(Apologies to Flight International for stealing their editors headline)
Seems to me that as a global industry we are never going to make any real progress until we take our heads our of our collective backsides and stop tracking the Lowest Common Denominator.
Using the regulations as the best guide to how we should go to work would see the demise of ABS, Stability Control Systems, Traction Control Systems etc in the motor industry none of which are mandatory but many of us would not put our precious family in a vehicle that did not have at least one of them.
If we used 'Best Practice' as a guide and stopped slavishly adopting a minimalist approach then we might make some progress. We put so much blame on the regulators but simultaneously claim to be professionals.
Parochialism - by anyone, but particularly in the US (FAA), makes us look unprofessional, uneducated, not willing to learn from others and totally focussed on short term gain over long term reputation. The quote from PHI's publicity material doesn't look so well informed when you realise that this company, a world player, DID NOT seek out the best practice in this case.
Remember the big difference between the UK CAA (hitherto a major player in the development of JAROPS) and other regulators (FAA??) is that the CAA can be sued for 'negligent regulation', so everytime there is a serious accident or incident they MUST consider additional regulations or changes to current regulations lest it happens again and leaves them open to legal action.
We are now a mature and global industry with enough accident data to know how our world works and what makes its people tick so surely can begin to act like grown-ups and take a lesson from the bloody bankers that 'short-term' gain can lead to long term pain.
G.
