Comments on: Regulatory meltdown?

By: Bob Fulton

Bob Fulton — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:19:37 +0000

I must correct your comment: “…is now preparing an analysis of CASA’s failure, over the past twenty years”. Indeed it is now twenty one years since the regulatory reform commenced. I suspect there are many in CASA now looking forward to the next twenty one years of job security?

By: Colin Shedden

Colin Shedden — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:20:04 +0000

In reply to John Laming. The young C P you spoke to was correct. I speak from considerable experience, not only in OZ, but also in Europe, East and South Africa. Firstly pilots straight out of the Services, are not prepared for civil aviation. They have no problem in manipulating the aircraft, but I and many others found they needed a lot of on-line training to make them efficient “operators”. In a small aircraft that means that twelve and a half percent of the payload is not available during this training period I believe that Ansett held a similar view and that they too, would not accept intake pilots straight from the Forces. Moreover, ex airline pilots do have a problem in converting from a crewed environment to single pilot operation. The reverse is also true. We found when upgrading a light twin pilot to a two pilot configuration, he too needed special training to cope with the two crew environment. I speak from experience here. When I returned to OZ, after 5 recent years at the helm of a DC4, to my surprise and chagrin I found I needed much training to make me really competent in s/p IFR. Nor, during my time as CP in OZ, did I meet or hear of any examiner of airmen who had any useful civil experience. I wonder what the RAAF would have to say , if it was suggested that they employed retired airline check captains to oversee their operations ??

By: John Laming

John Laming — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 12:48:49 +0000

RAAF Old Boys Network? That old myth has been around for decades. As a former RAAF and airline pilot of many years ago, I once applied for a job flying for a GA charter operation. The young chief pilot had this to say to me at the very short interview. “We don’t take ex RAAF or ex Airline pilots here. They can’t fly single pilot IFR and they expect too much of the serviceability of GA aircraft. We cannot afford that luxury….”
What rubbish. Many of the former RAAF pilots had flown Mirage’s Sabres and Mustangs – and if that is not real single pilot IFR then I don’t know what is. Of course what he really meant was that Examiners with RAAF or airline background are not prepared to look the other way and accept dodgy maintenance releases, poorly maintained aircraft – and cowboy pilots. I would have thought the so called RAAF Old Boys Network was just what is needed to clean up the more seedy side of the general aviation industry.

By: Colin Shedden

Colin Shedden — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 07:08:47 +0000

It is now over 40 years since I retired as C P for one of Australia’s larger general aviation coys. To me it seems to be, as the French so precisely put it, “plus ca change, c’est plus ca la meme chose”. At that time there was no one in the senior level who had any useful experience as a civil pilot. And the examiners were being recruited via a RAAF old boys network – again no useful civil experience..