Going a bit bi-polar here – (just for a moment).
It has become abundantly clear, since our Hooded Canary was promoted to his level of incompetency, exactly what the ATSB has become. There is little anyone outside the sheltered workshop could say or do which would make the levels of disgust and humour they have reached any worse than it appears in the eyes of their peers and betters. The solution is dead simple; release them from the MoU and make the organisation independent, crewed by qualified 'professionals' reporting only to their paymaster i.e. a Senate Committee. Firing Hood from the biggest cannon available would greatly assist; but then I digress into public, rather than my own opinion.
Two incidents mentioned by P2 (above) – chalk and cheese events; except for the poor quality of report, that which we have all come expect from ATSB. However, I ask that you seriously consider a rare post from 'Look-Left ' in relation to the 'Mooney' accident.
LL - “Could you please comment on what you think should be done about pilots who do not do any flight planning or even obtain a weather forecast before they operate? Do you agree that pilots should always plan contingencies for any flight they conduct or that a single plan of action will do?”
The man raises some very, very valid points. Navigation 101 – bad weather ahead; leave a back door open – monitor flight conditions and always understand where you are, where you can go and when you discover that you cannot go further; execute plan B or even plan C.
LL - “Transits through coastal CTZ should not be a rarity but denial of a clearance is always a possibility and should be planned for. The lesson out of this report to pilots is stay current. plan your trip and accept your responsibility as PIC. With the information provided in the report this bloke did none of that and the unfortunate confluence of circumstance lead to his death and that of his passenger. If he had got a clearance through Coff's then maybe the accident would not have happened but with such an attitude to his responsibilities it was possibly only a matter of time before it did.”
Concur. There is a lot of this going around – expectations, GPS slaves, not a WAC on board and no 'second or even third 'best' option. This is an area the 'old' ATSB would have focused on and produced some of their world class 'notes' (or tales) in the digest. Alas; no one reads that any longer - ( comment deleted).
The Ross Air event is whole new ball game; but the threads interwoven connect with a few 'similar' events; the Braz being another early 'system' trouble warning classic. The problem; to my mind is both simple and sinister. CASA approval of any and all words in a Check and Training (C&T) manual is mandatory; no option, no argument. The manual MUST be 'approved'. Not just accepted; but approved, in writing, signed off by a delegate. No matter who followed the 'scripted' procedures; if CASA have 'approved' that practice then the liability must; repeat must, lay with those who have complete control over every word drafted into a C&T manual. How many HOTAC and Chief pilots have burned millions of candles trying to gainsay a directive from their FOI team. You see one cannot, not with impunity, tell the CASA guy to go boil his fool head. Ross Air a classic; AFM states – ABC. CASA want and approve DEF – result tragedy; why? CP overruled by a CASA paid ego. Should you dare challenge a bloke who has a little experience as an instructor, on type, the real world - or whatever; and, stand your ground as CP; there is only one of a possible two outcomes. Permanent unemployment; or, you kow-tow and take all the risk, all the blame without the option of blaming the Moke who 'approved' your system.
Want to know what's broken here? – The system is. Well and truly buggered; piss poor airmanship and terrified chief pilots. What a way to run aviation.
A DAS who is not afraid of the iron Ring through political backbone on tap; a Board with experience and balls; a few FOI who actually 'know' how to operate aircraft on a daily basis; some engineers who know which end of spanner will fit a nut; and last, but by no means known to man – last – someone sane (for pity's sake) running the 'legal' department. In short – a new top shelf Senators, or we have just wasted another million or two going through the never ending cycle of the usual 'motions' and empty promises? Fair question.
You do realise that this is all going to become very 'political'. It is only one serious accident away from the ICAO and the FAA taking the gloves off and beating seven different colour crap out of a national 'safety' system which is only concerned with two things. Keeping the ministers sorry arse out of a sling and self protection of the bounteous trough and bounties 'aviation' safety provides. It is BOLLOCKS. We all know that – so what are the 'government' going to do to fix it? - Same as always; hours of 'gab' then SFA?
Arrggh! To Hell with it all. How many more 'system' related deaths must we have before someone with 'clout' a conscience and the well being of an industry and the nation at heart steps up and simply say's ENOUGH, it stops here. Aye; Dream on old fool.
Thirsty now; so there is a ray of sunshine – “Pint – Here; yes, now would be good'.
![[Image: ECZwyUqUIAE7ToN?format=jpg&name=small]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ECZwyUqUIAE7ToN?format=jpg&name=small)
It has become abundantly clear, since our Hooded Canary was promoted to his level of incompetency, exactly what the ATSB has become. There is little anyone outside the sheltered workshop could say or do which would make the levels of disgust and humour they have reached any worse than it appears in the eyes of their peers and betters. The solution is dead simple; release them from the MoU and make the organisation independent, crewed by qualified 'professionals' reporting only to their paymaster i.e. a Senate Committee. Firing Hood from the biggest cannon available would greatly assist; but then I digress into public, rather than my own opinion.
Two incidents mentioned by P2 (above) – chalk and cheese events; except for the poor quality of report, that which we have all come expect from ATSB. However, I ask that you seriously consider a rare post from 'Look-Left ' in relation to the 'Mooney' accident.
LL - “Could you please comment on what you think should be done about pilots who do not do any flight planning or even obtain a weather forecast before they operate? Do you agree that pilots should always plan contingencies for any flight they conduct or that a single plan of action will do?”
The man raises some very, very valid points. Navigation 101 – bad weather ahead; leave a back door open – monitor flight conditions and always understand where you are, where you can go and when you discover that you cannot go further; execute plan B or even plan C.
LL - “Transits through coastal CTZ should not be a rarity but denial of a clearance is always a possibility and should be planned for. The lesson out of this report to pilots is stay current. plan your trip and accept your responsibility as PIC. With the information provided in the report this bloke did none of that and the unfortunate confluence of circumstance lead to his death and that of his passenger. If he had got a clearance through Coff's then maybe the accident would not have happened but with such an attitude to his responsibilities it was possibly only a matter of time before it did.”
Concur. There is a lot of this going around – expectations, GPS slaves, not a WAC on board and no 'second or even third 'best' option. This is an area the 'old' ATSB would have focused on and produced some of their world class 'notes' (or tales) in the digest. Alas; no one reads that any longer - ( comment deleted).
The Ross Air event is whole new ball game; but the threads interwoven connect with a few 'similar' events; the Braz being another early 'system' trouble warning classic. The problem; to my mind is both simple and sinister. CASA approval of any and all words in a Check and Training (C&T) manual is mandatory; no option, no argument. The manual MUST be 'approved'. Not just accepted; but approved, in writing, signed off by a delegate. No matter who followed the 'scripted' procedures; if CASA have 'approved' that practice then the liability must; repeat must, lay with those who have complete control over every word drafted into a C&T manual. How many HOTAC and Chief pilots have burned millions of candles trying to gainsay a directive from their FOI team. You see one cannot, not with impunity, tell the CASA guy to go boil his fool head. Ross Air a classic; AFM states – ABC. CASA want and approve DEF – result tragedy; why? CP overruled by a CASA paid ego. Should you dare challenge a bloke who has a little experience as an instructor, on type, the real world - or whatever; and, stand your ground as CP; there is only one of a possible two outcomes. Permanent unemployment; or, you kow-tow and take all the risk, all the blame without the option of blaming the Moke who 'approved' your system.
Want to know what's broken here? – The system is. Well and truly buggered; piss poor airmanship and terrified chief pilots. What a way to run aviation.
A DAS who is not afraid of the iron Ring through political backbone on tap; a Board with experience and balls; a few FOI who actually 'know' how to operate aircraft on a daily basis; some engineers who know which end of spanner will fit a nut; and last, but by no means known to man – last – someone sane (for pity's sake) running the 'legal' department. In short – a new top shelf Senators, or we have just wasted another million or two going through the never ending cycle of the usual 'motions' and empty promises? Fair question.
You do realise that this is all going to become very 'political'. It is only one serious accident away from the ICAO and the FAA taking the gloves off and beating seven different colour crap out of a national 'safety' system which is only concerned with two things. Keeping the ministers sorry arse out of a sling and self protection of the bounteous trough and bounties 'aviation' safety provides. It is BOLLOCKS. We all know that – so what are the 'government' going to do to fix it? - Same as always; hours of 'gab' then SFA?
Arrggh! To Hell with it all. How many more 'system' related deaths must we have before someone with 'clout' a conscience and the well being of an industry and the nation at heart steps up and simply say's ENOUGH, it stops here. Aye; Dream on old fool.
Thirsty now; so there is a ray of sunshine – “Pint – Here; yes, now would be good'.