Whether one agrees with Dick or not, whether his ideas are practical or not, at least he is challenging our often misguided Authority and parlous leadership given by a succession of Ministers, something few others, if any, are doing. And there is no doubt change in CASA must occur if private aviation, general aviation and flying training is to survive in Australia as anything other than the realm of the super rich.
The Australian:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...23ae95f4c54407
Businessman and aviator Dick Smith has said Civil Aviation Safety Authority head Shane Carmody effectively told him to “get lost”, despite encouragement from then transport minister Darren Chester for Mr Smith to talk to the watchdog about airspace management.
The snub has put Mr Smith on the attack against Mr Carmody, describing him as “just a career bureaucrat” who though extremely highly paid had “done nothing” and was protecting an “iron ring” of senior CASA officials who, he says, resist change.
Mr Carmody would not reveal his remuneration, but Mr Smith noted it is in the band of up to $622,580 a year plus “performance bonuses”. The band potentially means Mr Carmody is better paid than the Prime Minister, on $527,854, and the High Court chief justice, on $584,511. But Mr Carmody has fired back, telling The Australian he has done a lot and achieved results, adding: “Mr Smith’s views are not always shared by the majority and often differ from others in the aviation community.”
Mr Smith, a former chairman of CASA and also its predecessor, the Civil Aviation Authority, has championed aviation reform and in 2015 was awarded a Companion of the Order of Australia for services to the industry.
He has advocated various changes that would transform airspace management towards the US model.
Mr Smith said he raised the possibility of talking to CASA about the issue with Mr Chester last year.
Mr Chester told The Australian: “Dick is an enthusiastic advocate for the aviation sector and I valued his input on the challenges facing some sections of the industry. “I would’ve certainly encouraged him to raise any specific concerns over airspace directly with CASA.”
But after Mr Smith offered to talk to senior CASA staff about airspace, Mr Carmody wrote to him late last year.
“I’d also like to thank you for your recent offer to consult for CASA in some capacity,” Mr Carmody wrote.
“Unfortunately, there is no readily identifiable opportunity to do this but I will most definitely keep your offer in mind,” he wrote.
Mr Smith characterised Mr Carmody’s letter as “to say, in effect, get lost”.
“All they had to do was get someone to lift the phone and talk to me, and they could say, ‘yes, we talked to Dick Smith’,” he said.
Mr Carmody declined to discuss the “iron ring”.
“Mr Smith is a well-known aviation enthusiast and I value his contributions” Mr Carmody said. “None of us is a singles source of expertise and knowledge within aviation.”
Mr Carmody listed a number of what he said were achievements on his watch over the past 15 months.
“Only late last year the International Civil Aviation Organisation completed an audit of Australia’s aviation safety system and the preliminary results from that audit have Australia with a top six world aviation safety ranking … a significant improvement,” Mr Carmody said.
I note Carmody did not include completion of Regulatory reform amongst his achievements!
In another time in another life CASA refused to talk to me. The Director later told me it was because their position was indefensible. Perhaps Carmody and the Iron Ring are applying the same reasoning?
Whether Dick is right or not in Australia he has a right to meet with CASA, the same as any other Australian involved in Australian flying operations.
At least he is trying to do
something which he hopes will save private, GA and flying training.
Which is more than only a handful of others are doing.