Mr Skidmore resigned
 

Mark Skidmore just resigned!

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Mr Skidmore resigned
 

Is it true?

It sure is.

Hope so Glen. This is what he said yesterday in the CASA newsletter: "I renew my commitment to making real changes to CASA". Maybe that is why he resigned!

Before all the arm chair pilots start, just remember the old saying

"Careful what you wish for, it may come true"

We'll probably spend the next six to 12 months in never never land with all those entrenched CASA employees pushing their barrow and over turning any changes that have been made.

It would seem so:

Skidmore resigns as CASA CEO and director of aviation safety | Australian Aviation

PG

Australian Aviation has the story:

Skidmore resigns as CASA CEO and director of aviation safety | Australian Aviation

After only a little over 18 months in the role it would appear that there might be an unwritten back story.

Personal are the reasons quoted....any rumours otherwise?

Am I being too naive to hope the next Director might not be a career ex-RAAFie and possess a keen interest in fostering aviation beyond the Airlines?

PG

PS. I am not anti-RAAF. I am an ex-RAAFie myself.

So, even he had to throw his hands into the air and walk out.
What's that say?

RAAF officers get moved on about every two years. He hasn't even managed that. To cite personal reasons for the resignation is pretty poor form. If you can't commit, don't take the job.

I do think it's time that someone put a fire-hose through that place.
Just my ever-so-humble, of course.

Deserting the sinking ship comes to mind! :=

Official announcement from CASA:

https://www.casa.gov.au/media-releas...r-and-director

Fire hose?

Even a thermo-nuclear device might not be enough to completely eradicate the industrial-strength bureaucracy that parts of CASA have become.

Maybe he just hit Platinum Frequent Flyer Lifetime and thought it would be good to spend those FF points now.

I hear he did a lot of travel overseas.

from this arvo's CASA press release -

If they are to recruit new blood from overseas it had better be someone from New Zealand or the USA, if that someone has runs on the board in the CAA or the FAA , respectively, in administering major restructuring of the regulator where the contender worked, or at least a significant hand in seeing rational, fair and ethical application of the rules, and a code of honour, not drawn up in tortuous language, to be made standard for all employees of the Authority. (Maybe applicants should have to show knowledge of the workings of the Department of Civil Aviation when headed by the late Sir Donald George Anderson, and an awareness of the mine of critical information accessible within the Pacific: General Aviation , and the Australia/New Zealand & the Pacific forums on PPRuNe.)

Well that was swift, I wounder what the real story is?

Some major thing about to be announced discovered?

For god sake, whoever appoints the DAS please take note of the mess Skidmore and his predecessors have left with our industry almost a basket case.

Mike Smith!

Mr Skidmore seemed to me to be doing, very well, the usual job of doing what he was told by the people who run CASA. Then he side-lined one of them. But I'm sure that's just pure coincidence...

Anyway, moving forward and on a completely different subject ...

Having practically run the organisation for the last 15 or so years, I'm hoping JA will finally be appointed to the position that nominally runs the organisation. JA can talk the talk on aviation safety with the best of them. And by all accounts he and the Murky Machiavellian get on really, really well.

All in the interests of the safety of air navigation of course.

DeHavilland Pilot, You seem to have some good " inside" knowledge.........

You don't have to be an insider to predict the repetition of history.

What about JB? He at least seems to be trying.

Leaving after not much more than 18 months into a 5 year appointment for "personal reasons ... including wanting to explore a number of new opportunities", sounds more like 'pushed', rather than 'jumped'.

Can we please hire someone with experience this time around? Past Pilots or Air Marshall's need not apply.

They should ban anyone who has worked in the RAAF from running companies. M Staib was another classic ex RAAF :D

He would have been pushed alright. With all the turmoil going on in the industry and costs sending GA broke it was only a matter of time before the Government or maybe the crossbenchers via the government started a cleanout. Had to happen and I would expect more departures before it all settles down. About time I reckon. I only hope the next one makes decisions on economic reality. No military,or career public servants please.

All of that turmoil isn't actually Mr Skidmore's fault. It may be that it finally dawned on him that the pieces of silver weren't sufficient compensation for being the scapegoat for a mess he couldn't possibly tidy up.

I agree - he inherited the mess left by his predecessor. If he left on his own accord, that's a shame - would've liked to have seen him give it a better go...

lets give the boofhead from the west ago. After all, GT is the expert on everything, particularly when he puts that stern serious face on,

Might as well be GT as anyone else.

His predecessor inherited the mess left by his predecessor's predecessor. And so on.

Each has contributed to the mess, not necessarily because they wanted to, but rather because they didn't have the knowledge and skills necessary to tidy it up.

Stanny...just bring the fire....forget the hose.

There we go...as predicted ...nothing but a skid mark on the floor
Too much heat in the kitchen???

If JA/ Dr Discrepancy aka Hoodoo Voodoo gets the nod then the atomic option is a must
He doesnt pass the smell test

Where's that Royal Commission or Judicial Inquiry into the whole rotten edifice to let the GA industry hang all CaSa's filthy washing on the line.

I think we should wish AVM. Skidmore all the best. My guess would be that the poor " Customer satisfaction survey" results followed by the comparison to the latest American air safety audit results were the last straw. To be fair to the good AVM, he does not have the experience necessary to lead CASA through the complete restructure and gutting that is required, anymore than Stalb did at AsA. This is not a criticism of either of them. In addition neither would relish the stress and tension restructuring in the face of bureaucratic resistance at their time of life.

I will not repeat my previous postings on what needs to be done - rewriting the Act to require the regulator to foster aviation in all its forms = jobs, investment, growth etc. Nor the deliberate destruction of the CASA management culture and its replacement with a real customer focused set of values and the FAA rule set.

As for the airlines..they regulate themselves CASA doesn't have the capability to regulate Qantas, etc. and hasn't for at least Thirty years or more.

It is going to be interesting to see the consultant brief for a new head. No one with any brains will take the job unless they understand that this job is going to require bureaucratic infighting skills of the highest order coupled with ruthlessness and the intelligence to drive through a massive change agenda against deeply entrenched opposition.

Needless to say if the Minister wants a "steady as she goes" safe pair of hands to make everything bad go away, then we will get another retired AVM., or worse, a female narcissist who will rejoice in taking us from bad to worse in her lust for power and money........and that folks is unfortunately as real possibility considering gender diversity and all. We could get a perfumed princess, a real black widow spider who knows nothing about aviation at all and proceeds to make things even worse than they are today.

Met him once , seemed a nice guy . The industry issues are huge and I think he genuinely wanted change but his subordinates seem to be the old guard.

In terms of regulators that promote and foster the industries under their supervision, it's not like the federal government haven't got a number of excellent examples to work from.

Take ACMA for example, and the functions set out in their Act. "Advise and assist the radiocommunications community" and "advise and assist the telecommunications industry" are quite literally at the top of the list.

From my extensive experience in doing business with them, those are functions that they take very seriously; they prefer to educate those who break the rules, and are reluctant to commence enforcement proceedings against an offender unless it's truly warranted.

Oh Lordy, the halls of Fort Fumble must be like a skating rink.
(Despicable me) MrDaks minions slipping and sliding all over the place
on spilt blood each attempting to land the killer stab in the back.
I sort of feel a sorry for poor old Skids, an apparent nice guy but a tad naive perhaps.
No idea the malicious, malignant cretans he was attempting to herd, were like a bunch of cats on ice, devoid of probity, or conscience.
The big question is as Dehav. says "careful what you wish for", Skidmore may well have been out of his depth dealing with the entrenched bureaucracy. I just hope Jeff Boyd and the board can now finally start the process of true reform, clean out the dross and allow our industry to rebuild itself and realise the potential we all know it is capable of.

Sunfish,
Can you pronounce 'misogynist' ?

Perhaps AOPA's imminent petition struck the fear of God in him?

I was just going to say, he probably wanted to remove the perceived conflict of interest so he could join AOPA again!

I'll bet he can now, since you kindly spelt it for him.:suspect: