Just when my view of the MMSM aviation reporting was on the up, after an extreme low point, we get this twaddle..
..on the angry man's future departure for the Ferryman's wharf..
:
McCormick to quit as CASA chief, prompting search for new regulator
THE search is on for a new head of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority after incumbent John McCormick opted not to renew his contract.
Mr McCormick will stay as director of aviation safety until August 31 while the CASA board hunts for a replacement and to handle any fallout from the federal government’s review into aviation safety regulation due to be completed in May.
An outspoken advocate for CASA, Mr McCormick took over the reins at the air safety regulator after a long career with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific.
He was a veteran pilot with more than 10,000 hours experience and a master’s degree in aviation management who began his career in the RAAF in 1974 and became a combat fighter instructor.
He joined Qantas a decade later as a second officer on the Boeing 747-200 and flew with the carrier for three years before joining Cathay in 1987 and rising to the position of general manager, operations, before returning to the air as a senior training captain.
He entered the CASA vowing a higher public profile during his five-year stint than his predecessor, noting that he would take the brickbats that came with what can be one of the industry’s most controversial jobs.
A sometimes testy relationship with some sectors of the industry included a spirited defence of CASA staff against ``mean-spirited, injudiciously self-serving and frequently false’’ attacks as well as disagreements over the pace and direction of regulatory reform.
CASA chairman Allan Hawke said today Mr McCormick’s leadership had been the critical factor behind the significant improvements to Australia’s aviation safety regulatory regime and CASA’s performance.
He said the CASA boss had largely achieved his aims of refocusing CASA on regulation of aviation safety, improving its governance, improving training and addressing emerging issues such as remotely piloted aircraft.
They also included a major part of the modernisation of aviation safety standards and reform of CASA’s surveillance and safety systems management oversight.
“These improvements have come at a time of increasing and more complex demands on CASA with major growth in Australia’s diversified aviation sectors and record numbers of domestic and international passengers flying in Australian skies,’’ Dr Hawke’s statement said.
“Australia’s outstanding international reputation for aviation safety owes much to John McCormick’s stewardship and the reforms and initiatives undertaken on his watch.’’
No comment too busy vomiting...
ps Good point OA probably sent from his QF supplied ipad while sitting in the Chairman's lounge..