To make one's bones –
Wiki – explains the whole thing, very nicely.
Well, now we have two of them; both with much to prove. Lets start with the 'easier' target.
Doc. Jonathon Aleck: and, his 'Gold Coast' speech to a fairly hostile audience of the "Australian Airports Association", which, by any measure are a fairly 'unsettled' outfit; given the Murky Machiavellian manipulation of 'system', was a masterpiece. In what?, well may you ask. There are those who will have it that Doc Aleck is, essentially, a frustrated man with both a moral compass and a first rate brain. Let us, just for the moment, accept that as a given.
There are tools at his disposal which could, in fairly short order, generate a lot of the much wanted trust. For example: he runs a thing called the ethics committee. I can without referring to any notes cite at least a half dozen 'cases' which demand his immediate attention; and, should he decide to act honourably (remember that word) he could, in a very short space of time restore most of the credibility which he and 'his' committee have resoundingly lost during the preceding five, long, weary years of the McComic era. Want trust, want to earn it: Jonathon you know the cases, as well as we do. You also know who perpetrated the aberrations, who told Porkies, who fiddled with evidence, who delayed, who lied under oath, who manipulated the ATSB and also, who benefited.
Start there, do a good job and perhaps you will be accepted into the fraternity of "aviators". Never; not even for one moment, forget, 'we' all know and have examined those cases in detail and have formed 'considered', provable opinions. Stand up FCS and be what many believe you are, an honourable, honest man (and a lover of the Bard).
Skidmore?, he has the easy task; look, listen, learn and FCO bloody L, do something: to get the dogs under management. The safety watchdogs are slinking back into the safety of kennels: muzzles bloodied after a sheep killing rampage. 'They' have done an incredible amount of damage to the reputation, credibility and integrity of CASA and the associated agencies – all easy to fix. Acknowledge and rectify – just duck the politics and trust will be gifted. It would, IMHO, be a grave error to allow the travelling public to become 'aware', shall we say, of just how pathetic, unreliable and morally bankrupt the 'safety watchdogs' have become, protected under the McComic regime.
Call the Ethics committee – use the Board – examine the cases we all know and ACT. For pities sake, ACT before the world does. Hells bells, you may even enjoy being "your own men", for just a while a least.
Do not ask for credit – refusal oft offends.
Handing over: your call – but remember 150, 000 readers this month have failed, dismally, to defend CASA, their Board, the cast or crew. Think on that.
Aye well: Selah children; and back to my knitting, I guess.