Two Years in the Aviation Hall of Doom – plus 33 years!
 

I found an old copy of Two Years in the Aviation Hall of Doom on my bookshelf. I started to read the first page and couldn’t put it down until I had finished it.

Yes, it certainly reminds me of what is happening today. Isn’t it incredible how we have done a complete circle in about thirty years and are back to where we came from?

All of the major issues in Two Years in the Aviation Hall of Doom were solved – including the first of type certification and the ridiculous system where VFR aircraft were separated from VFR in primary control zones using IFR separation standards.

But of course we are returning to the old days – the first of type certification has been reversed, and now aircraft which do not require flight data recorders in the USA need to have them fitted in Australia. Rather than follow the airspace of other countries at places like Williamtown, we now once again separate VFR aircraft, causing delays that are not necessary overseas.

Here is a scan of the back cover. Thanks to the cartoonist who did the ‘Slowly throttled to death’ drawing.

Here is a link to the complete book. If you have 20 or 30 minutes have a scan, then cry about how we have returned to the old days.

So what's changed????

DCA CAA CASA or which ever acronym you care to name still does the same, perhaps not doing what Dick wrote about, just new topics.

Perfect example ADSB I have left it to the very last minute to comply, and guess what the original quote was around $AUD17,000. Now just released is the APPAERO unit which you can buy as a stand alone unit for $US2960, with an install cost of $AUD1,500

Boating sounds great except have any of you tried dealing with the new RMS: Grr Grr GRr

Yeah, I know, Two Years in the Aviation Hall of Doom is pretty basically written. Remember, I was in my 30s then.

Statements like “Mandarins of the Molongolo” were classic Francis James – who helped me in writing the book.

I am sure there are some who will remember the wonderful Francis James, who was a WWII Spitfire pilot, and then a very famous journalist in Australia who was locked up by Mao in China for a number of years – until Gough Whitlam got him released.

He became a wonderful friend of mine and had similar views about the problems with the bureaucracy.

Francis died many years ago, but just a couple of weeks ago I called into his house at Billyard Avenue, Wahroonga, and saw his widow, Joyce. She is now 98 years of age and the house is still full of all the wonderful Francis James books.

I really miss people like Francis James and Jim Hazelton. I’m sure we all do.

Someone who would have known stated that it was Francis James who delivered the then Liberal government's proposal for terms of settlement from the back seat of a darkened car in downtown Sydney to a representative of the AFAP to end the 1966 Qantas month long pilots' strike.

If so the car would have been his Rolls Royce with him sitting in the back with his portable typewriter!

Dick/All
I believe many of could write our own version of your book.
Nothing much has changed, the iron ring is still there and continues to work under the table to cover up their poor decisions, lack of recent operational experience/knowledge and above all to (try and) justify their poor decisions.
And the folk get paid big jink to basically make it hard for us to do our job,

Time for a revision ??

If I didnt have plenty of other things to do I would also write a book about my time in Aviation in Oz... 60 years in the Oz Aviation halls of Gloom.
Soon as I'm no longer mobile I'll be into it. I have boxes of DCA, CAA, CASA "ephemera"

Cog and y' all..
AS you know the iron ring is certainly still there, but emboldened; they commit CYA buggery ON the table these days. They dont just try to justify poor decisions, they do, with bluster, BS and any old untrue anecdote to discredit the victim.

How do you think some of the rusted on ring have lasted so long. ?
Gold star yabblers and mostly BS. Some people and politicians think that if those ring folk can rabbit on for so long they must know something.
Any examples?...just ask me !

And with the mystique of Aviation and the terrible risks of flying, these "experts" are the only ones saving us from falling bodies and aeroplanes.
You can do ANYTHING in the name of "safety" and the cost to Oz Aviation... and to people in it has been enormous.

Revision ?...Bloody revolution more like !

Dick,

You need to go and see Graeme Gillies before he goes full retard.

Another example of an industry veteran being pushed to his limit.

Freewheel. I will - can you send details of how to contact Graeme? I would love to catch up.

Remember the Soviet Union collapsed. A lot in common with the CASA system. Good intentions but it doesn't seem to work.

Dick most of the Soviet Union countries if not all are still controlled by Russia, they just out sourced much of the costs of running countries.

Ukraine tried to escape, lost Crimea, lots of East and a 777 - So yes that could be CASA's new direction.

Dick. Try 07 544 88166

Yep, it's occurring everywhere Dick and in many govnt departments. I'm having exactly the same issues with QPWS trying to get permits for something 'new'.

Bureaucracy here is crazy beyond belief!

Its the bloody trouble with a bureaucracy that hasn't had a full blown emergency to deal with for decades, no make that generations. They feel that they must do something to justify their existence so they make up problems that don't exist. They then use that to tell their minister that they absolutely must do something about or it will be the end of civilisation as we know it. The minister of course knows absolutely nothing about his/her portfolio so is terrified that this problem will be the end of his/her political career and agrees that urgent action is called for. We then get the CASA legislative re-write. Ha!

All any minister has to do is ask, does a pilot and/or operator really walk out to their aircraft thinking that today would be a great day to kill themselves? The legislation needs to cover the rules of the air and the basics of licensing, commercial regulation and aircraft maintenance. The rest is self-serving garbage from overpaid bureaucrats who know nothing about civilian aviation.