Flying - Spike # 118
It is always sad and usually speculative to discuss accidents.
In my opinion and I stress, opinion, Flying - Spike is closest to the truth. These days, information is available by the ton, but what you need is virtually inaccessable.
FS, FSO's and people (with knowledge) dispersed throughout the country were able to succinctley condense what you needed to know to make an informed decision. These days, if you telephone briefing you will wait endlessly for an operator to respond, you will be read what you ask for and only what you ask for and on the end of a phone in the bush you probably won't even understand your options unless very experienced. If you cart your computer around you almost invariably won't get reception at a bush airstrip and if you do you will be confronted with 99 pages of text in heiroglyphics a master of science could not understand.
Bureacracy cover their arse with no thought of useability.
Most pilots are very responsible. They do the best they can.
Unfortunately an emergency must exist before the rescources of the system are available to you. Often then - too late.
I understand cost pressures on Government departments but at the end of the day in Australia there are no longer any public servants - just bureacracies with CUSTOMERS or CLIENTS who must take or leave the options available. There simply is no "SERVICE" from any government instrumentality. The people who work for them are totaly hamstrung by internal rules and regulations. Every private flight flown, is made on the basis of the best you can do under the circumstances.The government view is fly at your own peril - our rules are rewritten by the hour, by our legal experts who can craft any situation into an edict which the paticipant should have forseen.
God help this country if we stay on the path we are being taken.