dick goes to court
 

has the world gone mad? or is it just dick. I look forward to seeing how dick goes in court today. Should be an interesting one to watch, but a waste of taxpayers money.

Depends how agressively AsA defend the action.......... :confused:

I have a fair idea. The term "enough rope" springs immediately to mind.

VOR said in another thread:

A

Today is just a 'directions hearing' – a hearing to work out a timetable for having the argument about what the argument is about and when that argument is going to happen.

So don't expect too many earth-shattering decisions today.

Yes Creampuff supreme court proceedures are not unlike an echo chamber, with each echo getting progessively more expensive.

Yup and if AOPA and their old/new friend again Munro get their way there will be a huge herd of people in the court supporting the argument about what the argument is about and when that argument is going to happen.

And expecting nay ready to hiss/boo/cheer the earth shattering news of the timetable dates.

AOPA media release: We were today, instrumental in forcing the Federal Court to set a timetable for the action by Dick Smith against Airservices. If they thought they were going to use the usual delaying tactics they had not reckoned on us being there to stare them down.:}

I don't recollect the 'cheer squad' in the gallery having much effect in the supreme court.

Perhaps AOPA think it is Jerry Springer and Judge Judy deciding the outcome on President Aussie Dick?

Get Real. Fast.

Smith goes to court to make controllers use radar
September 21, 2004 - 5:35PM

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Dick Smith took his fight for aviation reform to court today, accusing the national air services body of risking lives by scrapping world class safety rules.

The aviation activist said it was ridiculous that Airservices Australia wanted to shirk a government directive to have all air traffic controllers use radar.

He said fatal accidents such as the crash at Benalla, Victoria in July which killed six people, could be prevented by forcing air traffic controllers to use radar.

"They've decided to save money and not put radar in. That's just unbelievable," Mr Smith told reporters before heading into court with an entourage of pilots.

Among his supporters were a theatrically blindfolded and white-caned air traffic controller and David Henderson, whose brother Robert was killed in the Benalla accident.

"We can't wind back the clock (to before) what happened eight weeks ago," Mr Henderson said.

"But we can do what we can to stop it from happening next week or next month."

At a personal cost of $100,000, Mr Smith said his case aimed to "get a court to give a direction that Airservices can't wind back this airspace to the old days when air traffic controllers acted as if they had a blindfold on.

"We want them to use radar like every other aviation country in the world," he said.

"To bring in new airspace without radar is irresponsible. We may have had it back in the 1930s, where air traffic controllers acted as if they were blindfolded.

"To do that in the 21st century is just totally ridiculous."

Mr Smith called for the board of Airservices to be sacked and said the reversal, effective on November 25, was a "classic example of putting profits ahead of safety".

Mr Smith did not speak in the directions hearing, where lawyers agreed to start a formal hearing into the matter on November 1, two weeks earlier than the former electronics entrepreneur had expected.

Comment was being sought from Airservices Australia.

AAP

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/09/21/1095651316647.html

Has Dick lost it?
 

Has Dick been watching newsreels where anti-loggers dress as native animals etc?

What does an air traffic controller look like? I wouldn't know one if he was threatrically blind folded or not!

To use the latest aircraft tragedy in such a way smacks of opportunism of the worst order. What has it to do with NAS? I thought the end state meant that an aircraft into Benalla would have no service? Am I incorrect?

This action is way out of order.

White caned ATC and brother of deceased.

A totally, unforgiveable and outrageous use of someone elses tragedy apart from being a travesty of the facts.

I'm totally missing something here, when was radar ever an integral part of the NAS 2b implementation.

Classic Smith, keep grandstanding, conflating disparate issues and confusing people, change the rules and subject as we go along and never stand still long enough for any one to get a bead on what he is actually saying.

What depths of depravity this man plumbs in the pursuit of his agenda.

I'm still shaking with rage, I'm off to have a stiff scotch to try and calm down.

I believe that (at least originally) the final end state of DickNas is/was to have class E down to 700 feet AGL at all aerodromes & ALAs with a published instrument approach procedure. At the time the NASIG confirmed that GPS approaches were considered to fall into this category, therefore presumably BLA and many hundreds of other places across the country would end up with E down to 700FT.

The fact that to provide a class E service to all of these places would mean additional communications facilities, radar, ATC consoles and ATCers and the associated expense seemed to be lost on our friend. Not to mention the resulting increased restrictions imposed on those who currently operate "free in G" without transponders, radio etc.

AOPA and Boyd
 

Yesterday I received an E-Mail from AOPA with lines that included....

• "AOPA asks you to attend the hearing tomorrow, if you possibly can. "
• "...our right to fair and reasonable access to OUR airspace"
• "Please do not doubt the intentions of Airservices Australia and what they have planned for November. "
• "Dick Smith is commencing this court action at his own expense"
• "AOPA suggests that you dress so that you are identified as a pilot"

an E-Mail was also sent out by Boyd's "Airsafety Australia" that included lines like..

• "I urge you to attend at the Law Courts Building ..... if you possibly can."
• "they are a “forceout” of VFR pilots from large amounts of OUR OWN AIRSPACE."
• "Make no mistake about what Airservices plans to do on 25th November."
• "...It is generous and courageous of Dick to do this at his own expense."
• "I urge you to wear a T-Shirt or a windcheater or (outside the Court only) a cap identifying you as a pilot. "

Then about three hours later I get another E-Mail from AOPA saying...

"Dear AOPA Member, Just recently today you would have received an AOPA newsletter. That newsletter was a draft only and should not have been sent. "

hmmmmm

:confused:

OUR airspace? Interesting view of the world.

I have no idea what the current radar coverage drops out at around Benalla - anyone care to enlighten me? I question whether it is anywhere near the IAF for an IAL PROC.

Dick fails to make clear one point: He is rallying to stop AirServices winding back NAS using the Benalla accident as an example - excuse me, but didn't the Benalla accident occur before the NAS has even been wound back? What is the relevance?

It is exploitation of the accident - in a totally irrelevant way.

What exactly do AOPA members wear to 'identify themselves'? A Terry Toweling hat and an idiotic grin?

Capt Midnight; Did Dick's grand plan ever involve radar at these places? I thought he constantly pushed that you didn't need radar (US non-radar procedures), and he was trying to cost shift the provision of services to airlines/operators via CAGROs (because they are free:hmm: ). I certainly hope he is personally grilled over NAS and what service that aircraft in the Benalla tragedy would've been provided with. His disgraceful use of people's deaths needs to be raised in public.

Reality Check:

Dick says they have refused to put radar in : No Dick. Minister Anderson (as advised by you) has directed AirServices to install radar all over the place at huge cost. Nobody has refused to put radar in.

This is the same line you used to the media during the aborted Airspace 2000 fiasco. Your exact words were: 'They have turned the radar off!". It was a lie then. It is a lie now. Thankfully some of the journalists of that day are still around.

I notice also that we are now returning not to a 1950's system as you have been effusively spouting for all and sundry who will listen over the past year - no sir: we are now returning to a 1930's system! where did the 20 years go in the last week?!

Things are dire indeed.

Perhaps if the court thing doesn't go well you could pull out the trump card: we are returning to the 1890's aviation system!!

You are getting desparate. Funny costumes. Silly stunts.

I wont even mention again your associating a recent tragic accident. I didnt even think YOU were so low.

I was wrong about that.

and we wonder why the aviation industry is in its final death throws, Publicity like this can do nothing for improving the image of GA in OZ. a sad day.

Aviation in Oz isn't in its "death throws", Ultralights, however it appears that a certain DICK is attempting to attract more than his share of the limelight by playing the role of the "little Ozzie battler" up against the monoliths, in a peurile attempt to get his own way - now that sane argument and reasoning have chopped him down.

The forces arguing against this DICK are NOT the BIG airline companies - doing it for monetary gain - but rather the INDIVIDUAL PILOTS employed by many of these companies, and many, many PRIVATE PILOTS, who realise that SAFETY is far more important in determining airspace classification and modulation, than DICK'S $$$$$$$$$$'s!!

Because as much as this DICK likes to strum his "Ozzie Battler" routine to the media, his personal toys have included a helicopter, a Citation, and a Federal Minister!!

Geez, airspace things must be grim if Kaptin M starts posting!

Dick Smith Before He Dicks The Judge!

Dick's own project (when it was last anywhere near it's rails) was already running away from the airspace model the scaly f*ckwit says would have fixed the BLA crash. It promised E airspace corridors down to 1200AGL along IFR routes, implying they would go everywhere where black lines on the charts do.

The reality check is virtually none of our air routes would qualify as US airways (not too many of our routes have continuous VOR coverage) and the project had not yet identified ANY routes that would recieve such airways. This means, (in the end state), NO E airspace below FL145 (eventually) outside the J-curve, NO traffic information in G (except supposedly in the 'terminal area' - and I have no idea how that could work), so if ATC are providing NO services to a flight landing at BLA how is that any improvement to surveillance of a flight compared to today?

NAS doesn't offer any extra radar coverage, it just takes away services.

The much-laughed-at Willoughby report is still Dick's bible. One of it's items included saving $10M by turning off the HF network. Airservices is replacing the 1950's vintage HF network with new gear, and work is under way. Can we expect another d*ckhead directive from the world's wurst aviation minister to terminate this project as well?

If, on the 25th November 2004, an antiquated 1950's vintage HF network exists, and:
a. Airservices takes avantage of its corporate structure to build a new network to make its customers happy, then
b. Airservices must, by next Tuesday, install and man control towers and frozen yoghurt machines at all licenced airports.

This is required for a very good reason that Dick told me, but I forgot.

ps. I think he said frozen yoghurt, it may have been Advanced Dairy Supplement / B, whatever that is...

Now come on Dick, where are you. It's been two days since you went to court, I would have imagined that you would have given us a response by now. Dont you think it looks a little silly taking this matter to court.

As the case stands so far ... we have...

1. Air services accepting that the NAS implementation is unsafe, and need time to go through the reforms, to make them safe.

2. Commercial airlines agree, that, it's in the best interests to sit back and take some time to implement safe reforms rather than put in place a system that's still doesnt have united support in Australia.

3. You (on your own, plus kevin) Dont agree, so you turn around and take the matter to court, to try and stop this.

Come on Dick, I am surprised that you would go this far, you've become the talking point and laughing stock of the aviation industry. The little stunt you put on outside the court the other day was laughable, and I noticed there werent many supporters there, I thought you were rallying the troops for that theatrical stunt. I only saw one person there.....

Everyone believes there needs to be reforms, there's no doubting that. So why dont you just sit back and move along with the industry, talk it through appropriately and get a united backing to put in place a safe system. You're losing a lot of respect dick, from people who actually used to think you were ok.

Take note,

cheers
MM