"The Rise and Fall of Flight West"

[Torres]

Trailer of a documentary film shortly to be released:

Ba3BHKZKqHU

A great team of dedicated professionals that got an airline up and running in only seventeen days. :ok:

The full DVD will be available soon.

[Stationair8]

That DVD will be added to my collection.

Still a fantastic effort to get an airline up and running in seventeen days.

Nowadays it would involve at least seven days discussion on OH&S policy on correct procedure for placement of prop ties and bungs in the right engine only, a further five days discussion on placing prop ties and bungs in the left engine on the B200. Noting this is only for fine weather days, a further comprehensive discussion will take place to cover wet days, windy days, windy days with cloud and night operations up until 2000 local time.
Thus leaving five days to cover workplace gender diversification, OH&S reporting of paper cuts etc!
So the DVD should be sent to Guinness Book of World records for inclusion, because it will never happen again!

[TurboProp2120]

Will always remember the Flight West jets that kept air services to Norfolk Island in the late 90s/ early 2000s.

I wonder how responsive CASA would be these days to an airline getting set up in 17 days. Amazing.

[megle2]

Would be interesting to see the OM, it would be pretty close to the last plain language Casa accepted doc before documentation went crazy

[Torres]

The Ops Manual and Training and Checking Manual were written by Noel Bellamy and Ray Feltman. Great, simple documents rapidly accepted by CASA (CAA??).

[thorn bird]

Torres,
dearly love to have a read of their OM, just for an historical perspective and consideration of the question, is it any safer today than it was back then?

Our part A, with all the FOI inclusions, runs to over a thousand pages and took two years to get "Accepted". The "Alternative Flight Manual" Part B runs to over six hundred pages with all the FOI inclusions, nobody looks at it much because all the information you need is in the real Flight Manual and thats the "Legal" document thats actually carried in the aircraft.

I've often thought that CAsA should produce "Generic" operations manuals.
Save a lot of time. money and angst. Could be a real money spinner for them and would certainly standardise operations across the country. No more arguments over check lists being accepted in one region, but rejected in another.
" West Australian border approaching Captain" " Thanks No 1, drag out the WA checklist please and do be careful not to mix it up with the NT one." I kid you not its actually happened.

The down side I guess is it would take twenty years of committees and cost millions just to get all the FOI's into some form of alignment. Probably have to remove a couple of seats in the aircraft to stack all the volumes as well.
Sorry, on reflection bad idea, its bad enough now, but an hour at the holding point to complete the generic "Before Take off checklist" would probably be a Tad odorous.

[Jabawocky]

As a young business/engineering traveller they were great. The Brasilia and Bandits were fun to fly on. Bandit FO's flicking a sandwich and a fruit juice at you as he went down the aisle on a Bandit. :-) Or so my memory goes.

[gerry111]

As a young business/engineering traveller they were great. The Brasilia and Bandits were fun to fly on. Bandit FO's flicking a sandwich and a fruit juice at you as he went down the aisle on a Bandit. :-) Or so my memory goes.

Ah yes.. My great memories of catching a flight in a Masling Bandierante from YWLM to YSSY during 1980. (The Masling hangar at YCTM now looks so sad. All locked up these days..) :(

[The name is Porter]

Apparently that Bob Fulton bloke knows a bit about aviation? :}

[601]

I've often thought that CAsA should produce "Generic" operations manuals.

They tried that and failed.

CASA developed a web site where you could develop your OM by cutting "acceptable" text and pasting it into your OM. The intention was that an FOI would review the OM as you developed the OM.

CASA tried to obtain text from the industry.

The web page quietly disappeared.

[B772]

When is the release date of the film.

[Stationair8]

On sale now, via their website.

East West Airlines looks like their next documentary.

[Torres]

Apparently that Bob Fulton bloke knows a bit about aviation?

Nah, not much. No real talent. Must have had a bit of good luck? :D :} :} :}

Sunday 31 May 1986, late afternoon call to the home number of the CAA Regional Director OL:

BF: "All the boxes are ticked, will our AOC be issued by tomorrow morning?"
OL: (In an offended tone) "CAA requires 90 days notice of the issue of an AOC. You only made application two weeks ago!"
BF: "But we must operate tomorrow (Monday), we've done everything CAA asked. We have passengers booked and a commitment to the Queensland Government."
OL: "Well, that won't happen until the AOC is approved and issued."
BF: "We've made a commitment and must operate, so we will operate regardless."
OL: "You can't operate without an AOC!!"
BF: "We will operate private category until the AOC is issued. Refund all passenger fares at the gate. And we'll carry journos on every flight tomorrow, media coverage will be great and the people will know we are committed to providing them with an air service........"
OL: "We'll see about that!" *Click*

Two hours later *Ring Ring*

BF: "Hello?"
OL: "Your AOC will be delivered to Ansett Gate 49 in the morning!" *Click*

That was hilarious, the funniest thing that ever occurred in a 30 plus year aviation career!! :} :} :} :} :}

Sadly, OL passed away a year or two ago. He wasn't such a bad guy, certainly a cut above most of today's CASA managers!!

The CAA Examiners ML and BF turned out to be great guys and gave every help and assistance to Flight West in those early days.

East West Airlines looks like their next documentary.

Completed long ago I believe. Isn't the DVD for sale on their web site? The producer told me the Flight West story would probably be his last.

[601]

CAA Examiners ML and BF

.................:ok: