must be a pretty slow news day of they are reporting go-arounds in the paper
Not the first time its been done! Read below my Letter to the Editor of the Sunday Mail dated 15/2/04, after a QF737 go-round made front page news under the headline "Terror on the Runway"... The letter was written as if it were from Joe Public, as I could not risk being quoted as an airline source...
To Whom It May Concern,
I was mortified to read the story adorning the front page of todays Sunday Mail "Terror On The Runway". The headline indicated a severe and highly dangerous incident had happened. So it was with some interest that I read the article about two jets involved in "a terrifying near-miss" (I have a strong interest in aviation, and have done my entire life).
Upon reading the article, which refers to an aircraft on approach having to abort the landing sequence and go around for another attempt (known as a Go Around in aviation terms), I was disgusted to see the way your reporter had taken the facts and blown them so amazingly far out of proportion. It was also disturbing to read comments from passengers on the aircraft who should know better.
One passenger, Mr Philip Castle, who is a lecturer in journalism and also an "occasional pilot" commented that it was a "potentially life threatening situation". He should know that a) As a journalism lecturer, everything he said would be printed; and b) As a pilot that the "Go Around" procedure is common and implemented for any number of reasons.
Another passenger, Federal MP Bob Katter, said that "Something is terribly wrong if one plane is coming into land and another is sitting on the runway". If Mr Katter was aware of any form of aviation procedures, he would know that its quite common on busy runways to have an aircraft waiting on the runway to take off whilst another one is making its approach. Mr Katter is also incorrect in stating that he felt there was a possibility the "incident" was linked to the NAS - which refers to Light Aircraft entering Zone E airspace - nothing at all to do with 2 jet aircraft in the take off and landing phases of their flights.
This kind of journalism is pure scare mongering - taking facts and blowing them right out of proportion - if the article had been correctly and responsibly researched before going to print it would have not made the front page, if it had rated a mention at all. Your journalist, Darrell Giles, needs to remember that his role as a journalist is to accurately present facts without emotion or fanfare.
As a member of the travelling public who just happens to have a bit more aviation knowledge than your average passenger, I certainly hope that sensationalism like this is stopped, especially considering how sensitive aviation issues are at this time of our lives.
Yours,
Name Signed.
Of course, the letter was not published, and I got no reply
