Clinton McKenzie:
Mr Phelan evidently had the time and inclination to apply his formidable experience and analytical skills to analysing the video and relevant technical issues, in considerable depth. I can only speculate as to why that didn’t happen before or during the hearing of the matter, so as to assist Mr Quadrio and the AAT.
With respect Clinton, that is not the issue.
The issue is why didn't CASA either make a wooden mockup and study the geometry like Paul Phelan did, or better still, and with the cooperation and/or participation of Quadrio, do what I suggested and replicate the video in a real R44?
Nope, instead CASA shot from the hip and jumped a mile to a conclusion.
For all I know Quadrio is indeed guilty as charged by CASA and deserves to lose his license,
but that is not obvious from any of the proceedings nor the video. It appears to me that CASA is not interested in the concepts of "procedural fairness" nor "Natural justice" unless it is defending one of its own.
CASA worries me now to the extent that if I ever procure an aircraft I will fit a data logger, and if I ever see a CASA person heading in my direction I will record any conversation with them, or at least not talk to them without my own witness being present.
At my stage in life I have no wish to get involved in some fight with CASA over anything. I prepare for flight to the best of my abilities, but I am quite sure that an inspector in a bad mood can always find something. This is why I will never go to the Birdsville races or any other major fly in. I just don't need the stress associated with encountering "the inspector from hell" of the type mentioned by "Jaz44zzk" above.