From a bemused PMer- In case I lost people..
..with this part of my last post :
Answer:
The transcripts of the contacts with air traffic services by the crew of the aircraft VH-NGA do not reveal any apparent communications difficulty. In interviews with CASA, Mr James did not express any views that there were any high frequency communications irregularities. The first CASA became aware of Mr James’s views on HF communications difficulties was when he raised it on the recent 4 Corners television program.
The transcript of the pilot’s conversation with Fiji air traffic control reveals that the pilot acknowledged the second report on weather information indicating it was received.
0802:32 from Nadi to VH-NGA. Roger this is the latest weather for Norfolk...SPECI... Isay again special weather Norfolk at 0800 Zulu... auto I say again auto, alpha uniform tangooscar, wind 290 08 knots, 999 november delta victor, overcast one thousand one hundred,temperature 21, dew point 19, QNH Norfolk 1012...remarks... romeo foxtrot zero zero
decimal zero oblique zero zero zero decimal zero go ahead.
0803:21 from VH-NGA to Nadi. Thank you Nadi... much appreciated NGA .
A different response could be expected if the pilot experienced difficulty hearing the radio transmission. The ATSB accident report on page 17 also advised that no difficulties were identified by the flight crew with their radio communications during the flight.
& "...Notice that (much like the CAIR 09/3 record of the transcript) the above AQON’s transcript copy fails to include the erroneous (infamous) 0801 Nadi transmission of the O630 METAR for Norfolk (reference page 1 - Attachment 9 Aherne submission)..."
Here is the relevant reference from CAIR 09/3…
{Note: CAIR 09/3 can be viewed at the rear of attachment 5 of FF PelAir submission, see link HERE}
…you can see that much like the AQON (above) that the 0801 NADI relay of the 0630 METAR has been glossed over and the contents conveniently airbrushed out. Remembering that CAIR 09/3 was signed off by the Manager of the ALIU on the 21 July 2010, some 2 and a bit years before Fort Fumble were to sight the ATsB Final report.
Clear as mud now?? 
OK moving on...
004:
But it was Beakers continued emphasis on 'feasibility' that is very very concerning. Forget SAFETY, forget they are the Australian Transportation SAFETY Bureau, forget that CVR/FDR's are probably the single most important piece of evidence in the majority or air crashes! No, we have a 'cost analysis' instead. Some figure crunching, some spreadsheet stimulation, some number juggling, some penny counting that was more important, took the most precedence, was the driving factor behind his decision making process! What a disgrace.
Well said 004 and a disgrace indeed, perhaps it is worth reflecting on a small passage from the Aherne evidence that highlights the significance of the black box in regards to AAI (my bold):
Senator XENOPHON: Okay. Let's not dwell on that. The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder are in approximately 47 metres of ocean off Norfolk Island. In your view as an independent safety expert, do you find it unusual that the CVR and FDR were not retrieved in this case?
Mr Aherne: I am. There are a couple of things I will go to quickly. First, I cannot find where a turbofan aircraft is ditched at night and everyone has lived, and I think we could learn a lot from what the crew did that night. The second thing is that there are so many assumptions in the fuel calculations of this particular flight. I have had six air transport pilots of high experience, and all of them came out with slightly different answers. It is not an exact science sometimes, but I think the only way we would really know is from the flight data recorder we could get from the accident. I know the ATSB justified that by saying that the crew were alive and they did not need to get it, but I cannot believe that the crew's input into this report is largely not there.
Senator XENOPHON: But also, if there is a conflict in terms of information that was supposedly given to the crew then the cockpit voice recorder might be of some assistance.
Mr Aherne: Definitely. The cockpit voice recorder in this case would fill in the gaps that Senator Fawcett was talking about in terms of the human factors: the relationship between the pilot and the co-pilot, their reaction to the ATC's requests or instructions, their lines of thinking, the verbalisations they were doing on the flight deck. We can learn a lot from all of these things, and it is a pity it is sitting on the bottom of the ocean.
[YOUTUBE]
The word
PITY is an understatement…
Bryan's
BIZARRE comment was much more descriptive for the PelAir Gate charade..
TICK TOCK!