1. A proud look
7. Him that soweth discord among brethren (Proverbs 6).
Quote:TB – “Could this be the reason why CAsA is now becoming an impediment to safety?
So bound up with legal liability and using it as an excuse to shirk their responsibilities, to not only strangle the industry but strangle safety as well.”
I don’t think Australian aviation oversight is, as yet at crisis point; not quite, but man we’re close. It’s a great credit to industry that it keeps rolling despite the impediments imposed by the ‘authorities’. Reading the Sleepy Hollow Gazette a stranger could be forgiven thinking that this is a third world system, cobbled together from left overs, under funded and staffed by those the men in white coats didn’t scoop up off the streets.
You could, I suppose forgive the government, they don’t understand ‘aviation’ and the notion of being responsible for anything to do with aviation, particularly ‘safety’ (whatever TF that is) is unacceptable; so they hire ‘experts’, throw as much money at it as asked for and happily park in the directors lounge, away from the noise.
Just when I think things can get no worse; up pops another example of the unbelievable, but true.
Air Services, happily making a small fortune in bonuses off the back of broken promises and passing the cost of everything onto industry. In return they keep making bonus, abusing credit cards, taking holidays thinly disguised as training courses. Etc. They will not provide the services required and now, declare that those services, such as Unicom cannot happen. No matter we have the Staib vision splendid poster and our courage badges to cheer us, as we creep up, close and personal, to the lighty, scud running just beneath the cloud base trying to beat last light and staying off the radio, no transponder. Is TCAS your only friend? I keep hoping the Senate inquiry will sort it all out; but after Pel-Air and the historical track record, I won’t be holding my breath.
ATSB just scrambles the few remaining marbles I have left. The fact that Dolan not only has kept his job, but is aggressively inserting himself is just unbelievable. That, stand alone, is cause for concern but the latest round of reports scream danger. Melbourne for example, clearly there are problems and it’s the short odds favourite as being the location of a ‘big one’. Analysis, nope; it’s just fatigue and pilot error, again. Blind Freddy can see that there are hidden traps which are always ready to spring shut. These could, with proper analysis be removed or at least moved out of harms way, but ATSB choose to slide around the edges. Then the fatigue factor is rolled in. FFS – A simple forty minute IFR/IMC sector can leave you as exhausted as a 14 hour ‘rough night’, fatigue is, in one form or another always present. A factor? Absolutely but to try and use that as a reason for not tearing the Melbourne airspace, automatics dependency, loss of situational awareness etc. issues apart is ludicrous. The Newcastle incident should keep every honest investigator awake at night; the implications are awful. The fact that it was not a one off should ring all the bells and blow all the whistles. Never mind, we will always have Dolans blog to refer to and his Mum loves it.
That only leaves the old enemy, CASA to deal with. What can I say, more than has been said. It’s a walking, talking, living, breathing nightmare. Any organisation that can dream up, support and force a thing like Part 61 on the industry it regulates is not a candidate for rehabilitation. There is no hope of real change while most of the reasons the organisation is such a bloody mess are still employed. Now I know Boyd & Co will try their very best, but until 75% of my listed items are escorted from the building; nothing will change. Want to make me a smiling believer? Clean out the Sydney office, you know you want to; then we can do (pick an office).
Just imagine the political repercussion after the ever closer unmentionable event happens and the world discovers, for itself, just what a basket case aviation oversight in Australia really is. The warnings have been writ large, ignore them at your own peril. Just how many more ‘nearly’ accidents are we to have before things are set to rights.
Selah.
