Bill Hamilton says the US has a
better safety record than Australia.12
statistics for Australia v. USA –
the ones based on ICAO standard
definitions, not the very self-serving
and selective definitions that are used
in Australian air safety propaganda,
for propaganda is what it is!!
Quote Kylee: “We have a better
safety record than they do in the
USA, which proves our system is
better than there’s (sic).”
Well, Kylee, what are you going
to say when I tell you that the
Australian GA accident rate is
about three times the US rate, and
deteriorating. The US rate continues
to improve, as it has done in the last
25 plus years. At the end of the last
century, the Australian GA accident
rate was “only” double the US rate.
Please check with the US NTSB and
the ATSB published figures if you
don’t believe me. Not CASA press
releases; just the raw facts. Also have
a look at the airline accident rates,
(again using ICAO definitions) you
will be unpleasantly surprised.
Quite simply, the US has the
best air safety outcomes in every
statistical category. Air safety is a lotmore than just heavy jet fatalities.
Given Australia’s benign physical
aviation environment, we should be
better than US. We are not!
As to the Forsyth report,
perhaps Kylee you might like to
consider why a number of major
operators, including Qantas/
Jetstar and the Virgin Group
airlines, plus other smaller
airlines chose (as I did) to put in
submissions that were confidential
and not for publication. Further,
you might like to consider why
every industry sector association
submission was adverse to CASA.
The biggest single factor that
impressed the Canadian and UK
members of the Forsyth team
was the fact that the nature of
the criticism of CASA, from the
major airlines, through association
submissions, down to the many
individual submissions, all were
essentially the same. The airline
groups have the same problems
with CASA as the GA sector.
Have they all got it wrong? It
is clear that the Forsyth reportrepresents the views of the great
majority of those active in the
aviation sector.
The most interesting outcome
for CASA, in the last six years, is
having achieved something new in
Australia: CASA has created an
industry consensus, and not one
significant sector supports CASA.
Quote Kylee: “CASA are (sic)
about safety, and you would have to
say they are doing a great job at that!”
Actually, judged on results, they
are doing a terrible job, and the
Minister has promised a number of
people, face-to-face, that virtually allthe recommendations of the Forsyth
report will be actioned. Could I also
recommend, Kylee, the aviation
speeches and Senate Estimates
Hansard records of, amongst others,
Senator David Fawcett, and the recent
Senate report based on the Norfolk
Island ditching of a Westwind.
Without a major cultural shift
in CASA, we will never equal
the outstanding air safety results
achieved in USA.
Regards,
W.J.R.(Bill) Hamilton
Past President and Technical
Director, AOPA.AirMail
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