The sky is falling, the sky is falling

[facthunter]

You could thin the ranks of Journalists by making them be truthful informed and balanced and not just write $#!T to sell papers. Just don't buy their papers if you don't buy their VIEWS. Good for your mental health and the trees they cut down. Nev

 

 

[pylon500]

It's time for the Newspapers to die, who wants to read week old news?

 

Anyway, sent my bit to both the herald editorial and binns himself;

 

Dear Sirs,

 

I feel I need to bring to your attention the grossly incompetent and inflammatory journalism being foisted upon you, and thereby your dwindling readership, by one Matthew Binns.

 

While trying to find more fuel to add to the Germanwings saga, and thereby doing the bidding of the copilot by furthering his wanted fame, this 'journalist(?)' has been granted a sizeable column in which to beat up public fear (already created by the media) about the private end of aviation within Australia.

 

The 'PILOT TESTS CREATE FEAR' article spread across Australia by the Herald Sun, and other peddlers of week old news, is completely out of context, and inferring by default that ALL cars drivers in Australia are borderline psychopaths and incompetents.

 

The private sector of Australian aviation is already under enough pressure from the empire building bureaucrats at CASA, striving for an un-obtainable one hundred percent safety factor.

 

The last thing aviation needs is the uninformed public jumping up and down to politicians about a perceived lack of study or testing of private and recreational pilots in Australia, while we still have the thousand plus a year carnage on Australian roads.

 

I know that the most dangerous part of going flying in Australia, is driving to the airport!

 

Regards,

 

Arthur Armour,

 

Senior Flying Instructor, for the last 28 years.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Should this be given oxygen then you don't think there could be a flow on? Only takes one of the no policy senators trying to make a name for themselves to give this rot underserved credibility.

It already has been given oxygen - didn't make the papers again, didn't get on Current Affair (Deranged Beasts in Leather Helmets etc), it hasn't been on talk back shows.................................

 

 

[turboplanner]

Yes, although I don't think he knows that, but then he goes on to connect pilots flying on a driver's licence medical with:1. the alleged fears suddenly created in nameless professional pilots as a result of allowing RPL pilots into the air

 

2. pointing out the `unfortunate timing' just 6 months prior the airbus pilot's murderous suicide (hard to see the connection there, but he's trying to make one anyway)

 

3. implying that RPL holders may well be nutcases likely to bring airliners down with their winged weapons

 

4. ignoring the constraints that CASA has applied to prevent many people from actually getting the GP medical (obviously hasn't done his research)

 

5. Quoting (more likely misquoting) some clinical psychologist saying that while we can't really be sure that depressed commercial pilots won't slip though the screening process, that's not too much of a problem because the real psychopaths will probably be found among the ranks of the recreational fliers

 

6. That a tougher medical would weed out a third of recreational pilots (wasn't that the reason for introducing the `drivers licence medical'?)

 

7. Stating (without specific examples of course) that some pilots (presumably not just rec pilots, and maybe not even qualified pilots) have deliberately crashed into buildings and killed people (so he obviously saw the twin towers footage at least)

 

8. Summing up his enlightening article with a CASA spokesperson's comment that in fact recreational pilots are asked some basic psychological screening questions, thereby helping to refute one of the main points he was trying to make.

 

The whole thing is an incoherent mish-mash, and the less airplay it gets the better. However it wouldn't do any harm, although would probably be a waste of time, to sent this poorly informed reporter an email pointing out a few of his errors.

 

rgmwa

Just as a matter of interest, Journalists generally don't sit there thinking "I wonder who I can pick on today?" There is an endless supply of the "Outraged", the "troublemakers".

 

the "one policy wonders" and so on who send emails to the newspapers, usually along the lines that "the sky is falling". The vast majority are simply binned but now and again one gets up.

 

Based on your points above, I wonder which section of the industry the source of this story came from???????????

 

 

[frank marriott]

It already has been given oxygen - didn't make the papers again, didn't get on Current Affair (Deranged Beasts in Leather Helmets etc), it hasn't been on talk back shows.................................

Hope you are correct but the test will only be with time. It takes a while for a nobody to make noise in the Senate for example. As you infer though it might (and should) die a natural death.

 

 

[LittleWing]

What???? A newscorpse newspaper purposely printed an inaccurate story designed to install fear and feed peoples ignorances and biases???? WoW!!!

Watched "Bowling for Columbine" on SBS last night. Interesting as it suggests a correlation between the culture of fear that the media propagates and the US murder rate.