If it wasn’t a trade mark infringement the Federal Government might be tempted to compare its administration of air safety with Lotto.
“Go on, take a chance. Fly the Lotto skies. The chances of no air traffic control or incompetent oversight of flight safety rules killing you are the same as winning lotto. Trust us.”
Now that the general media has switched on after a year of Crikey highlighting the failure of AirServices Australia to adequately man the radar consoles that keep jets apart, the trust element is obvious in every pious assertion by bureaucrats that safety isn’t being compromised.
It is a similar story with the engineering dispute at Qantas. Safety has not been compromised we are told, repeatedly, by CASA. But CASA has received a detailed list from the licensed engineers and mechanics association of serious errors, oversights and acts of stupidity by inadequately skilled or schedule focused Qantas managers in relation to its efforts to keep its fleet safely in the air.
It cannot fail to be aware of a string of troubling in-flight mechanical issues with Qantas flights requiring diversions to other airports or jets flying with what might be record breaking catalogues of time limited faults. The passengers have been yelling about the consequences for months, well before the engineering pay row.
But again, the same responses keep coming, to “trust us”.
CASA was totally ineffective in dealing with the multiple known failings of Transair to obey the rules and standards. 15 people were killed at Lockhart River in 2005.
And it is run to this day by a CEO, Bruce Byron who couldn’t even admit any blame or concede any responsibility to inform the public of the dangers they faced when grilled about the crash in the Senate, not in the most recent inquiry, but more than a year ago.
Byron believes CASA is there to “encourage safety outcomes.” The law actually says he, and his minister, and the department, are there to ensure and enforce safety outcomes, not dish up dribble loads of waffle.
Trust when it comes to CASA’s response yesterday to the chronic failure of air traffic control between major Australian cities means trusting that in those dark skies every airliner’s pilots know exactly where everyone else is, that they do not confuse one jet for another, and that they do not at lower levels run into a private aircraft or small freighter.
It is a total joke that a country that preaches to Indonesia about air safety has an aviation infrastructure that is seriously under resourced and administered by bureaucrats who see inquisitive journalism as the biggest threat to their relationship with the minister.
The biggest threat by far to the public, the minister, and the bureaucrats, is when trust is broken by a collision or a crash that can be nailed firmly to the non-provision of services required by Australian law, or the non-enforcement or oversight of regulations that have the force of Australian law.
3O Years ago when I got my first Pilot Licence. CASA officers were mainly interested in travelling allowances, long lunches, passing the buck and, covering their fat a#ses. 30 years on nothing has changed.
CASA is a refuge for ex military pilots, who can’t quite cut it in the real world.
“TRUST US” to do nothing. Safety in flying is in the hands of the operators – whoever thought it to be the responsibility of CASA. If last weeks Senate enquiry into CASA is anything to go by and considering all the 49 submissions, not a single independent one in favour of CASA. Some scathing ones by ex employees. check them out at http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/committee/rrat_ctte/casa/submissions/sublist.htm
So much “venom” must have a basis. Its certainly not their professional approach to “safety” or their interaction with the industry.
As to the present ATC situation, everyone but CASA saw this coming years ago. CASA demands all kinds of systems in place from industry but when it comes to its own response it can only be defensive and mostly vindictive provided the oponent is not one of the major airlines.
Another dimension of this crisis is impact on cabin crew and, hence, responses in an emergency.
My wife recently returned from an minternational trip which had been delayed for technical reasons. This resulted in the crew being awake & on duty for in excess of 20 hours. Followed by a two hour drive to get home. And not a zot of recognition ot thanks from management (to be expected). Surely there are safety issues here??
if TIBA is perfectly safe then why would you need ATC at all? It can’t be both safe and a disgrace.
Are airlines charged for flying in TIBA? Does Qantas get a rebate for extra expenditure in terms of delays or extra flight time when avoiding TIBA? Is it true Qantas will fly in TRAs (temporary restricted areas) Such as been happening at Canberra? Does “Qantas avoids TIBA” apply to Jetstar or QantasLink?
This so called ‘international practice’ should only ever be a last resort. It is commonplace in Northern Russia, a small pocket of the Pacific and two areas in China. Where there are no, repeat no air routes.
TIBA has been used in Africa. To say that international pilots carry documentation describing the procedures and that they are trained in them; is akin to the average punter changing the spark plugs in the family car, sure the salesman says it’s in the log book and pointed out where the plugs are when selling you the car, so just jump in and go for it; it’s only air safety we are talking about.
I personally have told aircraft before entering this area that the procedures apply to get a ‘WTF” response. Briefing themselves about 5 minutes out, with no idea where in their docs they should look; already within the ‘broadcast times’. Safe, hell if it weren’t for TCAS I’m sure we’d have had a airprox by now.
Tick tick tick, I hope I’m not on shift when it happens.
The point still is: If TIBA is safe, then why don’t we do it all the time, why all the expense of ATC?
The CEO of Airshambles Australia should be sacked, his hands have been on the wheel for three years now. CASA – well they have dropped the ball again, surprise, surprise.
Who goes to jail if two aircraft hit in TIBA, the Minister, The Ministers COS, The Department lackies who did nothing, the ASA Board, the ASA Board Safety Committee, the CEO, The GM ATC, The GM Safety, The Office of Legal Council briefs, the Line Manager, The Operational Supervisor, The ATC roster writer (for leaving a shift blank), the controllers who refused to come in on their day off, the controller that called in sick, the posthumous pilot(s) who knew what to do, the airline CEO for allowing them to fly in TIBA, The chief pilot who approved the flight, the training captain, the Regulators who blindly state it’s an airliners self assessment? It would be a legal eagles wet dream. Let’s hope it never happens.