A most inconvenient ditching.
Motivation; is the reason for peoples actions. Etc..
In all good detective yarns the motivation is treated as a major key to solving ‘the puzzle’. It makes good sense to do so, the reason why and qui bono always make good starting places. The chronology HERE defines ‘the act’; but fails to provide ‘the motivation’. To work that out we must, once again, look to the past.
ICAO had gone ‘big’ on pilot fatigue, identifying it as a major concern; and thanks to the good work of some clever folk, Australia was well positioned to shine. However, the period preceeding the ditching had been ‘difficult’ for the ‘watchdog’. The ICAO audit had kicked seven bells out of CASA – McComic reacted and requested an IASA (FAA) audit – to balance the scales and cover Albo’s sorry arse. FAA was not impressed and McComic’s little scheme backfired. The threat of downgrade was very, very real. Government (taxpayer) money and some hefty diplomacy bought a reprieve. But make no mistake – Australia was up to it’s hocks in alligators.
Then came the ditching off Norfolk Island. Any serious investigation into systematic flaws would reveal and confirm the worst fears of the ICAO and FAA audits. Although the mystery of two resignations and the decision to discard some fairly important reports is yet to be solved, there remains one curiously intriguing element yet to be satisfactorily resolved. I will leave providing the ‘dots’ up to P2 (patience, patience). I will make a dash toward a conclusion, the reader may make of it what they will.
That all survived the ditching was most inconvenient; the event had to become ‘pilot error’. Suddenly to protect the ICAO status, the home grown reports which revealed serious flaws in Australia’s approach to and ignorance of FRMS and SMS were a liability. Further independent analysis of CASA’s sloppy handling of the historical flaws in Pel-Air operational management would have shone a bright light into exactly the wrong corner, at precisely the wrong moment. Even so: had there not been a Senate inquiry, the whole event would have been neatly brushed under the carpet.
There had to be a reason for the bizarre, extraordinary behaviour of CASA following the Norfolk ditching event. The life and career of one small, insignificant human became as nothing when compared to the truly shocking notion that the world may discover how seriously flawed the regulator, the regulation and the management of aviation truly was then. It will come as no surprise that nothing – absolutely nothing has changed since then; unless you count the slow, irresistible slide deeper into the pit. Do I feel sorry for the ‘good eggs’ in the CASA basket? No, I do not. ‘They’ could have spoken out, they have had ample opportunity and much encouragement to do so. Resignation and silence – honourable? Oh, I think not.
“Mine honour is my life; both grow in one.
Take honour from me, and my life is done.”
Toot toot.
Motivation; is the reason for peoples actions. Etc..
In all good detective yarns the motivation is treated as a major key to solving ‘the puzzle’. It makes good sense to do so, the reason why and qui bono always make good starting places. The chronology HERE defines ‘the act’; but fails to provide ‘the motivation’. To work that out we must, once again, look to the past.
ICAO had gone ‘big’ on pilot fatigue, identifying it as a major concern; and thanks to the good work of some clever folk, Australia was well positioned to shine. However, the period preceeding the ditching had been ‘difficult’ for the ‘watchdog’. The ICAO audit had kicked seven bells out of CASA – McComic reacted and requested an IASA (FAA) audit – to balance the scales and cover Albo’s sorry arse. FAA was not impressed and McComic’s little scheme backfired. The threat of downgrade was very, very real. Government (taxpayer) money and some hefty diplomacy bought a reprieve. But make no mistake – Australia was up to it’s hocks in alligators.
Then came the ditching off Norfolk Island. Any serious investigation into systematic flaws would reveal and confirm the worst fears of the ICAO and FAA audits. Although the mystery of two resignations and the decision to discard some fairly important reports is yet to be solved, there remains one curiously intriguing element yet to be satisfactorily resolved. I will leave providing the ‘dots’ up to P2 (patience, patience). I will make a dash toward a conclusion, the reader may make of it what they will.
That all survived the ditching was most inconvenient; the event had to become ‘pilot error’. Suddenly to protect the ICAO status, the home grown reports which revealed serious flaws in Australia’s approach to and ignorance of FRMS and SMS were a liability. Further independent analysis of CASA’s sloppy handling of the historical flaws in Pel-Air operational management would have shone a bright light into exactly the wrong corner, at precisely the wrong moment. Even so: had there not been a Senate inquiry, the whole event would have been neatly brushed under the carpet.
There had to be a reason for the bizarre, extraordinary behaviour of CASA following the Norfolk ditching event. The life and career of one small, insignificant human became as nothing when compared to the truly shocking notion that the world may discover how seriously flawed the regulator, the regulation and the management of aviation truly was then. It will come as no surprise that nothing – absolutely nothing has changed since then; unless you count the slow, irresistible slide deeper into the pit. Do I feel sorry for the ‘good eggs’ in the CASA basket? No, I do not. ‘They’ could have spoken out, they have had ample opportunity and much encouragement to do so. Resignation and silence – honourable? Oh, I think not.
“Mine honour is my life; both grow in one.
Take honour from me, and my life is done.”
Toot toot.