It was NZALPA who insisted that these were "perk": flights and were to be shared amongst their senior members
I don't doubt a word of that, Prospector.
It reinforces my impression that there was a dangerously disdended degree of complacency, top-to-bottom, that these gigs were a walk in the park.
Low level flying on a Class 7 AOC (or whatever it's called in Nya Zillun) in a mountainous area such as Greenland or Antarctica is a highly specialised form of aviation, not a perq to be awarded on the basis of Buggins Turn.
The CAA, or CAD, or whatever its called nowadays on the two interesting islands of Australasia, bear an extremely heavy responsibility for the TE901 crackup. Massively more so than than the eager victims who thought they'd won a watch until the fatal bang.