TGIF on the AP Forum: 7/07/23

First this week’s #SBG: Admiration and Condemnation.

And, able to understand both arguments is both blessing and curse. The parlous state of Australian aviation governance is clearly apparent; there is not one element of the official system which is performing anywhere near best practice or at even an internationally acceptable level of compliance or competence. There are even some solid ‘legal’ arguments which define clear breaches of internationally binding agreements. When you add it all up, it is a very ugly situation, across all elements and disciplines of the ‘official’ system. Truly deserving of universal industry condemnation and distrust. But, you have to, even if grudgingly, admire the genius of the seamless, stainless top cover system which affords full protection and an endless supply of dollars to ensure the ‘system’ remains unaffected by any and all events, logic or investigation. Yup, it is an unassailable bastion, completely immune and impervious to any and all assaults. Top marks..

Now some may say that is a bit of a long bow to draw; but just consider the last seven days. Air traffic control (ATC) have staffing problems and some fairly substantial parts of the airways system have been left without traffic separation; loading all responsibility for separation onto the flight crew. Now, just suppose there was a meeting of two aircraft during the descent to approach phase; big bang, bodies everywhere etc. Who would be charged with ‘investigating’? The ATSB is the right answer; and, eventually, many years from now, dimmed from memory, their carefully worded report would be published. A masterwork which exonerates everyone but the flight crew. The art form within that report is that essentially, the flight crew failed to self separate, neat, legal, cut and dried. The report will go on to mildly explain that the ASA was technically ‘legal’ and had published the paper work required to explain where ‘full service’ would not be available. This would allow CASA to declare that this was within the scope of the licence they issue to ASA and all would be well. The minister at the time may, (probably not) vaguely remember the event; but being happily distanced from the ‘independent’ agencies and having no real responsibility for, but taking the increased money for being ‘the’ minister for transport. Seamless, legal and unimpeachable. Man; you just got to admire the breathtaking audacity; the shameless abrogation and the elegant, artful dodging, the Teflon dome of protection for everyone concerned; bar the industry which must rub along as best it can. Stellar; abso – duckling – lootlely fantastic and all at the tax payer expense. Bravo……..

“Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion.”

For a classic study of how the system works – if you can stand it – take a few days to wade through the report from the ATSB into the event at Essendon (Vic) which considers the legal status of the building into which a King Air ploughed; killing all. It is a 146 page epistle, which has taken since Feb, 2017 to be presented. While there can be little doubt that the building has a dubious ‘legal’ right to be there; the real report, the one that matters, is nowhere mentioned. Why the aircraft crashed at all has never been fully examined or explained; not to the satisfaction of industry experts. There is an accepted fiction that the pilot had full rudder trim dialled in – hard to find an experienced KA driver who would not pick up that error at about 20 knots. Something is very wrong with the Hood ‘opinion’ – made into ‘fact’ of the how and the why. That however will be lost in the great debate of the not black letter illegal. The questionable ‘safety’ wisdom of parking a building so close to a protected area of the flight path unchallenged. ‘Nuff said.

“The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.
An evil soul producing holy witness
Is like a villain with a smiling cheek,
A goodly apple rotten at the heart.
O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath!”

Aye well, so much for my twiddles – but I’ll leave the reader a you tube video and ask but one question, where has the spirit, intent and enthusiasm found at the beginning of serious aviation gone?