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It is always nice to get morale boosting letters from readers And one such letter we received recently was of extra significance to us. It seems we weren’t the only ones aggravated by the July edition of the ABC’s Four Corners programme (refer p. 8 Nov 85 AA) which launched into a flourish of untruths concerning the F-18 Hornet. Sir James Killen was quick to thank us for showing the other side of the coin and defending the many hard-working RAAF people who have made the transition of the Hornet into Australian livery a smooth and highly professional affair. Killen himself appeared on the show in question and was greatly upset at the manner in which his comments were edited and taken out of context in the final version of the programme.

From a technical viewpoint, it is always disheartening when one sees major events used purely as a means of gaining a dynamic headline. Therefore it was with great disappointment that I endured ABC’s new 7. 30 Report on the night of the tragedy of Shuttle Mission 51-L. The show’s producers seem to lose sight of the fact that all space technology, and in particular the Shuttle programme, is at the very leading edge of technology. Their tirade on how it has largely been a failure is difficult to comprehend considering the previous two dozen successful (indeed unique) Shuttle missions and the relative frequency with which its rival, Ariane, has experienced major problems. It would certainly be a pleasant change to see reporters with a little more technical expertise commenting on such highly complex programmes as the Shuttle rather than merely denigrating it as a failure due to one, albeit, tragic event. It also seems ironic coming from an organisation that night after night cannot even broadcast a half hour news bulletin without a myriad of technical snafu’s. Imagine what a field day they will have when, inevitably, the first F-18 crashes’

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