Just confirming below the stated rumour from several months ago. Heaven help aviation worldwide if Capt Angry Pants gets annointed. I hope they have smash proof furniture in the ICAO passed cell......
CASAment has confirmed its nomination of the former Civil Aviation Safety Authority chief John McCormick for the secretary-general’s posi*tion at the International Civil Avia*tion Organisation.
Mr McCormick finished his term last year amid controversy about the way CASA dealt with the industry and after a highly critical 2013 Senate committee report into the authority’s role in an investigation of the 2009 crash of a Pel-Air air ambulance off Norfolk Island.
The Aviation Safety Regulatory Review report, chaired by *industry *veteran David Forsyth, called for sweeping reforms after criticising CASA for taking too hard a line and maintaining an adversarial approach to the industry, which had lost trust in the authority.
The report was ordered by Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss in response to industry criticism of CASA and concerns about the adequacy of the Aus*tralian Transport Safety Board’s investigation into the Pel-Air ditching.
It accused the regulator of adopting “an across-the-board hardline philosophy, which in the panel’s view is not appropriate for an advanced aviation nation such as Australia’’.
The government said it would investigate 36 of the review’s 37 recommendations.
Mr McCormick’s nomination appears to have been revealed at an ICAO seminar last year by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s inter*national standards director, Jamie Thomson.
A spokesman for Mr Truss this week confirmed the endorsement of Mr McCormick to replace Raymond Benjamin when his term expires on June 30.
“Having an Australian serve as ICAO secretary-general would present a unique opportunity to further enhance Australia’s international reputation in maintaining the safety and security of aviation and for Australia to continue to influence international aviation policy development,’’ the spokesman said.
“Mr McCormick has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry as CEO of CASA, a senior pilot and airline manager, as well as experience in the RAAF. No other candidate for *secretary-general of ICAO can bring the same experience and qualifications to the role.’’
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