DenisPC9

On 10/05/2020 at 12:13 PM, facthunter said:

 We even took the thing to Cocos (keeling) islands where each wave looks much like the next one and if we missed it, had no place to range to. Just two hours "Island holding" at running on Vapour rate. Have a look where it is on the Map. Regular Gov't Charter, about once a month. Amazing we didn't lose one.. Nev

I was posted to Cocos 1979 - 81 the RAAF used to fly in on P3s, the occasional C130 and the even rarer VIP Sqn.  The P3 crews used to tell me as part of a NavEx they used to tune in to VKW (Broadcasting on 1404 kiloHertz to ships in the air, planes at sea and anyone else silly enough to be listening 😉) carrier wave (from memory) more than a few hundred miles out and just follow the strengthening signal until they picked up the voices, then they knew they were less than 100 miles out.

12.05S 96.53E burnt into my brain.

I had experience in their "business dealings" here in Australia around a decade ago.

The small Melbourne Software company that I worked for was doing a Tender to supply a Command Support System for the ADF. This was going to run the ADF Aviation Missions, Operations, Hours, Currencies, Recencies and a number of other events as well.

We heard through back door sources that Boeing was installing a similar but greatly scaled down piece of their own Software at RAAF Williamtown for the Hornet Conversions Courses. They were approached through Industry channels to stop their implementation because this was already within the Tender process under Air whatever number Program. And that their product wasn't DRN/DSN certified.

In effect they told us to bugger off because they were Boeing. So we sent a high level team to Defence Canberra. Boeing were told to remove their software.

But it had to come from the highest levels of Defence. We also experienced mid to upper levels of contracted out and PS IT structure that were very sympathetic to the Boeing venture, even though Defence were (naturally) committed to the Commonwealth and ADF Tendering and Contract process.

I think that celebrities need to understand that people get star struck and turn into idiots.

Weren't there cases of Australian politicians (Bronwyn Bishop, from memory) telling RAAF aircrew when and where to land?

Boeing don't seem to know where they are going.. The "no crew" thing has been around for a while. Nothing new there.  I've NO sympathy for the Company or it's shareholders. What they did was deliberate, being done for quite a while and motivated purely for profit. Where's the profit heading now? Nev

 

My take is that they have mentally reached the stage of "Too big to fail".  For a long time they appeared to have the FAA and DoD in their pocket.  That would breed a certain amount of hubris.

Someone, a few days ago, quoted that GFC saying "Too big to fail".

Someone back in the GFC days, equally senior to the originator of the "Too big ot fail" comment responded with:

"If they're too big to fail, they're too big to exist".

His rationale was that if they knew they would get Govt bailout after Govt bailout, then why should they really try for the highest standards.  Implicit with the Bailout mentality, was the (almost) surety that after a few Govt Bailouts a bunch of slick lawyers would sue the Govt because it may be then deemed that the Govt had some interest in the product.

You normally have to stand to be corrected. 

 

True but like you and the rest of this scurvy bunch we are doing all this on a laptops, desktops, tablets and phones, So at least I, will remain seated. ?

 STUDS  or STUDES? . You have to keep your mind on the job. Nev

 

Phonetically it was pronounced "STUDS".

It may have been "STUDES" in your days, but you know what succeeding generations do.  And it never quite matches up to what their forerunners did ?

That's very high washout rate, but they DID operate on a fixed % more or less, always, so you wouldn't want to be on a course where they were all good performers. If that % FAIL the selection process isn't  up to much. Many foreign students do have well off backers who DO expect to PASS because they've paid the Course fees and have made a fuss  at diplomatic levels and have gone way with the qualification. THIS is NOT an acceptable process but it's profitable so ....... AS Ive stated before a pilot can FAIL at any stage of a recurrent SIM check A crook line performance or on a conversion course to a new type. There may be a process of review available but there's no guarantees. Unless perhaps you are the Maharajahs or Director of Aviations  son . Nev

 

I suspect it was an average.  Although I don't know that "average of what", maybe annually.

During the 4 years I as there, some Courses only lost a few and other Courses lost more than half the Studs.

The only "foreign" students on Course when I was there was when the RAF Tucanos were all grounded due to "stuff" in the breathing system.  It didn't take long for 2 complete Courses, Det Commander and QFIs were re-located to 2FTS, Australia and they carried on. 

It wasn't quite what they were used to.  We don't have Batmen and we were very much more thorough in assessing the progress of Students.  Ours was all Computer based, whereas many of the RAF flying aspects were on the say-so of the QFI.  And using our system they had Students fail on their CO/CFI Assessment (Wings) Flight.  Apparently that was a first.

Although they took to the social life like Poms to a good Bitter.  ?

But I did hear from mates who went through Duntroon that that was the case for foreign Cadets.

If you're concerned about what would happen if you were incapacitated with your wife on board; a good solution is to get your instructor to teach her how to keep the aircraft in the air and land it. She will be learning other things as part of that, but the time taken to learn survivable landings is quite short and not expensive.

 

A couple of decades ago I heard from an RAN Fixed Wing Pilot, when the RAN flew Fixed Wing aircraft, that's that's what they used to do.  An Observer would be given lessons on rudimentary aircraft control and landings.  So if the PIC became incapacitated, someone on board could still bring it down, in a semi-controlled fashion.

That's to do with occupying  a seat with access to controls on a Commercial Flight in such planes as a Bandierante which has dual controls but operated single pilot. as a standard procedure.  I've actually had this happen to me  Newcastle- Sydney where I got seated there probably by the person in charge of boarding the passengers who would have known I worked for an Airline as I was on a discounted fare . The chap flying it never said anything at any stage..Nev

 

That happened to me more than a few times when I lived in PNG in the 1970s.  I was stationed in Mendi, Southern Highlands District (later to become Province) and after a few trips to Moresby and back, I was put in the RH seat.  The aircraft were usually Barons.

I am not nor ever was a pilot.  However when they had new pilots on the run, it helped having someone (usually an expat) who was familiar with the route.

And whilst travelling around the District on business, flying was the way to go.  A 30 minute flight to say, Erave or Tari would take 10+ hours driving.  In the Highlands it was often cloudy but rarely 10/10s, so when approaching the vicinity of the target ah Station, the PIC would look out the LH side and I would look out the RH side.  Whoever saw it, made the call and the PIC then did what they were paid to do.

This also occurred in other Districts where I worked when I was doing Cash runs to Outstations or just jaunting out there for an Inspection or deal with recalcitrant staff.

How does paying for a flying qualification GUARANTEE you will graduate?  You can't just say I've paid ... Where's my ticket, although it's been tried and maybe succeeded in some instances where things like political pressure has been applied. There's always the possibility you won't make the grade. Some fail command years after starting with an Airline. Some drop out on a Conversion to a new type. Some fail a recurrent check...Nev

 

Military Flying Training has had a 60% washout rate since WWI up until 2005.  That's when I left the Industry.  I ran the software that ran the School's Ground based rep-Flight training as running the daily Operations and Flight Scheduling.

I got this piece of information from the Psychs who assess for suitability in selections and those that assess Students in training.  They were in Defence and also had overseas experience in these fields.

I suspect civilian washout rates are nowhere near 60% but I also suspect their success rate is nowhere near 100% either.

Forums ( The current entry from the Oxford Dictionary says: The plural of forum is usually spelled forums )

 

I sit corrected, High School Latin has finally lost.   ?

I notice that neither you nor DenisPC9 have provided any information on how legislative drafting is an issue here.

 

Given the much higher level of intelligence exhibited here than many other fora, I assumed as that slack legislative drafting would naturally lead to legislation full of loopholes and exemptions, which enables all sorts of carrying-ons and shenanigans, it would have been apparent in the indignation of the tone of the article, whereby foreign law companies are making a motza here due to those holes in the legislation.  It obviously wasn't apparent to some.

Article in The Oz today.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surge in class action lawfare hits economy

 

 

• 
  EXCLUSIVE
   
   
   
  GEOFF CHAMBERS
   
   
  FEDERAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
   
   
   
  @Chambersgc
   
   
  
   
   
  
• 12:00AM OCTOBER 30, 2019
   
  
• 102 COMMENTS
   
  

 

An explosion in class action claims funded by overseas litigation backers is threatening investment and jobs in Australia, with more than $10bn in claims lodged against businesses in the last financial year.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox has warned that the surge in litigation presented a “clear and present danger” to the nation’s “fragile economy” amid record insurance premium increases and limited regulation to minimise class action exposure.

 

Business, legal and insurance figures have called on the Morrison government to urgently ­address the spike in class action claims in the past two years.

 

Hmmm, I read a small article in the Sydney Morning Herald from memory some 4 - 5 years ago, the gist of it being that the Brit Govt told the Australian Govt that it would no longer train Australian Legislative Draftsmen.  No reasons were given and there was never any follow by anyone.

Reading articles like this and many, many others where Aust law is full of loopholes and escape clauses I can understand the actions of the Brit Govt.

We certainly need to lift our standards with Legislative Drafting

I came across this last night and thought that this "bay" would be the best spot to park it.

https://biggeekdad.com/2014/04/flying-corinth-canal/

One (large) school had 88 dropouts in a year (if reported correctly). " On the figures in the article 88 people signed up to the full course (funded) and didn’t finish. I know this club has some success stories (even on this forum) but 88 people is a lot of people and a lot of money to pay back without a qualification."

 

It seems a lot, SO how many nationally, 

 

A tenth or more, That didn't get their licence Or RAA certificate.

 

spacesailor

 

Don't take it too hard ss, the Military have a 60% wash-out rate for Pilot Training.  Since WWI until I left the business in 2005 it has consistently been 60%.

It was a similar story with the PNGDF, so I suspect that its global thing.

So Yes, it "is a lot of people".

I thought similarly, but with the Air Warrior vest the Tigger crew use. They fit with a harness, but to quote Emily Joy Hills "Look like a f**kin gypsy caravan".

 

[ATTACH]41763[/ATTACH]

 

You have a damned sight more hardware than I had nearly 20 years ago but that was their Training stuff and your had to "dress" to the left ?

The tampon has me confused but...

 

years ago a friend visited  gold mine in Fiji and saw all the miners wearing a feminine item around their foreheads. Apparently it was the best way to keep perspiration out of their eyes in a a very hot and humid environment.

 

I lived in Rabaul in the early 1970s and learned to Scuba dive there.  We all had turns on the Bottle filler and occasionally had to troop down to "Mills Pills, Potions and French Letters"  (John Mills Chemist shop in Mango Avenue) to buy a half a dozen boxes of tampons.  Us blokes got the same "looks" as when buying condoms.  They were the Filters to ensure pure air went into the tanks.

The Life Support kit above looks much like the Secumar Life Support kit I used to wear when I went up with a QFI at 2FTS in the Unit's PC9s.  Nope I wasn't learning,  It was usually a transit from RAAF Pearce to RAAF Learmonth.  and Yes The harness did fit alright with that gear on ?

 A lot depends on where you are. I got stuck on Cocos Island and to fly an "O" ring there cost $35,000.  Nev

 

When was that?

I was stuck on Cocos 79 - 81, but they paid me to stay ?

We had one Orion that trashed one of its props and several days later a C130 arrived and disgorged a new kit.

What about "survivability"

 

for the poor pilot.

 

spacesailor

 

Somehow I don't think that there are too many "?poor" Pilots

Can't see how the RAAF would have expertise in the older stuff or spend money to get it (If that's possible)  The "volunteers" eventually pass on and the skills go with them. Nev

 

About 10 years ago I worked with a fellow, ex RAAF WgCdr, who was a chopper pilot in the late 60s and was then in some sort of AF Reserve.  He flew the aircraft at Point Cook Museum.  He said the Sopwith was a bit hairy.  So they do have people with those skills.

And many RAAF Pilots are also QFIs, so teaching someone the quirks of the old aircraft isn't that difficult.  After all they generally have quite a few thousand hours on different types before they start flying those older machines, so its only yet another Conversion Course

The only possibility of it being implemented is under a dictatorship (which may not be far off).

 

Check out old atlas maps of world time zones. The USSR was an hour ahead of everyone else for decades after daylight saving was implemented, possibly during The Great Patriotic War". I suspect the bureaucrats in charge of changing the clocks back one hour either went to the Gulags or were too chicken to mention the anomaly to their masters.

 

I did the Trans Siberian back in the mid 1970s.  It was a hoot.

The first morning out (of Nahodka, as Vladivostock was a Naval base, we couldn't depart from there), us Westerners rolled into the Diner at approx breakfast time.  It was like Melbourne used to be on Sundays in the 1950s.  Eventually one of the train staff ambled in and asked (in Russian) "What are you doing here?"  or words to that effect.  We had no Russian so we responded in English "Its breakfast time, we're hungry."  Staff, who had no English back then said something unintelligible and wandered off.  We couldn't work that one out.

About 15 minutes later a fellow in his 40s rolled up and asked us in accented English "What did we want?"  We told him breakfast, as it was morning time.  He "gravelled" (and it you have heard native Russians speaking, that's what it sounds like) to the Staffer, who responded.  He then said "Russia is very large and has 11 Time Zones, so to make it easy for everyone, all Meals are on Moscow Time."

Us "Okay so when can we eat?"  Fellow "Its all up there with a the timetable and menus" pointing to a small sheet in a frame on the wall.  So went over to read it.  The bloody thing was in Cyrillic.

It turned out that had we rolled in about 3 hours earlier, we could have had the evening meal.  And breakfast wasn't for another 8 or so hours.

By Day 3 (of 10) they were serving meals according to how the day was progressing, not according to what time it was in Moscow.

The "fellow in his 40s" was a Jugoslav Diplomat returning from a posting in the East.  He was good for information about Russia and how it actually worked.  And some black market currency exchanges as he did 3x the official rate Roubles for USD.  The Russians had it on parity.  The rest of the world didn't.

Amazing how often thread drift moves totally away from original topic! Not a complaint, just an observation, I am probably just as guilty as anyone else!

 

Yes a fertile thread often produces a good harvest ?

That wheat crop is massive!  Probably in the order of 7-8 T/ha by my eye. I'm just surprised that the Foxbat wasn't held up by the dense crop and the crew simply opened the door and stepped out.  No wonder we struggle to compete with European farmers.

 

Its mainly a case of "Soils ain't soils" and unfortunately our soils are very old soils, they don't measure up to European soils.

Its just a quirk of geology.

Talair had 1 or 2 in operation in the Highlands when I was in Mendi SHD in the late 1970s.

 

They were known as the "Time Machine" because that too their time taking off, they took their time getting there and they took their time landing.