When carbon brakes appeared on the scene, QF was one of the first to start stuffing around with reverse thrust, and started to include in the training their new flight procedures, all in the name of saving a buck. Us old bastards were appalled, and at least 6 very senior QF Captains told them to stick it up their kyber pass, leaving no doubt that they would be ignoring the practice. I witnessed a very heated meeting at the AIPA over this very issue.QFs luck held out once again over the BKK "incident" as QF like to call it, I don't blame the crew, I blame the training, and mostly I blame the fact that until QF get some REAL technical people up there in "Wally World" (as was always the practice in the "good ol days") instead of bean counters, hangers on, and the CEOs good looking, but backward nephew who takes care of everything beginning with R eg: rubber bands etc. nothing is going to change. The old ways are boring to you young blokes but they WORKED, pilots and engineers had a big say in the everyday running of the airline, bean counters job was to keep the joint solvent, and somehow it worked. TAA and Ansett were,until taken over by the beancounters, excellent airlines in their own right, another era, yes, different costings, yes, but nothing changes the fact we are dealing in Aircraft here not jam tin lables, and a bloke who does not know a APU from a camels arse should stick to beancounting, and pilots and engineers should be heavily involved in the running (and costing) of the technical side of the airline, in theory this should produce a solvent and safe airline (and God forbid a happy one). rant over.