Came across this apt quote in the late Dick Nell's book, 'FLYING ON THE EDGE'.
(Funny, when you search "Dick Nell" on proone it comes up with a number of posts where you get Eskimo Nell references combined with Deadeye Dick.
Dick Nell would have chuckled his quiet appreciative laugh at that one.)
On page 171 of this excellent read Dick is visiting Ben Buckley. He asks Ben about his frequent court skirmishes with the department of uncivil aviation.
Ben . . . . "That's my best story. The department was really out to get me. They confiscated my licence but I refused to accept it. Eventually they caught me in the act and I had to line up in court. I was not really being a danger to anyone or even to myself. After all I had survived 23,000 hours flying in aviation's most dangerous occupation, so I must know something about safety."
"The department is supposed to regulate flying so it is safe. But their rules are inflexible and designed for the most inept people. They give no consideration to the fact that in some situations, with highly skilled pilots, the rules can be bent a little without danger to anyone. Some of these officials get a little bit of power and, in the name of safety, like to smash heads."
"Anyway, the trial was amazing. The prosecutor said that I was before the court for flying an Australian aircraft without a licence. My solicitor got up and asked them to explain the definition of an Australian aircraft. Well, would you believe it, they didn't know."
"They searched around in their papers and couldn't come up with the answer.
They lost the case and had to give my licence back. The joke of it all is, I found out later, the definition of an Australian aircraft is simply an aircraft registered in Australia."