What Hope is There?

[1.3VStall]

Sitting in my hotel room on yet another business trip, I have just read "Aerospace International", the RAeS publication. In it there is an interview with the CAS, ACM Sir Stephen Dalton.

Asked about the Haddon-Cave report he contributes the following:

"Haddon-Cave identified failings in the total process we had and that had arisen as we conflated insurance and assurance on how we conducted our engineering. Process became restrictive as we asked ourselves whether we should keep trying to increase efficiency levels, or outsource more".

Maybe someone better equipped than yours truly could translate that statement into intelligible English. However, if that is the best that CAS can offer in response to a report that fundamenatally challenges the MOD's/RAF's grip on airworthiness issues then I pose the question "what hope is there?"

[Two's in]

Let me try;

"Haddon-Cave identified failings in the total process we had and that had arisen as we conflated insurance and assurance on how we conducted our engineering. Process became restrictive as we asked ourselves whether we should keep trying to increase efficiency levels, or outsource more".

“Instead of fine tuning and improving a tried and tested system of engineering oversight provided by a disciplined approach to procurement, release to service and operational use, a system that inherently provided for a safe margin of error (Insurance); we chose instead to pare away at the cost base, experience, and regulatory oversight of the engineering arena in a vain hope that the faith-based statements of senior leaders, industry and price-driven consultancy would somehow prove to be correct (assurance).

Not content with stripping the very heart out of our engineering integrity, we then chose to adopt more price-driven support practices in the search for some Holy Grail of efficiency, while threatening any challenge to those practices with the outsourcing of those engineering services. Strangely enough, we have subsequently discovered that offering this service to the lowest bidder does not necessarily improve engineering standards and adversely impacts our readiness. As a consequence we know the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”

[tucumseh]

Two's In - Brilliant

[1.3VStall]

Two's In,

Seconded, a brilliantly insightful summary of the shambles that the airworthiness chain has become!

[TheSmiter]

Gets my vote for the Plain Inglish award too. Well done 2's In!

When does CAS' job become vacant? You should apply!

On a similar vein; as there is obviously a new era of openness and accountability vis a vis MAA, I assume tucumseh has been approached to work for them?

He continues to talk a lot of common sense and plainly has high standards and integrity.

Well, have they Tuc? :E

[SpannerSpinner]

Two's in. I don't post that often but read most threads with interest. I have to say that is bloody brilliant! I don't think it could have been worded any better. I hope the top brass get to see it.

[Union Jack]

.... as we conflated insurance and assurance ....

Now, now, boys - be fair! CAS - or more probably his PSO - was probably using the Wiki definition of "conflation", namely http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflation!:rolleyes:

Jack

PS Q. What Hope is There?
A. Bob Hope and his brother ....:ok:

[Wensleydale]

In plain English?

Our hierarchy tried to adopt the Toyota model to improve efficiency. Like Toyota, the wheels are (literally?) coming off.

[Wander00]

Wensleydale gets my vote, but with huge regret, as it is true

[cornish-stormrider]

Alas, tis worse than Wensleydale says. In Toyota the supplier must deliver what you need, when you need it and how you want it. All at your price. You then have the responsibility to do this to your customers - if not you go out of business.

When the MOD tried this they failed to ensure suppliers and supplies came in on time and budget, then they trimmed all the manpower to fit their percieved "best case" and said " my spread sheet says X, I don't care if it is Y. Turn your Y into my X" Then the put the output goals through the roof and further reduced costs, manpower, morale, spares and experience.

then they got promoted and a new batch came in and did it again......

Repeat any number of times and....
Then they wondered why it's all gone tits up

[tucumseh]

Smiter


He continues to talk a lot of common sense and plainly has high standards and integrity.

Well, have they Tuc? :E


Thank you, but according to MoD I do not speak common sense, nor have I high standards or integrity.

What I do have is a ministerial brief to Adam Ingram, from MoD's DPRD and supplied under FoI, stating I am the ONLY person in MoD who thinks that we should not knowingly waste money, that the airworthiness regs should be implemented and it should be a disciplinary offence to instruct any member of staff to commit fraud by making a false written declaration on those subjects. Messrs Aintworth and Rammell have kindly written to support this view.

However, at least I do have a nice letter from Mr Haddon-Cave (and a couple of fellow QCs) saying he agrees with me, which I like to think explains some his more damning comments about MoD.

Under those circumstances, and given this proven level of inexperience and incompetence (which I accept has never been in doubt; or so my annual reports say) I imagine I am the last person the MAA would approach.

[Union Jack]

Wensleydale gets my vote, but with huge regret, as it is true

In that case, more Swiss than Wensleydale, surely?

Jack

PS Nothing personal Mr W!:ok:

[Two's in]

When does CAS' job become vacant? You should apply!

TheSmiter - Sadly I was circumcised some years ago, thus making me ineligible to meet the prime criteria of being CAS. :rolleyes:

[clunckdriver]

Is he a distant relative of Gen Haig? sure sound like it!