Midweek on the AP forum: 8/12/22

First (via the AP forum) this weeks #SBG:

“I’m sorry if this all seems a little rushed and desperate. It is.”

My ‘cunning plans’ were carefully laid; no DT jobs to worry about (clean slate), the radio tuned to the cricket; the work arranged so that there was only quiet stuff to do; the coffee pot ready: all set to listen to the Test match. Never gave Senate Estimates a second thought; it was during the ‘lunch’ break the fatal mistake was made – I checked the Email. There they were; – the Air Services and CASA session – in all their fatuous glory. It can wait, thinks I; mistake number two. Strange thing is the subconscious; the scant attention I paid to the Estimates videos set several small but annoying bells to ringing; the sessions kept creeping back to the forefront; not good when there are three centuries nearly on the board between the opening batsmen. I held off until stumps; cleaned up, grabbed an Ale and returned to the video series.

“The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men” etc..

The first ‘alarum bell’ was the indecent haste – Sterle constantly pushing the clock and sending home the delegates before their session. Once, fair enough; but, the previous session had a similar ‘rush’ attending. Considering the matters surrounding aviation at present and that the Senators will have legitimate questions and concerns it is quite reasonable to expect the time table would reflect those needs. For example, the ATSB has not appeared before an Estimates committee for a long while now; and that is one branch of the aviation world with many serious questions to answer. Indecent haste to simply wind up the session achieves little but wasting time, money and effort. Unless its a protection racket – arranged for a government who abrogated all responsibility last time around and created the autocracy which exists today. Free of all ministerial constraints. Not good enough is it; always thought Sterle actually gave a hoot – Alas,,,.

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

The ASA session was ‘informative’ in the way of illustrating just how far ‘pandering’ to minority groups has become the norm. The costs involved in that little pantomime must be staggering – just on the Brisbane aerodrome noise matter alone. The facts of the matter are simplicity itself. The airport exists; aircraft use it; as the city grows air traffic will increase. Airlines invest billions in providing the service; they are required to make a profit; to achieve this and maintain safety standards the operation must be ‘efficient’. Say it costs $30,000 (for a number) in fuel and maintenance to get an aircraft from Sydney to Brisbane; no delays – take off, head North; descend and land. Minimum track miles; no hold up, straight in landing. Perhaps a return, perhaps not – depends on the passenger load – but that is a risk taken – eyes wide open. But when delay creeps in; when additional track miles are required, when pilot duty time is burned up and additional crew must be dragged in – then the budgeted equation fails; dramatically. No profit equates to a reduced service to up the passenger numbers: or an increase in airfare. Simple maths. The airport and the services provided are an essential element to the city – every flight in generates revenue in one form or another; ask the city Fathers or the business operators if the airport should be shut down to pacify the ‘noise’ protests. The answer is a no brainer. Those who live near railway tracks, or highways, or even busy city roads don’t make howls of protest when trains, trucks and buses roar past. They are part of city life. The airport exists; it is essential infrastructure; aircraft are noisy. So why is ASA wasting time, money and tax payer dollars buggering about trying to pacify a bunch of people who live near the logical, efficient take off and landing paths. Hell’s bells, the money wasted in pandering, could have been saved by simply stating the facts; cutting the pony-pooh: “you live under a flight path – get used to it”. The expensive window dressing is waste. Take a vote – less expensive air travel and increased city business and revenue: or, a little less noise to satisfy a minority for a gross reduction in the benefits. Not rocket science is it…

“It is the greatest happiness of the greatest number that is the measure of right and wrong.” Bentham 1776.

Not going to get into the CASA session; platitudes make me nauseous; obfuscation offends; deceit is sickening, cowardice is disgusting, Bullying unacceptable and out right Bollocks just engenders fury. But, when Sterle, more than any other there knows that there are serious matters which must be, sooner rather than later, fully addressed but prefers to languish in the safe haven of no ministerial control over an autocracy which can do whatever it likes: game over. Top cover achieved by allowing this sort of high speed stuff to be fed the Estimates panel; the lavender scented confections presented to ease whatever little is left of their conscience. Shame don’t quite cover it, but ’twill suffice.

“Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.”

Aye; there is a long list of wrongs to righted; there is no plausible reason for a Senate Estimates committee to be so disorganised that there is not enough time allotted to fully examine and question the operations of major tax payer funded ‘safety’ agencies, such as ASA, ATSB and the CASA;well, non which are acceptable at least. These agencies plough through incredible sums and provide very little of intrinsic or practical value to the industry they rule over. If the Senate cannot find the time to examine their antics and waste, then what chance has real reform to world best standard got in the 1984 Gold Plated Bullshit cup? Long, long odds on my tote.

Only my opinion of course; I believe we may still, but only just have a slim hold on the right to freedom of speech – tenuous at the best of times according to the CASA version. But just lately I’ve begun to wonder. No matter: we only fought wars to enshrine that democratic principal; are our ‘right’s’ leaning too far to the left?

“Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”

‘Chairs to mend” this week – not a favourite; finicky angles and awkward joints; timber and colour matching etc. Four of ’em; very old but still robust enough to stand my clumsy attention. The dogs know this one, seen it all before; the exasperated groan before the exit to open air and sunshine; which means a walk and a smoke if we play our cards right. There’s the rub, how to make a lousy hand a winner; we shall walk a while and contemplate the problem.

Selah..

Next from the Search 4 IP thread: Popinjay’s bizarre ‘no learnings’ mantra continues on Gympie midair??

STATEMENT FROM ATSB CHIEF COMMISSIONER ANGUS MITCHELL

In accordance with long-established government policy, the ATSB is funded and directed to prioritise its resources on transport safety investigations that have the potential to deliver the greatest public benefit through systemic improvements to transport safety, and would only investigate accidents involving recreational aviation aircraft on an exception basis where a particular third-party risk is identified.

In the Kybong mid-air accident, both aircraft were operating in non-controlled airspace. Procedures for operating in non-controlled airspace are long established, mid-air collisions in uncontrolled airspace are rare, and any ATSB transport safety investigation would be unlikely to yield new safety learnings for the aviation industry.

The ATSB notes that the self-administration arrangements for the recreational aviation sector specifically provide for self-administration bodies to undertake accident investigation, and that the safety learnings from accidents in the sector are usually limited because the causal factors are generally well-understood.

Where requested and as resourcing permits the ATSB may assist sport and recreation aviation organisations’ investigations through providing technical assistance, such as a metallurgical examination of aircraft components or data recovery.

Investigator representatives from recreational aviation organisations are also able to attend the ATSB’s transport safety investigator graduate certificate course, which is delivered jointly by the ATSB and RMIT University.

The ATSB empathises with the next of kin who have lost loved ones in the Kybong accident and are seeking answers as to how the accident occurred.

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