Originally Posted by
malroy
... and there is the real issue. If you want clearance for VFR in C, or you want C changed to E, it is going to cost.
What makes you think it isn't costing VFR already?
If I want to go to Essendon to cover CTA on a flight review, it probably costs an extra $80 to go in and out via Westgate than a more direct clearance through CTA.
I heard what was obviously a training flight (with an annoyed instructor) denied a clearance into CTA. If that flight needs to be repeated to tick off CTA, it could easily cost the aspiring CPL an extra $500.
If it takes an extra 10 minutes to track around Melbourne OCTA instead of direct, at $300/hr that's $50. Look at all the aircraft that track OCTA from one side of Melbourne to the other and back e.g. student navs. That cost might be an extra $100 per flight.
VFR pilots are paying a truckload of money to make life easier for ATC.
What do IFR aircraft pay in enroute charges? If you charged VFR aircraft e.g. 100km of enroute charges at double the IFR rate every time they received a clearance, and clearances were available as freely as they are for IFR it would probably be a fantastic deal.