‘correctly’. But no; ambulance and bodies to be removed were the results of that laissez-faire.

“Crimes determined to take place engender all they need: victims, circumstances, pretexts, opportunities.”

Probably:- The best place to start is (probably) with minuscule Dickey King’s ABC interview related to the matter. Now, I dare say that the ‘interviewer’ is a truly lovely lady; bright, switched on etc – but dumb as a hammer and clearly under researched; in short NDI about what she was dealing with. However, in fairness, neither did the minuscule.

“There are two methods, or means, and only two, whereby man’s needs and desires can be satisfied. One is the production and exchange of wealth; this is the economic means. The other is the uncompensated appropriation of wealth produced by others; this is the political means.”

For example:-

DK: “Well, what I will say is that it’s really important that we have an independent Civil Aviation Safety Agency that focuses on safety, and the ATSB, whilst they did not find any findings against CASA, what I’ve asked CASA to do is to look at this incident, make sure that there is any other lessons that they would learn from that, and if there’s anything further they need to do, that they need to do so.”

BRB – “Findings – what – “against” CASA? King doesn’t seem to understand, let alone know; how the system works. – ATSB is a Bureau, not an Authority. This was a ‘Defined’ investigation; therefore, regulatory aspects would be completely ‘out-of-scope’. There is a very relevant question begging – as to why this wasn’t a ‘Systemic’ investigation from the get-go: considering the past accidents involving Robinson and operations in the Northern Regions under CASA ‘surveillance’.

Idiot interviwer (II) – Nadia Mitsopoulus : “Who are 12 year old Amber’s parents?” &etc….

DK: Unimaginable, unimaginable, and I’ve got a 15‑year‑old, I think all of us can just imagine, you know, what we would feel in those circumstances, and have put them in touch with the head of CASA, Pip Spence, they’ve been talking to her and they’re in touch fairly regularly.

BRB – The very last thing any grieving family needs is a bureaucrat, a stranger (with an an arse to protect and skin in the game), that they don’t know – “regularly” consoling them. There are specific strategies, based on much past, professional experience and training, regarding dealing with the accident victims next-of-kin, particularly when a child is involved. Spence just isn’t one of them!

DK: “But again, it’s whether there was any further action in terms of the maintenance of this craft, whether there’s more, broader systemic things that they think they need to do. So they’re continuing to look at that, but ATSB have finished its investigation and didn’t find any direct findings against CASA, and really what ATSB will do, and they’re the investigators, will look at whether there’s any systemic failures that need further work.”

BRB – But How??? This was defined (modulated) to a “defined” investigation; not a ‘systemic’ investigation. Whole world of difference. ATSB being obliging and Popinjay (he, a graduate of the NFI idea club) just hopes it all slides by. BOLLOCKS….

II – “Could they (CASA) be more proactive?

DK: “I think ATSB did not find that, but what I would say is we are all eyes.

BRB – NOT “Passing strange”. – They didn’t find any regulatory issues, as they weren’t looking for them, as requested, -in a “Defined” investigation. BOLLOCKS.

(II) – Nadia Mitsopoulus : ATSB has completed their report and they’ve done what was asked of them, isn’t the issue here the fact that there were another six unreported incidents and accidents?

DK – “ATSB has completed their report and they’ve done what was asked of them.”

BRB – As they’re an independent agency, free of ALL Ministerial directions and influence – (a subtle, yet important point) – they have “done” exactly that which what was ‘asked’ of them’ and nothing more – other than assisting (once again) CASA to dodge the bullet.,

Look you; the BRB went on for hours – the ABC radio interview is – HERE – for those as can stomach it. But, if there was ever a more clearly defined example of why ‘aviation’ in Australia needs to be properly governed and brought back into the ‘Mandarins’ careful directing and management; if only to protect a crown minister making a ‘tit’ of his/herself on the international stage of ‘matters aeronautical’ through the ineptitude and insouciance of the monster they created. We used to be ranked amongst the top ten in the world – across the board. Reduced through governmental ‘hands off’ approach alongside deliberately (with intent) abrogating any and all responsibility to somewhere near total zero; bar collecting monies (tax money) and supplying more than enough for that ‘independent’ no accountable luxury.

“In a gold rush you make the easy money selling shovels”

There’s more; much, much more. This event in WA has exposed the ‘weakness’ inherent in a system where the public pays, in dollars and lives, to protect a seriously flawed, demonstrably failing system of protection for the tax paying, voting, travelling public. It is as this case in point proves, a total duckling shambles based on bigger budgets which the tax payer meets, and professional arse covering . Nowhere near good enough. Not by a long, long, weary bloody march it ain’t. What say you minuscule? Want to meet a team of independent, qualified professionals? Debate this case, in public? Nah; thought not, knife to a gun fight methinks. Hint :-Remember that old joke about the fellah who berated God for letting him drown? When he’d finished raving about it; God just said well, I sent you a life jacket; ignored (on faith). I sent you the rescue boat; ignored; (on faith) I sent the helicopter Sad ignored (on faith) – small wonder you drowned…..

“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”

Its late; the Mog just strolled across the key board and left through the window in high dudgeon; big dog took himself off a half hour ago; the pup is sleeping wrapped around an almost destroyed tennis shoe; no matter, I shall sign off here; walk outside, whistle them up and we shall amble off into an almost perfect spring evening. Sometimes it is best to just do.

Selah..

Next (and related) the miniscule’s thread has been surprisingly busy… 🙄 : Hubris and a blind eye. & Dear Miniscule – We sent you the lifejackets?? & Just suppose :-