Gear Down & Welded, you state:
And I'm STILL yet to see an argument that doesn't contain the words "United States" or "Overseas" in it...
My belief is that we should copy the best from overseas, whatever country it is from, and keep what we do best here.
For example, when I first proposed that we accept overseas type certification from leading aviation countries, it was violently opposed by the airworthiness people who worked for me at the CAA. Many of the same reasons were given as are given now against following the best airspace and procedures. Since we have accepted “first of type” certification from leading aviation countries, millions of dollars have been saved and there has been no measurable effect on safety.
Are you suggesting we should move back to unique Australian certification standards – such as having the Flight Data Recorder in a 747 sample more times per second than the unit provided by Boeing? Or how about a requirement for special and expensive metal guards over the baggage compartment light in Citations – once again adding unnecessarily to costs and resulting in bags being ripped as they were placed in the compartment.