Girl Flyday
I'm never quite sure if it's 'proper' to repeat the contents of PMs in the forum so, as a matter of courtesy, I'll ask your permission first:
In light of your latest post about the Kemble fiasco, do you have any objection to my posting copies of the two PMs you sent me on Tuesday this week?
Perhaps you'd like to post them yourself so that everyone can read them? If you haven't kept copies, I can help - they're still in my mailbox. Just give me the word and I'll copy & paste them in full.
First @ 13.47: I won't repeat your description of what you heard and saw in Ops that day, but you said
"I have to be a little careful in what I say!" Second @ 15. 11: Again, I won't repeat contents but you gave the reasons why you
"don't really want to antagonize anyone..." in the PFA.
Do I need to go on? Or is that sufficient to jog your memory?
Shall we post them? Or are you going to continue the hypocrisy of saying different things on and off the forum?
It would also answer the question others have asked since your last post. So far, you have been less than frank in your response to that straight-forward question and have tried to evade it by humour. (Your secret is safe with me - unless and until you give me permission to reveal it.
)
In answer to your latest question:
Having carefully considered all statements taken from PFA witnesses by the CAA investigators, the R/T exchanges, the pilots' accounts of what occurred, the statements of independent witnesses, the pilots' Display Authorisations and Kemble's Rule 5 exemption, I did not consider the pilots had committed any offence. Accordingly, I advised them in clear and unequivocal terms that they should contest any charges brought against them.
The CAA investigated the matter very thoroughly and the pilots were not charged with any offence.
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Eartotheground I agree with much of what you say, although not all.
You're certainly right about people watching their backs when the CAA investigated. I noticed that in one statement in particular. It didn't cause a real problem - we could have overcome it easily by other evidence.
Simply for information -
The pilots practised their standard routine.
If there was a shred of truth in the story put about by some PFA VIPs that Moody simply wished to protect the PFA from any complaint or criticism, then his call to the CAA Enforcement Branch on the following Monday would have served that purpose.
The
fact is Moody wouldn't accept the response he got from the EB so tried SRG. He didn't like the response he got from the first SRG man so he kept going and eventually found someone who was prepared to instigate an investigation provided he made a formal written complaint.
Damage to reputation?
Moody did all that as the OPs Mgr (or similar) of the Rally.
I've already said why I think the repuation of the PFA was damaged. See my earlier posts. I base my opinion on views expressed to me by many people in aviation and numerous posts on this website in the aftermath of the Rally - the overwhelming majority of which were very critical. The PFA should have made it clear Moody was acting in a private capacity and dissociated itself from his actions. Since it failed to do so, Moody's conduct was inextricably and understandably linked to the PFA.
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BTW, just in case anyone thinks I'm biased because of a professional/financial involvement .....
I'd never met the pilots until this incident and felt so strongly that they were the unfortunate and undeserving victims of Moody's attempts to save face after his petulant behaviour at Kemble that I gave my services free of charge throughout. Moody had made a fool of himself and, instead of backing down and apologising, he set about trying to prove he was right and those who'd disagreed with him were wrong - with complete disregard for the potentially serious consequences to others.
Although no harm was done in the long term, the pilots lost the rest of their display season because some
in SRG saw fit to suspend their DA's pending the outcome of the investigation. By the time it all came to nothing, the season was over.