Originally Posted by
whowhenwhy
Lissart, the points that you attribute to EASA in your post (e.g. class E not being used for aerodromes) are actually ICAO SARPS and PANS. EASA is only acting on behalf of the EC to propose the transposition of ICAO materials into EU law (Implementing Rules) and to develop the associated AMC and GM. Class E airspace can be used around aerodromes but only as a control area, control zones must be class D or 'above'.
You are quite correct. So, given these ICAO SARPS etc, and the forthcoming implementation of them in the UK, what are the airports currently operating ATSOCAS in Class G supposed to do now? There are three choices open to them:
1/. Continue to operate in class G but downgrade their current ATS to FIS only. The repercussions of this are obvious.
2/. Apply to the UK CAA for class D, which is possibly unlikely to be approved.
3/. A hybrid solution: Convince the CAA to grant class D classification to the ATZ itself - so a radius of 2.5nm for the bigger airports - with contiguous class E control areas to protect departure and arrival routes. This would mimic what happens in practice at the moment. But I have no idea if this is even possible as a solution or acceptable to the regulator.
Clearly if these changes are going to happen - and everyone is saying that they are - there is a massive change coming. Short of substantially increasing the total amount of class D - which is unlikely and unpopular with the GA community - there seems to be limited solutions available to be allowed to retain Air Trraffic Control services (both Tower and Approach) at these airports.
What is the answer then....?