It occurred to me that it would be nice to post some refreshing candour and a proactive approach to some of the problems. Greg Hood (ASA) just grasps the nettle, no bluff, no bull, just straight answers and an open forum on how he and his group have set about the tasks in hand. Have a read or a listen, compare the consummate professional on top of his game to mindless double talk Beaker trots out;
Mr Hood: I think it is fair to say that the incident was of significant concern to us in relation to the fact that there were some procedural issues in relation to the display, for example, on the air traffic controller's screen. She did not have the appropriate map as a visual cue. We have addressed that issue nationally, across the country. Basically, the 737 aircraft started to head towards the active parachuting area and a fellow controller alerted the controller to the fact that that area was active. We took some action for the aircraft to be vectored clear of that area, but it came close to an area in which active parachuting was taking place.
CHAIR: 'Close' being?
Mr Hood: I believe it was 0.2 nautical miles, but I would have to take that on notice.
CHAIR: That is pretty close, is it not?
Mr Hood: Yes.
CHAIR: It would be a bit of a thrill if you were hanging in the air there. Are there sufficient procedures at the other airports? Obviously you have taken some procedural action.
Mr Hood: We have looked nationally at about 38 sites now at which the parachuting takes place. We have standardised the letters of agreement and the procedures that we utilise to separate jet traffic with parachuting airspace.
Mr Hood: That is correct. I think within about 30 minutes of the Virgin aircraft diverting from inbound to Adelaide to Mildura the aircraft requested the weather for Mildura from an area traffic controller and was advised that the weather was broken at 3,400 feet. That may have formed the basis for the aircraft's decision to divert to Mildura. The TAF at the time, the terminal area forecast, had a tempo period, which indicated you required 60 holding for Mildura, but the conditions when requested of ATC were still broken cloud at 3,400 feet.
As we know, the Mildura AWIS, the Aerodrome Weather Information Service, which is jointly owned by the airport, by Airservices Australia and by the Bureau of Meteorology, was unserviceable. The way in which aircraft could have derived updated information about the weather at Mildura could have been via request to ATC through the AERIS, which is the Automatic En Route Information Service. There is one available at Mount William where you dial up the VHF and it provides you with that information. Or in fact through ACARS, which is the airline system. They have their own system where they can request the information from their respective operation centres in Qantas and Virgin to be provided with the latest information.
Cash and no bull**** – Bravo, thank you Mr. Hood; there is hope yet.
I was wondering who was sat next to Dolan, because Dolan kept looking at him before beginning every statement – in Hansard representing the Government was Senator the Honourable David Albert Lloyd Johnston, if you can find the segment below on the U-chewed clips a student of body language and lip reading may, perhaps gain some insight.
Senator XENOPHON: Can you indicate whether you provided advice to the government as to why you thought there was nothing new and significant arising out of the Senate inquiry report, with a view to reopening the investigation or reconsidering your findings?
Mr Dolan: The advice that we provided through the department to the government is decision-making advice for the government, and I am not sure I am in a position to comment on that.
Senator XENOPHON: I am not asking you for the content of that advice. I am asking whether, in fact, you provided advice as to whether you ought to reconsider reopening in any way the ATSB's report into the Pel-Air incident.
Senator Johnston: I do not think you can discuss the content or the inference.
Senator XENOPHON: I am not asking for the content.
Senator Johnston: Well, the inference to be drawn as to what the advice was about. If there was advice, there was advice.
Senator XENOPHON: I am just trying to establish whether there was advice on this particular issue. I am not asking for an inference as to whether there was advice one way or the other. It is as to whether there was any.
Senator Johnston: I think departments provide advice on all manner of issues. I think you can assume that they did.
Senator XENOPHON: I was just trying to establish that from Mr Dolan.
Absolutely awful, but lawful. Stone walls, a hanging ceiling and one tiny window to wriggle though, perhaps the ToR the Canadians are working with may put a light on; but I doubt it. Today I filed with the BRB my version of the Beaker school report from the Canadian cousins, there a bottle on it, for who gets the closest – more later (if the report ever turns up and Commissioner Dolan ever gets done tweeking it).