By the campfire:
CW – “In a nutshell, they can't change the law unless the government tells them to, and it was suggested that letters to the Governor General would be more effective. So I'm wondering if a similar thing would be possible with aviation..”
Ah, CW, pull up a stump, take a load off, sit a spell. There have been countless polite, articulate, reasoned ‘letters’ written over the years, to all manner of important folk. Not one of those letters has made an iota of difference, except to the post office revenue stream. Millions have been spent on all manner of ‘inquiry’ (in whatever form) all to no avail. You need look no further than the cost of the Senate Inquiry into the Norfolk ditching; the Forsyth report which followed that and the Canadian TSB ‘peer review’. All of that cost a small fortune; result? You guessed it.
There is now a ‘better’ line of thinking and approach to the problem; of course any action has to beat the ‘system’ of ‘outside influence’ exercised by those who hold the real power. This has proven to be somewhat problematic as the arse parked on the seat of power is ‘solid gold’ and bloody near ‘god-like’ and; as far as the pathetic politicians are concerned the ‘advice’ provided comes on stone tablet, picked up at nearest burning bush.
IMO it will be the likes of John Sharpe, Alan Joyce and Marc De Stoop who can bring in the changes required. Take De Stoop as a simple example. Millions invested in a good aviation business, which does the sort of things industry needs; services, jobs, taxable revenue etc. With first hand knowledge of the cost and aggravation involved; and, being able to ‘speak’ the language fluently; armed with real figures he is in a position to be listened to and have the commercial argument given credence. If the staggering cost and waste can be ‘translated’ into a language a treasurer or finance minister can understand, then it may be possible to ‘balance’ the books. No country on earth can afford an unplugged 400 million dollar haemorrhage to redraft a rule set; yet that little party continues with no end in sight.
There is a simple change to the Act which has, for years now been desperately needed. A fellah like Sharp knows the right corridors to walk down and which door to knock on. He also speaks the language fluently and could assist greatly with the reform process. I wonder, has anyone asked for his assistance?
Alan Joyce runs a fairly big operation and is bottom line oriented, has to be. The big operators absorb and deflect the increased cost of compliance and are little troubled by ‘the authority’. Even so, if the benefits of reform to their bottom line could be seen then that would add another powerful voice to the choir.
Until the industry ‘big guns’ start to fire, letters to anyone who matters from folk who don’t speak the language are only an exercise in typing. You are correct. Things must change, starting with the removal of the minister, as soon as practicable. Without an Act which works, a minister with brains and backbone, a CASA board which is effective, a DAS who understands it all and the support of the ‘heavy-weights’; you have a better chance of stuffing a wet noodle up a tigers fundamental orifice than winning the endless battle for real reform.
The auguries could be considered good; the alphabet groups are (slowly) coalescing into one voice, even AOPA is now heading in the right direction – having gotten it’s bearings. Now if only there was a little support from the big guns; who knows, matters aeronautical may yet improve. But only when there is a DAS and a CASA board which are not glove puppets provided for the department’s amusement. Alas. When a fellah like Mike Smith can be bowled out, then insulted by a rank amateur like Boyd; it’s time to pack up and head home. A rigged game is no fun to watch, particularly when the fact that it is rigged is not even kept secret. A Forsyth led first XI would stand a fair chance, even if the fix was in - but that's not going to be allowed, is it.
Toot toot.
CW – “In a nutshell, they can't change the law unless the government tells them to, and it was suggested that letters to the Governor General would be more effective. So I'm wondering if a similar thing would be possible with aviation..”
Ah, CW, pull up a stump, take a load off, sit a spell. There have been countless polite, articulate, reasoned ‘letters’ written over the years, to all manner of important folk. Not one of those letters has made an iota of difference, except to the post office revenue stream. Millions have been spent on all manner of ‘inquiry’ (in whatever form) all to no avail. You need look no further than the cost of the Senate Inquiry into the Norfolk ditching; the Forsyth report which followed that and the Canadian TSB ‘peer review’. All of that cost a small fortune; result? You guessed it.
There is now a ‘better’ line of thinking and approach to the problem; of course any action has to beat the ‘system’ of ‘outside influence’ exercised by those who hold the real power. This has proven to be somewhat problematic as the arse parked on the seat of power is ‘solid gold’ and bloody near ‘god-like’ and; as far as the pathetic politicians are concerned the ‘advice’ provided comes on stone tablet, picked up at nearest burning bush.
IMO it will be the likes of John Sharpe, Alan Joyce and Marc De Stoop who can bring in the changes required. Take De Stoop as a simple example. Millions invested in a good aviation business, which does the sort of things industry needs; services, jobs, taxable revenue etc. With first hand knowledge of the cost and aggravation involved; and, being able to ‘speak’ the language fluently; armed with real figures he is in a position to be listened to and have the commercial argument given credence. If the staggering cost and waste can be ‘translated’ into a language a treasurer or finance minister can understand, then it may be possible to ‘balance’ the books. No country on earth can afford an unplugged 400 million dollar haemorrhage to redraft a rule set; yet that little party continues with no end in sight.
There is a simple change to the Act which has, for years now been desperately needed. A fellah like Sharp knows the right corridors to walk down and which door to knock on. He also speaks the language fluently and could assist greatly with the reform process. I wonder, has anyone asked for his assistance?
Alan Joyce runs a fairly big operation and is bottom line oriented, has to be. The big operators absorb and deflect the increased cost of compliance and are little troubled by ‘the authority’. Even so, if the benefits of reform to their bottom line could be seen then that would add another powerful voice to the choir.
Until the industry ‘big guns’ start to fire, letters to anyone who matters from folk who don’t speak the language are only an exercise in typing. You are correct. Things must change, starting with the removal of the minister, as soon as practicable. Without an Act which works, a minister with brains and backbone, a CASA board which is effective, a DAS who understands it all and the support of the ‘heavy-weights’; you have a better chance of stuffing a wet noodle up a tigers fundamental orifice than winning the endless battle for real reform.
The auguries could be considered good; the alphabet groups are (slowly) coalescing into one voice, even AOPA is now heading in the right direction – having gotten it’s bearings. Now if only there was a little support from the big guns; who knows, matters aeronautical may yet improve. But only when there is a DAS and a CASA board which are not glove puppets provided for the department’s amusement. Alas. When a fellah like Mike Smith can be bowled out, then insulted by a rank amateur like Boyd; it’s time to pack up and head home. A rigged game is no fun to watch, particularly when the fact that it is rigged is not even kept secret. A Forsyth led first XI would stand a fair chance, even if the fix was in - but that's not going to be allowed, is it.
Toot toot.