FRQ CB, I wonder if the reason there isn't so much chatter on this issue is that there have been a number of posters who have, for some time, discussed the very issues that CASA have included in their reasons for the grounding. So whilst I think there is still a lot more that could be said on the topic it's not like it's snuck up on the industry. Also, a number of the RK supporters on here have been rather silent on the issue therefore there is little debate happening.
WannaBe, I don't know how many pilots were employed at Gator last week but I suspect not many. They have been operating with a severely reduced fleet for months and the recent spate of engine failures has reduced it to two or three. Usually by this time of the year they would have around 13-16 pilots with another 5-6 starting over the next 2-3 weeks..... and a fully servicable (or as near to as possible) fleet of about 15 aircraft.
There are a number of pilots on this forum (and a great deal many more industry wide) who got their start in the industry at Alligator. Under the previous owner, CM, the business was well run. It wasn't without its faults by any means but it would never have come to this. NEVER! Gator started it's decline a few months after the current owner took over. There are a number of the behind-the-scenes reasons that should not be discussed on here but there are enough that are pubicly known that by themselves would have brought it to it's knees.
Am I sad to see Gator as it is? You bet! Do I believe CASA have made the correct call in this case? Absolutely! Would I like to see Gator flying again? Yes, so long as the management was different, maintenance was conducted properly, the CP was allowed to do his job unhindered, complying with the regs was a matter of normal every day business, not a joke, and people were allowed/encouraged to speak up when they felt safety was compromised (for whatever reason) without fearing they would become the next firing statistic. (That list could go on...)
Alligator was a great place to work a few years ago and whilst we worked hard, we enjoyed it. Many of us flying around today owe our start in the industry to Gator. The Bungles and long hot days at Bellburn (as it was called then) got a bit old after a few hundred trips, but works tours up the Kimberley coast, days at the Kalumburu mission with the cancer man and the TV being changed to ABC news at 12 o'clock sharp regardless of what you were watching, cricket bats being thrown at your aircraft by angry locals at Oombi, freight runs to Balgo in the wet season, overnights at Truscott etc were all part of the fun. Not to mention the BBQ's and the nightly ritual of sitting around the hangar with someones carton fine being consumed at a great rate whilst the sun set in the west and the mozzies came out to play.