Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
I heard someone today say:Not saying that air traffic control is not a good thing, but how is this statement quantifiable?
If air traffic control save lives, why isn't there any air traffic control at e.g. Ballina?
If it helps, I pledge to get weather cameras installed at Ballina before an ATC tower! It’s on the list, approved for funding, but waiting for an assessment on the building to find the best spot… oh and an OK from the council. The Caiguna roadhouse is in the same boat.
Saving lives…. I’ve had numerous situations where people have been VFR over the top under the assumption it was clear at the other end. One chap in particular said that he checked the cameras during a long OTT flight and the destination closed in so he turned around before the point of no return. Admittedly he probably shouldn’t have done that in the first place, but we do what we do sometimes. He credited cameras with potentially saving his life from a VFR into IMC descent for which he was not skilled enough to execute.
There have been many times where I and many others have decided to simply stay at home and not bother even driving to the airport to go flying as it doesn’t look great at the destination. I’m keeping global warming to a minimum and saving people money is one way to look at it!
I have has some interesting conversations on the other end of the spectrum where for example a helicopter operator under contract at $120 per minute will refuse to look at the cameras before departure. They said they would rather attempt an IMC approach to minimums, try again, turn around and return to base. Why? They earn an income from flying, they get hours in their logbooks and the company makes money…