Reading between the lines of the special audit it seems clear, at least in my opinion, that the fatigue risk management system (FRMS) was considered "shelfware" to use CASAs term. It also appears that their fuel planning procedures weren't any better.
In other words, it was there to satisfy CASA that it existed - just like a Thousand other regulatory imposts across all of the economy, such as "anti discrimination' or "gender equity" policies. For that is what shelfware means. A sop to the regulator unless I am mistaken..
And to make matters worse CASA couldn't identify the FRMS as "shelfware" or the fuel planning practice deficiencies without a special and detailed audit.
So Mr. McCormick, what are you going to do about identifying all the other "shelfware" that is gathering dust in a Thousand Operations offices as we speak?
But wait, it gets worse..........
Only problem was that Fatigue matters. It kills pilots and passengers. It costs employers money to observe it. No one in management really wants it anyway, realising that the chances of accident on their watch are slight, so leave it to the next manager to sort out. As for pilots, they are in the Toxic "Double Bind" problem - damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Complain about fatigue = get a reputation as a whiner and kiss the company goodbye.
Don't complain = Make a fatigue related mistake and CASA will blame you and only you, just like the Head of CASA appears to have done.
And to top it off:
The only way out of the double bind problem that I know of, apart from quitting, is an appeal to the safety auditor in the form of a confidential report to the ATSB. But the ATSB has a memorandum of understanding with CASA that requires them to pass on information capable of identifying the complainant, and in any case CASA leaks like a sieve and has its own agenda in play.
What that means as far as I can tell, is that no pilot, PPL, CPL, whatever can put any trust in the integrity of Australian Air safety systems whatsoever because the outcome of even a well meaning and constructive communication with ATSB, let alone CASA, could be firing, blacklisting, criminal prosecution or loss of licence on the flimsiest pretext depending on the political wind blowing at the time.
We are indeed "criminals who havn't been caught yet".
So to ask a question: Why does Pel Air get off with a clean slate? How and why was the Pel AIr Chief Pilot hired by CASA? Why does Dominic James have to shoulder all the blame for what CASA now apparently agrees are systemic failures at Pel AIr?
....sorry for being Captain Obvious.
Last edited by Sunfish; 18th Feb 2013 at 21:50.