RAA Safety-Training-Compliance Coordinator appointed

[Guest airsick]

Oi! Airsickre. post 760.

Just go back in history and at the begining of AUF.. Middo's efforts we have to thank from the bottom of our hearts, Middo put a bend in the pollies of the day to start a movement called "AUF" that name may not be correct however good enough fot this story.

 

As for the moaning about the secretary Middo did the correct thing resign then get re-elected through the process, all voted in.

 

"""""NO JOBS FOR THE BOYS""""" as all moaners/whingers/belly achers/etc. etc. would dream up to complain about.

 

Airsick lets all do something for RAA instead of sitting and moaning from the key boards.

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.

Keith, I do appreciate what Middo has done for us in the past. I also find it funny that when I "moan/whinge/belly ache" because my $100k investment is sitting in a paddock unflyable due to an RA-Aus issued piece of paper being illegal I get told to do something constructive.

 

As soon as I found out about the troubles that RA-Aus was in I offered my assistance, free of charge, to help sort out the mess. No one accepted. I offered at and after the February meeting. No one accepted. I have also been told several times that I shouldn't get hung up on history and we should look to the future. And here you are telling me I should get hung on the past and remember what Middo has done prior to this debacle.

 

Here's the facts Keith. It doesn't matter how much work Middo and others have put in (which I am truly appreciative of) today I (and many others like me) are finding that the privileges I have enjoyed for about 10 years have been yanked out from underneath me. And that makes me angry.

 

The government invested millions of dollars building railways, roads, sewerage networks, etc. over the years and I appreciate that too. If they didn't maintain these things then I bet my house the electorate would be none too pleased. I'm guessing they wouldn't sit there and think about the past and what good the government had done in years gone by while the world crumbles around them.

 

Middo and others helped build this association from a grass roots movement. This history does not, and never will, give them the right to ruin it. It does not make it OK to drop the ball and erode members rights. It does not diminish the damage that has been done in the last couple of years. Anyone who thinks otherwise is kidding themselves.

 

As for doing something and not just whinging - I've nominated for the board. What are you doing Keith?

 

 

[Pete Greed]

My concern remains regarding the return to a failed governance and management system. The Secretary's position should be re-defined to that equal to Company Secretary, and the management of RAAus business reallocated to the CEO/General Manager. The role of the Executive also needs to be re-defined to that of "governance decisions" that need to be taken "immediately". With a properly functioning board/committee, that should be rare indeed and subject to board/committee ratification.

 

These suggestions would of course have ramifications for our constitution, our relationship with CASA and the skill set required of some board/committee positions.

 

The last thing we want to do is eliminate the skills and talent available as prospective board/committee members resident in regional Australia. But just as navigating has been revolutionized by the use of a GPS, so to must we use contemporary methods and tools to navigate todays business world. Board/committee members need not be qualified in the various disciplines required of modern business practice, but it is imperative that they understand it. Being a good shelia or bloke is no longer the primary attribute - be it a desirable attribute in itself.

 

Governance does not happen by osmosis. It is a process that must be supported by good management - in the case of RAAus by our CEO/General Manager and paid professional Staff. The notion that RAAus can be controlled by a committee of management (or the Executive), delving in and out of management, is dead in the water.

 

We have voted RAAus members on to the board/committee. They should be the drivers of RAAus' strategic thinking. What we as members need to hear more of is how that strategic thinking is being interpreted and implemented by the CEO/General Manager. Not the Chairperson. The Chairperson is there to solicit, via the elected board/committee members, the current and future directions of the organisation and to ensure that the organisations operational actions meet those expectations.

 

Not sure if we are not still operating on the old model.

 

Pete

 

 

[Keith Page]

Hi Airsick

 

I wish you very well for your nomination for the board and may you do well with the votes. So we can vote. Who are you in real life?

 

I have had a couple of dollars worth of aircraft stuck on the ground too, hence I can comprehend how vulnerable we are.

 

I am doing things for RAAus and it is a good task it is something all members can enjoy when comeing to QLD, (I do not run about bragging) , one does not have to be out in the public eye to be doing something constructive, to be seen and heard is for the people with large egos.

 

re, Middo has anyone stopped and said "Oi! Middo you are going the wrong way" then explain - instead of just bagging or thank him for the correct things.

 

Big plus -------- Middo was democratically elected as secretary, I can not see anything wrong with that.

 

Regard,

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Captain]

re, Middo has anyone stopped and said "Oi! Middo you are going the wrong way" then explain - instead of just bagging or thank him for the correct things.

I did, Sickie did and we were 2 of about 300 other members that did when they called the EGM last February.

 

Well, we tried to, but I think that it fell on unhearing ears after it was said about 20 times during that meeting by members of the then Executive that 'We got it wrong, we made a mistake, we won't do it again, we'll set things right."

 

Did it make much difference until Rod and Jim got on the Executive? Not a jot.

 

Hopefully it will be MUCH better (governance and management) now.

 

 

[icebob]

Hi All,

 

Keith, I take you point about us all doing something, so I am, today in fact within the hour. I have a heap of old RAA magazines gathering dust unread, so some are off to the doctors with me so people waiting have something to read about our sport. Just a little contribution but I will continue this with every doctor, dentist or physio's waiting room I visit until all my old magazines are gone, a pity RAA didn't have a generic flyer we could put up all over?

 

Bob.

 

 

[timb]

To clear up a bit of the history, early in 1994 Rod Birrell was the Operations Manager, and John XXX (RAAF Edinburgh) the Technical Manager. Both these positions were part-time and located away from the AUF office. The Board determined to make both these postions full time, based in the office, and Paul Middleton was selected as the Operations Manager, followed shortly after by Harry Walton as the Technical Manager. Board members at the time included Doug Muir, Ashton Gough, Howard Lowndes, Ian Shaughnessy, Tony Witlox John McCarron & Tanys, Phil Vabre.

 

 

[Yenn]

Airsick. You mentioned government and the fact that the voters would be unhappy if they stuffed up. I hope you have been watching our recent governments lately. They don't seem to me to be a good recommendation as to how RAAus should be governed. There does seem to be the same amount of back biting in both government and RAAus. Maybe we should get Julia to run the show for us.

 

 

[Guest airsick]

Point taken Yenn but the fact remains - no matter how good our board has been in the first years of the association they have let the infrastructure decay to the point that it is useless to some of us now and potentially a lot more in future. I fly parachute planes at the moment and am able to continue chucking meat packets out to get my flying fix but I fear there are others that don't have this luxury and are effectively grounded while our 'politicians' keep playing musical chairs and politics instead of looking at policy with any real idea of how to stop the blood letting.

 

Something really has to change...

 

Keith - my name is Michael Monck. You'll see my election statement on this forum, in the magazine and on the RAA website.

 

 

[Oscar]

Many people are being polite, compassionate, sympathetic and extremely restrained in their comments. Now let's cut to the chase.

 

Under the (mostly) current Board, RAA has:

 

• failed to meet its contracted obligations under the Deed of Agreement, not just for one year but repeatedly;
   
   
  
• failed to keep its acceptance of aircraft for registration to the required standards;
   
   
  
• accepted documentation of acceptability/weight limitations outside accordance with the regulations;
   
   
  
• registered aircraft that had NO acceptable certification documentation;
   
   
  
• accepted aircraft registration classification as 'factory-built' when they were not.
   
   
  

 

 

The above are not trivial matters: people have died in situations when they should not have even been in those situations. This is not an emotive charge, it is a fact.

 

We have aircraft grounded, aircraft purchased that have no definite future of flying, aircraft that were believed to be, by their purchasers, to be two-seat usable that now are found to be single-seat only, if you want to go further than a circuit or two. We have aircraft that were acceptable for training that are now useless for that purpose. We have FTFs that cannot operate.

 

In addition: RAA has:

 

• failed to meet its financial reporting obligations;
   
   
  
• been placed in a situation where it has had NO nominated Executive presence, required for the discharge of its responsibilities under its Constitution;
   
   
  
• acted completely outside the rules of its Constitution;
   
   
  
• expended very considerable amounts of members' money on court cases that should never have come to pass.
   
   
  

 

 

In recent times, a certain member of the Board has unilaterally removed from the Operations Manual HP and LP and Human Factors against all other advice. This, in a year when RAA-class aviation fatal accident statistics has climbed disastrously.

 

That the past operation of RAA has opened the floodgates of CASA being reduced to threatening to withhold its subsidy to the organisation under the Deed of Agreement is not conjecture - it is a fact.

 

RAA stands on the cusp of either: having a management team capable of discharging its obligations, or being subsumed into the CASA-controlled VH-reg. milieu. I'm sorry, but the 'oopsy, we stuffed up' days are history - and bad history at that- and anybody clinging to the idea that a gentle nudge to the current mode of operation will suffice to keep RAA operating, is deluded.

 

There is a saying: 'if it aint broke, don't fix it'. RAA is broke, and it needs fixing.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Good Evening all

 

At long last we now have a new executive.

 

I must hasten to ask when are we going to see the Safety Management System ( SMS) and a Saftey Training Compliance Cordinator (STCC).

 

This is what started all this fuss, what I am hearing on the grapevine this has to happen very fast.

 

I must have the cheak and ask the new executive "What is this meeting with CASA next Wednesday regarding" ??????? Now be honest.

 

Can any of the board members answer this or can they?????

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.....

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Its hard to know exactly Keith, there have been so many "high points" over the last years they could choose to bang the table about......

 

 

[Tiger]

Great to see that Michael Monck (airsick) is running for the board in NSW. I got a magazine today for July with all the board nominations and read all about Michael. He reads like someone who has the knowledge of good governance and drive to make things happen on the Board and keep the other board members honest and on their toes.

 

This is the member we want there. Put in your voting slips and have your say. This year, perhaps more than any other we want you to put your vote in for the new members. We don't need old board members reelected, we need new, very active blood.

 

He has demonstrated previous board experience and his business indicates he is an adviser to big board. This being the case, RAA should be no problem for him to help sort out.

 

 

[coljones]

Hi All,Keith, I take you point about us all doing something, so I am, today in fact within the hour. I have a heap of old RAA magazines gathering dust unread, so some are off to the doctors with me so people waiting have something to read about our sport. Just a little contribution but I will continue this with every doctor, dentist or physio's waiting room I visit until all my old magazines are gone, a pity RAA didn't have a generic flyer we could put up all over?

 

Bob.

or you could try the local school library. get them young. or even a girls high school.

 

 

[turboplanner]

"What is this meeting with CASA next Wednesday regarding" ??????? Now be honest.

Who will be there from CASA Keith?

 

 

[Keith Page]

Good gosh Turbo I do not get all info in one go, some times I get fed on a drip. This is once.

 

I was hoping this new executive would have something, they would be bragging how good they are, just see how good they are.

 

That is why I asked about a time frame for the SMS when it would be launched.

 

What are they doing about appointing a STCC.

 

When I get a whisper of a snippet I will broad cast it. Don't stop you keep looking as well.

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Keith,

 

As I understand it the SMS has been rolled out to Flight Training Schools as a template - perhaps you could visit your nearest school and offer to help with it. For example volunteer to be one of the Safety Management group, help tidy up the processes, look for hazards etc. This could be particularly useful at small schools, eg CFI only schools where they don't have extra staff to call on.

 

The Co-ordinator for the SMS is who ever is nominated - could be the GM (who then directs his staff to "make it so"), or maybe a Board member who can then direct the GM. There are many ways to solve the problem.

 

Sue

 

 

[Keith Page]

Hi All,Keith, I take you point about us all doing something, so I am, today in fact within the hour. I have a heap of old RAA magazines gathering dust unread, so some are off to the doctors with me so people waiting have something to read about our sport. Just a little contribution but I will continue this with every doctor, dentist or physio's waiting room I visit until all my old magazines are gone, a pity RAA didn't have a generic flyer we could put up all over?

 

Bob.

Good idea Bob,

 

I will start on a brochure as of now -- Will take ages as there will be many remakes and when goes and asks for advice normally there will be little changes.

 

I think it should be aimed at young people and those who are procrastinating GA or RAAus.

 

Just sitting here RAAus covers *owner builders*hands on flyers drifters/thrusters* fabric covered metal frame*wood and fabric*composites*weight shift*metals*the magnificent $1ook sports planes.

 

Really is it to do with affordable flying, I think if we go that way we will be on a winner. When we get the people in the air they can make their own decision of which direction.

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Keith,As I understand it the SMS has been rolled out to Flight Training Schools as a template - perhaps you could visit your nearest school and offer to help with it. For example volunteer to be one of the Safety Management group, help tidy up the processes, look for hazards etc. This could be particularly useful at small schools, eg CFI only schools where they don't have extra staff to call on.

The Co-ordinator for the SMS is who ever is nominated - could be the GM (who then directs his staff to "make it so"), or maybe a Board member who can then direct the GM. There are many ways to solve the problem.

 

Sue

Good morning Sue,

I will follow up the template situation, for the next week work is in the way, however with some careful planning that will not be a problem.

 

Hazards:- I have a problem with them.

 

One day this was explained to me like this:- This gentleman said facing a cricket ball doing 110 kph is not hazard he loves doing that and I say that is dangerous.

 

It is what we perceive as a hazard. What one deams life threatening and an another calls it childs play. (For me it is the cricket ball story.)

 

So after that bit of woffle it boils down to training and training for scenarios and staying within the envelope.

 

Regards

 

Keith Page

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

or you could try the local school library. get them young. or even a girls high school.

Good point Col, Since when has having years of experience, and the knowledge/foresight that that brings, become a liability ?????.......when I visit a doctor I like to at least see that the guy has had his first shave !...........Maj....

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Hazards at Stark field up here in North Queensland for instance would mean levelling of acres of nasty looking trees around the airport, plus the culling of hundreds of wallabys and roos that love to fed on lush green grass that only the runway offers. Then of course all the kite hawks and wedge tailed eagles would have to be shot out of the sky, don't want to hit one of those. And of course nearby Mt Elliot would need to be dynamited and levelled because it produces nasty turbulance on a windy day!.

 

Where does this idealistic CASA initiated BS stop and start. Hazards are part of the game that we all willingly embrace, they've always been there , always will be. Putting together some SMS manual which "recognises "them won't change a thing. CASA cotton-wooling and waffle at it's finest !......................Maj...

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

Great to see that Michael Monck (airsick) is running for the board in NSW. I got a magazine today for July with all the board nominations and read all about Michael. He reads like someone who has the knowledge of good governance and drive to make things happen on the Board and keep the other board members honest and on their toes.This is the member we want there. Put in your voting slips and have your say. This year, perhaps more than any other we want you to put your vote in for the new members. We don't need old board members reelected, we need new, very active blood.

 

He has demonstrated previous board experience and his business indicates he is an adviser to big board. This being the case, RAA should be no problem for him to help sort out.

If I were a NSW voter I'd be going for Barry Wrenford. A quiet spoken achiever with a vast amount of experience behind him. He''s certainly no 'Johnny come lately'..!...........Maj...

 

 

[Keith Page]

Hazards at Stark field up here in North Queensland for instance would mean levelling of acres of nasty looking trees around the airport, plus the culling of hundreds of wallabys and roos that love to fed on lush green grass that only the runway offers. Then of course all the kite hawks and wedge tailed eagles would have to be shot out of the sky, don't want to hit one of those. And of course nearby Mt Elliot would need to be dynamited and levelled because it produces nasty turbulance on a windy day!.Where does this idealistic CASA initiated BS stop and start. Hazards are part of the game that we all willingly embrace, they've always been there , always will be. Putting together some SMS manual which "recognises "them won't change a thing. CASA cotton-wooling and waffle at it's finest !......................Maj...

OOK Maj.

 

Look at our cousins across the ditch some of them have a runway which is very short is up and down and on the side of a cliff now add wind into that, some Australians are spoilt.

 

For Stark field that is a case for training and stuational awareness, live with it. What about the wind at Birdsville?

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.

 

 

[Captain]

Good Evening allAt long last we now have a new executive.

I must hasten to ask when are we going to see the Safety Management System ( SMS) and a Saftey Training Compliance Cordinator (STCC).

 

This is what started all this fuss, what I am hearing on the grapevine this has to happen very fast.

 

I must have the cheak and ask the new executive "What is this meeting with CASA next Wednesday regarding" ??????? Now be honest.

 

Can any of the board members answer this or can they?????

 

Regards,

 

Keith Page.....

Whose being negative now Keith?

 

So in a complete roll reversal between you and I, I say, how about you give the new President and Treasurer (and even the recycled Secretary) a chance to get matters progressing their way before you start asking them to "be honest", which insinuates incorrectly but in your usual way, that they may be considering being "dishonest".

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

What I'm saying Keith is you can recognise or "manage" rick factors all you like. It doesn't change things one iota, other than talking about them till the cows come home. All it might do is give you and your instructor a warm fuzzy feeling, but bottom line is those "unmanageable" risks will always be there unless you park the Warp borer an go home to watch TV................Maj...

 

 

[Guest airsick]

If I were a NSW voter I'd be going for Barry Wrenford. A quiet spoken achiever with a vast amount of experience behind him. He''s certainly no 'Johnny come lately'..!...........Maj...

The important thing is this:

 

We don't need old board members reelected, we need new, very active blood.

The old guard has proven that they are out of their depth. Whether it is me, Barry or someone else it doesn't really matter. One thing is for sure though - if we keep doing what we've always done then we will keep getting what we've always gotten. And that's not a good result.

 

Make up your own mind on the candidate you are thinking of voting for but ask yourself this. Is the guy that holds the position now the one you want to hold the position for the next couple of years. History speaks volumes and I urge everyone to listen to it...