Originally Posted by
Bodie1
Dick is right.
Ballina, not if, when.
I haven't flown into every airport in Australia but if Ballina is the benchmark for when a tower is needed its a low one. Never had any issues staying separated there. The RPT's just join a 10 mile final and huff and puff if they havent made sure every one knows how important they are to be in the rhs.of an a320
So it's easy to know where they are around and avoid. Sure they want to block out a whole lot of this beautiful area to the many recreational aviators who want to use it but why should they?Just more self importance signalling. Half the flight is just people commuting to the footy and there is an international airport just 40 minutes north. How many controlled airports do we need??
The overlapping airfields is the problem there..trying to get a word in sometimes. Not the traffic. Leave Ballina how it is in my opinion. Be nice to have a separate freq for casino and Evans though. (Evans might have no traffic soon judging by the big housing development sold at its southern threshold...rumour is the whole airfield was sold for aroumd $2.5m recently though council for some reason won't release sale price or conditions. I suppose because rate payers would be so happy with the deal there is a danger they would smother councilers with kisses. Australia needs an ICAC more than towers )
I think I'm in the minority thinking what we have is about right. I rarely have any real issues. Sure get a bit frustrated when traffic gets in the way in ctafs but then I.also get annoyed in controlled airspace to be vectored around forever. Maybe it's just in an aviators nature. Just enough of me. Way too many of everyone else.