Of leopards and their spots.
“NOW this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
LB - "The Parliament can fix it. The Parliament created CASA and the Parliament decides what CASA’s powers and functions are, and the way in which they are to be exercised and performed. That’s one of the primary points of the Civil Aviation Act."
Cool, clear logic from LB, unassailable fact, rational and definitely do-able. Yet, I am not convinced the Leopard can change its spots, no matter what the Act sets down. History proves one thing; the very nature of the CASA is so deeply ingrained that no matter how sensible, logical or reasonable industry pleas are, nor how serious the demands of Inquiry are, nor even how high the count of requested 'reforms' (recommendations) reaches; irrespective of the origin, the Leopard simply finds a way to keep doing business in the same way. How the current ethos became the norm, I do not know. But, in my lifetime I have watched the transmogrification - at flight line level - go from knowing, liking and respecting the CASA men 'on the ground' - examiners who were pilots; wise, experienced and no man's fool to the present day creatures, who only hunt in packs and are obsessed with amplifying all and any minor 'transgressor' into a federal case. Change the Act, by all means, the tooter the sweeter; just don't expect the Leopard to change its spots. Not without clear direction from the leader of the pack, and even then, it will be a battle of wills, Changing spots is one thing - changing the nature of the beast is an entirely different matter.
AOTW - "I don't agree that the overarching legislation is where the core problem lies. I think different middle and senior managers working with honest good intentions could, and should have, at numerous times over the past twenty plus years of reg 'development', put a stop to over-complication and drawn-out talk fests by moving some self-serving empire builders out of their positions of influence and making ease of comprehension and application to real-world situations a requirement for any rules or policy output."
Quite right; however - those in the 'middle' have a rice bowl to protect. It would take more backbone than they collectively possesses to speak out against those who can, in a heartbeat, knock 'em down a rung or two and take away the rice bowl. Go along to get along and don't rock the bloody boat. Is it worth 'emboldening' these folk - too weak or afraid to speak out? No, it bloody well is not; reform can only come from one place - the DAS with full backing of the DPM and ministry mandarins. The current incumbent is about as much use as a chocolate fire wall, take a quick look at the back-flip on CVD; or, the sneering response to Senator's questions; or, the disregard for industry pleas for sanity in regulation.
One DAS, fully supported by the minister and department, with a handpicked team could, within a twelve month, rejuvenate and bring hope to this benighted industry - the increase revenue from a thriving industry should be incentive enough. The Kiwi's did it and have never looked back -..
Right then, back in my box - and on with my knitting - I know;
Toot - toot...
“NOW this is the Law of the Jungle — as old and as true as the sky;
And the Wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the Wolf that shall break it must die.
LB - "The Parliament can fix it. The Parliament created CASA and the Parliament decides what CASA’s powers and functions are, and the way in which they are to be exercised and performed. That’s one of the primary points of the Civil Aviation Act."
Cool, clear logic from LB, unassailable fact, rational and definitely do-able. Yet, I am not convinced the Leopard can change its spots, no matter what the Act sets down. History proves one thing; the very nature of the CASA is so deeply ingrained that no matter how sensible, logical or reasonable industry pleas are, nor how serious the demands of Inquiry are, nor even how high the count of requested 'reforms' (recommendations) reaches; irrespective of the origin, the Leopard simply finds a way to keep doing business in the same way. How the current ethos became the norm, I do not know. But, in my lifetime I have watched the transmogrification - at flight line level - go from knowing, liking and respecting the CASA men 'on the ground' - examiners who were pilots; wise, experienced and no man's fool to the present day creatures, who only hunt in packs and are obsessed with amplifying all and any minor 'transgressor' into a federal case. Change the Act, by all means, the tooter the sweeter; just don't expect the Leopard to change its spots. Not without clear direction from the leader of the pack, and even then, it will be a battle of wills, Changing spots is one thing - changing the nature of the beast is an entirely different matter.
AOTW - "I don't agree that the overarching legislation is where the core problem lies. I think different middle and senior managers working with honest good intentions could, and should have, at numerous times over the past twenty plus years of reg 'development', put a stop to over-complication and drawn-out talk fests by moving some self-serving empire builders out of their positions of influence and making ease of comprehension and application to real-world situations a requirement for any rules or policy output."
Quite right; however - those in the 'middle' have a rice bowl to protect. It would take more backbone than they collectively possesses to speak out against those who can, in a heartbeat, knock 'em down a rung or two and take away the rice bowl. Go along to get along and don't rock the bloody boat. Is it worth 'emboldening' these folk - too weak or afraid to speak out? No, it bloody well is not; reform can only come from one place - the DAS with full backing of the DPM and ministry mandarins. The current incumbent is about as much use as a chocolate fire wall, take a quick look at the back-flip on CVD; or, the sneering response to Senator's questions; or, the disregard for industry pleas for sanity in regulation.
One DAS, fully supported by the minister and department, with a handpicked team could, within a twelve month, rejuvenate and bring hope to this benighted industry - the increase revenue from a thriving industry should be incentive enough. The Kiwi's did it and have never looked back -..
Right then, back in my box - and on with my knitting - I know;
Toot - toot...