[Sandy Reith]

Popcorn is ordered; battlelines are drawn - Let the games  bloodbath begin??

But first on Anus with a "G", gotta agree with Jacki made my day (or two)---  

Jacki - "..Hehe Anus Houston, was that a typo or a swipo lol......whichever, good one!!! Made my day.."

Hmm...knowing Gobbles as I do, my money is on swipo...
Ahh but now back to the Apple Isle and - to quote P9 - it looks like Boyd & the Board are about to get their very first real test...

Courtesy of the Sundy Taswegian:

CASA dismisses Dick Smith’s radar concerns  

• by: MATT SMITH
  
• From: Mercury
  
• July 12, 2015 12:00AM
  

Dick Smith has labelled the $6 million radar system at Hobart and Launceston airports a significant public safety risk. Picture: JONATHAN NG Source: News Corp Australia
  
AUSTRALIA’S airport safety watchdog has played down hopes that Tasmania’s major airports may get a more sophisticated radar system to monitor flights.  

Entrepreneur and pilot Dick Smith, who last week labelled Tasmania’s $6 million radar system at Hobart and Launceston airports a significant public safety risk, yesterday seized on comments made by incoming Civil Aviation Safety Authority chairman Jeff Boyd.

Mr Boyd told the Weekend Australian newspaper that the authority would be adopting a fundamental change in philosophy and strategy, with a safer flying environment the first priority.

The report suggested this change would result in a move to install new safety measures and greater control of air space at regional airports nationally.

Mr Smith said Mr Boyd’s comments had vindicated concerns he had raised in the Mercury last week.
[img=0x0]http://tcog.news.com.au/track/component/article/news/tasmania/casa-dismisses-dick-smiths-radar-concerns/story-fnj4f7k1-1227438394808?t_product=Mercury&t_template=s3/chronicle-component/relatedstories/templates/index[/img]
“It is a complete acknowledge that there is a problem here,” he said.

“In Tasmania, there is a huge cover-up going on. Every other capital city has radar surveillance to ground level and most capital cities don’t have big mountains around them.”

Denison independent MHR Andrew Wilkie said greater control of air space should be great news for Tasmania.

“Recent criticism by former CASA chairman Dick Smith of inadequate airspace control in Tasmania in particular has clearly had great merit,” Mr Wilkie said yesterday.

“Poor radar coverage and pilots left to maintain aircraft separation by radio contact alone below 7000 feet is an accident waiting to happen. That this applies to airliners in Tasmania, as well as light aircraft, is an appalling situation in this day and age.”

MORE: SMITH RAISES CONCERNS OVER RADAR SYSTEMS AT HOBART AND LAUNCESTON AIRPORTS

However, a CASA spokesman yesterday repeated previous statements that the Hobart and Launceston airports were safe and there were no plans to upgrade the airport systems.

“CASA takes the same approach to Tasmanian airspace as it does to the rest of Australia,” the spokesman said.

“Tasmanian airspace is safe and the procedures used to manage Tasmanian air traffic are safe.

“CASA will continue to monitor and review Tasmanian airspace to ensure the right level of air traffic surveillance and procedures are in place to deliver safe skies for everyone who flies.

“Any changes to Tasmanian airspace will be made after public consultation with airspace users such as pilots, air operators and other interested organisations and people.”
matthew.smith@news.com.au

Hmm...it will be interesting to see what one of Tassie's favourite pollies Mr Wilkie has to say about Pinocchio's - presumably acting on behalf of Skates - rebuke of not only Dick Smith but also Boyd & the Board:

..Another near collision some years ago above Launceston led to the installation of a new type of aircraft surveillance system, but air traffic controllers still do not direct surveillance controlled approache­s in Tasmania, relying instead on a procedural method which is less efficient and which aviation experts say is less safe.

Australia, unlike the US and Canada, does not have an across-the-board system in which airliners and other commercial aircraft are directed by air traffic controllers almost to the ground...

...Mr Boyd said he would encourage a lowering of the floor of controlled airspace, known as cate­g­ory E, at airports on a case-by-case basis. “Let’s see where we can do E where we have reliable air traffic control surveillance,” he said...

 
Could be very interesting---    

MTF?- You better believe it..P2

[quote pid='1353' dateline='1436659689']
Way to go, MPs, Dick, media = action. Now why not instructors free to instruct as USA, no unnecessary, super expensive and massive time wasting Air Operators Certificate paperwar requirements? Flying training is the bedrock of Australian aviation. Couple this much needed reform with the brand new relaxed medical requirements just enacted by the US Congress and hey presto GA can fly, jobs, aviation business and enough Aussie pilots so 457 pilot work visas will not be necessary. Growing the job sufficiently will mean more GA friendly voices and voters. Maybe Ean could look at the AOC system. I could give him my own example, the money and time wasting stupidity of my attempt to transfer my AOC to a couple that operated my flying school. He was CFI, they used their own aircraft, same airport, same students, same training area. Would CASA just allow a transfer? Oh no, they were made to go through all the hoops, the whole nine yards. Thousands of dollars and months of total rubbish. Bureaucratic make work and fee gouging for not one iota of benefit.

[/quote]
[quote pid='1353' dateline='1436659689']
No fiddling at the edges will satisfy. Reform now, training and medicals as two reforms easy to apply now, are demanded. It must be clear, we won't wait. 
[/quote]