Hi EM,
Know the posted AAIB report well, and the point you make is a good one.
Would like to know from anyone else out here reading this thread, exactly how much success they have had in getting together the aforementioned pressure/lobby groups within their own organisations; I may well be wrong, but I'll hazard a guess and say that the silence speaks volumes....
Hence, the exodus of the more responsible (forward thinking) Ops Controllers out there towards getting off their a*ses and getting the qualification themselves! Most, like me, already have significant academic grounding and experience in this industry, be it ATCO / ATPL or whatever - so it's not that we want to be 'taught', but rather that we want to become compliant, and to show that we are professional and safety-conscious, and to set an example to our employers. Perhaps also THAT kind of pressure will work better than lobby groups (not holding my breath).
Maybe slightly different in my case, as one day I'll no doubt leave this part of the world and make a move back to Blighty or anywhere else for that matter. And given that possibility, I want to keep on the ball to make sure I have the best chance of a good job whenever and wherever I decide to move.
For the record, it ain't all a bed of USD's out here. Just because you're working with the Big Boys that make the Big Bucks, doesn't necessarily follow that you will get second-to-none support - quite the opposite in fact, unless you're a local here, Senior management just do not want to know. Sad but true.
As in the case of the VS incident you posted, nothing ever gets sorted until it's nearly too late (sometimes unfortunately TOO late). I fear the same will be the case here - the majority of operators will only 'play ball' when they are eventually forced to listen to their respective State Regulatory bodies, and not a moment before. Not saying I agree with that, it's just the way it is.
Brgds,
SA.