If it's another RAAF driver as Director Of Air Safety, then I think its game over for GA.
With one or Two exceptions, most of the RAAF officers I've had the misfortune to work with are what I call "concrete thinkers".
...As in their attitudes and beliefs are set in concrete and anything that challenges those attitudes and beliefs triggers a massive aggressive response. They therefore exhibit a Yes/No, Right/Wrong, Black/White binary belief system and are totally intolerant of the existence of shades of grey or the possibility that todays wrong answer might be tomorrows right answer.
Two I remember just hated civilians and thought themselves special beings. Another devoted about half his working time to developing his lawsuit for hearing loss allegedly suffered in a Mirage Squadron. Another never got over the fact that he had a miserable childhood, told everyone about it, and took it out on any subordinate he could.
My guess would be that an RAAF type in the chair is not going to produce an inclusive, collaborative culture within CASA let alone restore any trust between industry and the regulator.
One might perhaps be forgiven for paraphrasing Groucho Marx's famous comment: anybody who actually wants the job of the Director Of Air Safety is automatically unfit for the position?
To put that another way; the chances that this guy (if the rumor is true) is the saviour of the General Aviation sector is close to zero.
Last edited by Sunfish; 29th Oct 2014 at 20:24.