PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - How does the new NAS improve Air Safety in Australia?
Old 28th Nov 2003, 21:48
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Aussie Andy
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Angel What deafening silence!?!

320/20:
and NAS only 2 days old
Well I suppose its when its new that you are going to get more people not yet "educated" that they need to have their transponders on above 10,000' (it was above 10,000' was it?)... If so I trust you duly reported this lack of complaince so it can be followed up appropriately.

Col. Kurtz:
we all await to hear from the supporters of the NAS, how safety is improved under the new system.
We seem to love our soapboxes on planet NAS a bit! I don't think you can suggest people aren't answering each others points in the reams and reams of argy-bargy and insult that's been verging - at times - on being a genuine debate in these fora... (now I'll get off my soapbox ...)

I think that there is a bit of a circular argument going on, and the stage has been reached when you guys just aren't going to see eye-to-eye here. So, you will fly the system and see how you get on with it and then deal with the problems - I think thats where we are now, right? For good or for ill.

But to try and answer the point you raise, as an outsider, I'm not sure that the argument that has been postulated is primarily that safety will be improved under NAS, but that the US system on which NAS is based is demonstrably safe enough, so, au contraire, the problem you seem to have is to explain why it is necessary to maintain what was a radically different system from that of almost every other jurisdiction on the planet which features what some would see as a number overly restrictive and inefficient practices - including lots of pilot-to-pilot broadcast and two-way chatter on wide area ATC frequencies. You may disagree, but the law (ok, regulations) of your land have changed in this regard, on the 27th, with the introduction of NAS2b...

At this point, the anti-NAS group tend to say Oz is unique because "in the rest of the world they have radar everywhere..."; then the pro-NAS group say "that's not true..."; and so the "debate" becomes circular.

Meanwhile, there is a point that has been made suggesting that there is a positive safety impact brought about by NAS (in addition to the reduction of chatter on wide-area ATC frequencies, which I know you won't agree with). The suggestion is that controllers responsible for Class D will, under NAS, be obviated of the need to also manage their overlying Class C sectors (where this was the case), and that this therefore means that they will be providing more focussed attention on the traffic closer to the airfield, and that as this is where more accidents have tended to occur, that this should result in a better safety outcome. To which the anti-NAS response has been that this alleged safety benefit will be offset by the perceived degradation of safety where Class C has been downgraded to Class E. And you won't agree, and again the argument has become circular.

I do not imagine that the above will resolve the debate: but I think it shows the falacy of the claim that "the silence is deafening" as arguments are being made on both sides: its just that you're not agreeing. This is compounded perhaps by some frustration, so you are getting all emotional (understandable if you passionately believe that safety will be degraded I suppose) which leads people to make such dramatic statements, I guess.

Does this help!?

Cheers all,



Andy
Aussie Andy is offline