Air NZ's Safety Manager Helps Hijackers

You've no doubt heard of the 'curious' incident aboard Air New Zealand's Perth-Auckland flight NZ176 back in May...how two pilots were stood down after the captain didn't open the cockpit door for the co-pilot for two minutes mid-flight!

The story goes that, during the flight, the first officer left the flight deck for a widdle and had a coffee with a crew member in the galley. Air NZ's operational integrity and safety manager, Errol Burtenshaw: "Given the altitude of the flight, the captain donned his oxygen mask, as is standard procedure when one pilot exits the flight deck in a two-person flight crew." But when the first officer wanted back in, the crew member spent two minutes trying to alert the captain that his off-sider was waiting at the cockpit door. Burtenshaw says the captain failed to respond because he was approaching a navigational waypoint and his cockpit monitor showed a crew member was ringing, rather than the first officer.
Now, here's where Burtenshaw cocks up: "The first officer became concerned that the captain did not answer the calls and used an alternative entry method to gain access."
What the hell was Air NZ thinking, confirming to the world a security flaw in 777s?!! The consequences of this PR blunder, revealing that locked cockpit doors on 777s can be readily bypassed, will surely be immense. It let out a secret that the industry's been at pains not to discuss for years! The flaw directly compromises the security of the cockpit and critical electronic systems. The secret had been remarkably well kept, and with a few words, it's now blown!
Security measures will need to be put in place urgently, around the world. Well done, Errol Burtenshaw - you just earnt yourself 72 virgins in the Hereafter!

Charges May Be Laid At Former Police Station

Christchurch's former police station may be brought down with

explosives.
The 13-storey tower in the CBD was damaged in the earthquakes and police staff moved out in late 2012.
Ngai Tahu Property (NTP) chief executive Tony Sewell said implosion and traditional demolition were the two options being considered.
Ceres NZ was working with NTP: the company was contracted to assist on the August 2012 implosion of Radio Network House - the first controlled building demolition by explosives in NZ. Ceres NZ: "At this stage we are in the very early stages of consulting with the owners and therefore are unable to make comment about the potential demolition."
Hundreds of people crowded into Latimer Square to watch the 14-storey Radio Network building come down - the early morning implosion went without incident. Ceres partnered with Controlled Demolition Inc., an American company with a track record of more than 9000 implosions.
NTP owns the Christchurch city block bordered by Montreal, Hereford and Cashel Streets and Cambridge Tce - an area of about 15,500 square metres.
The former police station was built in 1973 and was the 6th.tallest building in Christchurch at the time.

Blue Whale Ain't Goin' Nowhere...

"Whale meat again...don't know where...don't know when..."

One hundred tonnes of whale is not something that can easily be disposed of - ha, not even for the Japanese!!!
A dead blue whale washed on to the rocky foreshore just south of New Plymouth last week...and that's where it'll stay.
The 19.5m whale washed up on Tapuae Beach, and is believed to be a blue whale or a pygmy blue.
Taranaki Department of Conservation acting senior biodiversity ranger Callum Lilley said it's been an interesting opportunity to get a closer look at the largest species on earth. Experts from Massey University have performed a necropsy "...however, once inside we realised it was really decomposed." There was nothing they could ascertain about the cause of the whale's death, except that there were no obvious signs of trauma.
Callum says because of the massive size of the whale it would most likely be left on the rocks at the beach. Its resting spot is far away from any easily-accessible parts of the beach.
Blue whales are known to feed on krill off the South Taranaki Bight. They have been spotted there over the last few years, much to the delight of scientists.