The indefatigable P2 has had a busy week collecting news from the front; lots of it and all worthy of consideration. There is a little something for everyone from the grudging extension of time to allow those who must save their pennies for the ADSB fit-out, to two full blown inquiries. Spoiled for choice and a lot of material to wade through. In no particular order:-
On the plus side – a victory for Airworthiness, finally. The long delay on the change to law, which has been hanging about like a bad smell since the 2008 audit has finally, after industry (KC – CF) showed the way been brought into the light. Well done the (JSCT) ‘Treaties’ committee; our Senators and Fawcett all deserve Tim Tams.
The Kessing appearance at the Senate inquiry is a must watch, the public part of the videoed testimony reveals a honest man, doing his best and the Senate committee in full flight. This Senate committee just keeps impressing, the real, tangible, good governance od men of good will, hard at work.
That JSCPAA committee is looking deeply into the murky financial dealings of the ASA and not much liking what they see and hear. You will need your BS meter set to high and a strong stomach to listen and watch as Halfwit and his ‘match-fit’ team of sacrificial lambs turn up to play the committee first XI. But if you want to see how a billion dollar a year monopoly spends your money, it is a must watch event.
CASA are still in denial and not taking their collective heads out of the sand to see the potential liabilities and dangers of ‘Drones’ delivering pizza’s. They seem incapable of realising that the first 400 feet of a take off and the last 400 feet of a landing is the most dangerous part of the flight and seem quite happy to allow the ‘little’ unlicensed, uncontrolled, unregulated toys to do what they please – up to 400 feet. Go figure.
ATSB had a very soft ride through their ‘Estimates’ appearance. There is plenty of scope for the Senate committee to play with, the overdue Norfolk report, Hoods conflict of interest, the pathetic attempt to correlate ‘bird strike’ with ‘drone strike’; ridiculous. But then, so is the whole ATSB ‘thing’.
The full story of contaminated water and land made useless has not, as yet, had the media attention it deserves. As the aerodrome infrastructure collapses the statements of denial and escape clauses are being polished, ready for use, if the truth of this horror story ever makes it to an inquiry. Airports – for sale – bargain prices.
Aye. Not the first time; the wheels have fallen off the aviation governance bus. It never gets fixed though, they just push the wreckage off the road and buy a new one, bigger, better with more escape hatches than before. Such is the decades old way of running the nations air transport system.
