Earlier today Captain Richard Woodward, a Qantas A380 pilot and vice president of the Qantas pilot union, AIPA, told Jason Morrison on 2UE that he would have no issues being required by the airline to fly under or around a volcanic ash concentration. Woodward explained the dangers of volcanic ash, and endorsed the caution and safety first culture at Qantas, but was adamant that it was completely safe to fly under or around the ash concentrations provided they are known with accuracy.
And there you have it. Whilst Woodward's comments are the opinion of only one pilot in the QF group, surely he's not the only one who shares the same view on this matter. If so, the answer is clear: professional pilots (which I understand the QF ones are), & who should be able to assess all available information in order to make an informed COMMAND decision regarding "go" or no-go," are being chopped off at the knee caps by incompetent, inexperienced & ultra-conservative decision makers further up the chain. For whatever reason is simply beyond me, proving once again that common sense is not very common.
