Come into my parlour; said the spider to the fly.

STOP THE LIE – UPDATE THE ACT: DICK SMITH | A&R Aviation Australia 
A&R Aviation Australia

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Come into my parlour; said the spider to the fly. -AP Forum version

Do not react – Act. Angered one day by some foolish thing which troubles ‘teens’ TOM (bless) took the time to sit and listen; I rattled on – he sat quietly until I had gotten it all off my chest. “You done now?, says he. “Yes” says I – “But I’ll -. “What?” says he. So, off I went again, long, loud and angry. At last, when I’d run out of steam, the familiar, well liked smile appeared. I knew; right there, right then, that I was re-acting. “Act or put it aside – but if you decide act, think of the consequences; and importantly, the cost to you and those affected.”

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Without warning: the startle factor | Flight Safety Australia
Flight Safety Australia

‘Do you have the patience to wait till your mud settles and the water is clear?  ―  Lao Tzu

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In later years, the ‘art’ of transitioning from ‘re-action’ to action becomes part and parcel of flying an aircraft; one learns not to re-act, but to act, positively, correctly and with minimum consequence. It is the same with ‘fright’ – the first time ‘fear’ is allowed to enter the equation – that fear must be dealt with and quickly put aside. Fear and Reaction; two sinister, deadly, practiced killers. Pilots learn this at an early stage – nearly every professional airman I’ve met can always remember, in graphic detail – the time their immortality was lost. “ Shee-it you can get killed doing this stuff”. Gann (legend) remarks that pilots “wear courage as a comfortable belt” and I find, by and large, that this is true. There is a professional ‘need’ to face and stare down the ‘fear and reaction’ element – and get on with the job at hand; without external assistance. So much for my twiddle and ramble; I expect you want to know what the halfwit is on about. So. Con tu permiso e indulgencia – I shall attempt to clarify some deep thoughts.

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“Anyone can do the job when things are going right. In this business we play for keeps.” ― Ernest K. Gann, Fate Is the Hunter

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Most folk, particularly those who have led sheltered lives, cocooned in a ‘bureaucratic’ haven, have never, not really, been ‘a feared’. They may have had the odd adrenalin rush, even sought it out – but they have never confronted stark fear at the same time as being responsible for an aircraft full of innocents. Set that aside, for it is not a situation they have been trained for and tested in. However, in the smug, snug, comfy world of politics, the things that ‘scare’ the pants off ‘em – like ‘the mystique’ surrounding aviation safety there can only be one response – they react. Ignorance and fear provide the rest. The first thing reached for is the old security blanket; for aviation ministers, this is the all knowing, wise, grown up voice and comforting CASA presence. By nature, idiots, the likes of Chester and McDonowt will scamper into the very parlour of the large, lethal, venal spider – for protection. There sits the CASA spider, offering every legal protective thread known to mankind (and spiders) and thus; the idiot miniscule is drawn into the web. Not for one second realising that the deeper they go, the more enmeshed they are. Safe, warm, cosy, protected and told there is nothing to worry about; – and there children, languishes our bemused ministerial fly.    

Fear and the promise of security have now completely robbed the miniscule of the ability to act, let alone think – such is the funk. He is now a captive. How many ministers have fallen into the silken, carefully spun web of deceit, of political protection and of do-nothing; (all will be well) without the spider’s whisper of it’s OK to pop out now; say only  this – but don’t stray too far.

It is time we all acted – we need to stop the procession of carefully tailored, impeccably manicured, craftily coiffured tailor’s dummy’s masquerading as responsible ministers of the crown. There is a mile of hard yards to dig if we are to put aviation back on a firm, commercially viable footing. To do this, the minster must act. “Ah, but how ?” wails the unfortunate incumbent. Well, ‘tis very, very simple. Put your brave boots on and have a cuppa with John Shape, David Forsyth, Mike Smith, Greg Vaughan, Ken Cannane, Ben Cook, Alan Strange; or, any one of the dozen, non CASA owned experts who actually know where the problems lay. Then, man up and take control of your portfolio – i.e. make it happen. It’s way past time to sack your CASA owned advice; get some real help.

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Small cross-section of what’s being talked about this week on the AP forum:

First from the Drone Wars thread:

Senate Drone Inquiry report released 

And from the Senate thread:

Mount Gambier Hansard now out

Next from 4G’s thread:
 

TICK..TOCK goes the 4G aviation clock

And from CASA meets the Press:
 

LMH 03/08/18: Yarrawonga on the market, CASA needs Ockham’s Razor and trading flight for life.

& from BITN: 

TICK TOCK GOES THE PFOS CLOCK

On airports:

Yin & Yang on airport security

The Alphabets:

The life of a GA scenic pilot. 

Following on from the above, here is a snapshot of what pilots have to deal with from day to day in the GA scenic flight industry sector.

Via news.com.au:

‘You should love your job and shut your mouth’: Inside Australia’s aviation industry

ON THE surface, it looks like the coolest jobs in Australia but underneath, pilots are exhausted, unhappy and broke.

Natalie Wolfe

A chopper flight over the Whitsundays. Picture: Jason HillSource:Supplied

Finally from accidents domestic:

Quote:Groundhog day – Fuel exhaustion. 

And an addendum:

Point of difference: A captured Minister vs a Minister in charge?

Truss: Aviation Safety Regulation Review [Archive] – Page 5 – PPRuNe …

PPRuNe Forums
Truss: Aviation Safety Regulation Review [Archive] – Page 5 – PPRuNe Forums

The following is a short but telling example of why IMO I believe our Minister of the Crown (like Truss in 2014 – above) is nothing more than a Muppet whose strings are being manipulated by the aviation safety bureaucracy.

 

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There are reasons enough now, on forum, to call for the current minister to resign the portfolio – #1 being he’s useless and #2 being he’s captive to a CAS (D) A stooge. Why add to a growing list? In my business, if you can’t do the job properly, then you only slaughter a few innocents – in your job minister, you kill off an industry and those who should be able to rely on it for sustenance, mortgage, life style and their children’s future well being.

The first time an engine quits, on a dark and stormy, in the middle of the night, far from home and hearth – there is only one person who carries the load. The first time is survivable – provided you act – not react – and don’t ring your Mama for advice. 

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Why Thunderstorms Are So Dangerous for Airliners
Jeff Wise

“In reference to flying through thunderstorms; “A pilot may earn his full pay for that year in less than two minutes. At the time of incident he would gladly return the entire amount for the privilege of being elsewhere.”  ― Ernest K. Gann, Fate Is the Hunter.

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Should you ever read my ramblings and wonder what is the fool banging on about – I refer you to the excellent posts the forum crew have provided this week. Read ‘em – read ‘em all; then as P7 said, all those years ago – “Act or put it aside – but if you decide act, think of the consequences; and importantly, the cost to you and those affected by your actions.”

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“What’s the use you learning to do right when it’s troublesome to do right and ain’t no trouble to do wrong, and the wages is just the same?” ― Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

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But, don’t mind me – or mine. I can only look around my dinner table and see a quarter million collective flight hours, 200 odd years of collective, professional, operational experience and at least 150 years of collective, coal face ‘management’ of aviation matters under the auspices of the CASA spider. Not counting the ladies, there are only ten of us here – and WTD would we know, when a creature like Crawford holds sway, – with a firm grip on a very frightened, confused, confounded ministerial ear.

Aye well – (nod to Churchill) tomorrow, I’ll be sober; but you minister will be forever known as the little, (miniscule) country journalist fly, trapped in web of deceit, by the big money spider. No matter – tomorrow will do – won’t it?

Aye, tomorrow will arrive –In shāʾa llāh – as they say. Sorry P2 – not too much to play with this week; but – you have kindly provided the incumbent miniscule with much to consider. One can, in reality, truly, only lead a horse to water; elephants of course is a different matter altogether, as we all well know.

Selah…