Dick Smith is a private pilot. He is no more an expert on aviation than Geoffrey Thomas.
Clare Prop,
That is one of the more stupid things I have seen written about Dick. So you do a few more exams and a flight test and get a CPL or up, that immediately makes you an expert on the aviation industry.
I don't think so!!
But don't take my word for it, here is what Max Hazelton had to say, I presume you do know who Max is??:
For those who believe Dick Smith has no more experience that Geoffrey Thomas, below is text from a bio on Dick written by Max Hazelton a number of years ago:
“Dick Smith learnt to fly in 1972 gaining his Command Instrument Rating in 1983. In 1991 he qualified for one of most specialised ratings of all, the approval to fly a jet aircraft as a single pilot.
Dick Smith has flown a total time of over 10,000 hours including over 1,000 hours single pilot jet time. He has made five flights around the world as pilot in command. Each of these flights has succeeded on time and as scheduled because of meticulous planning and thorough risk management.
Dick Smith was appointed to the CAA Board in 1988 and was appointed its Chairman in 1989 by the then Prime Minister, Bob Hawke. As Chairman of the CAA, his Board and Management made major policy decisions including a change in direction to purchase a modern, “Two Centre” radar based air traffic control system using a proven design. The decision was also made to move to an international airspace system.
Dick Smith was appointed the Chairman of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority by the Transport Minister, Mark Vaile, in 1997. Dick was a member of the Aviation Reform Group from 2002 to 2004, and was a member of the Minister’s Aviation Regulation Review Taskforce.
Over more than fifteen years, Dick Smith has travelled the World and met with the leaders of air safety regulation in the USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand and France. During this time he has gained an extensive knowledge of airspace design.
He holds the United Kingdom’s Guild of Air Navigators Sword of Honour, the Australian Oswald Watt Medal and the United States Lindbergh Award. In 1999 he was awarded the Order of Australia for his service to the Australian aviation industry. In 2013 Dick was inducted into the Australian Aviation Hall of Fame and in 2015 his Order of Australia was advanced to a Companion of the Order of Australia for amongst other things, his eminent service to aviation.
Dick Smith is genuinely concerned about aviation safety in Australia. He is also concerned that important air traffic reforms that were started by the Hawke Government in 1990 have not been completed.”
And Max barely scratched the surface.
How many self confessed "professional" pilots can even get close to that, for qualifications to speak about the aviation sector in Australia.
And, just in passing, I have quite often flown with Dick over the years, sometime in very inclement weather, he is a bleeding sight better stick and rudder man than many airline pilots I have known, probably because of his much broader type and geographic experience than many military/airline pilots.
Tootle pip!!