Bring it on!
While many of you have complained about Dick Smith's past and even the arguments he brings to these posts...I still need to see more "data" on the contributors before making any decisions.
It seems that Dick Smith and Mr Caplehorn and Mr Dumsa are able to reveal their full identities; why nobody else?
Is it really in the spirit of the Australian safety culture to be frightened to speak up on a national safety concern with fear of reprisaltry action?
Dick Smith has addressed this with concern and it bears considering.
Having flown extensively in The USA, Canada, Central and South America, Australia and New Zealand I can say without question that some of Dick Smith's statements have been correct regarding properly implemented Class E Airspace. When flying out of Sun Valley (Hailey), Idaho, we don't get radar coverage until almost 13,000 feet from Denver Center. Jackson Hole, Wyoming is another one and there are quite a few more I can name. The system is dependent upon "one in and one out", just as many of you have claimed, and is done through tower coordination with a radar Center control facility.
We can do VFR climbs, but that's where Class E Airspace fails miserably. By allowing VFR into IFR with no ATC seperation, nor mandatory communication, we might find ourselves in near collision risks with VFR traffic, even when operating IFR from those airports.
The drought afflicted West and Southwest has sometimes produced the worst bush fires I've ever seen. Visibility can go to about a mile, even in the lower flight levels. There's always some bright spark in a P-210 who insists on not talking to anyone and going VFR in the aforementioned conditions. Last year, after leaving Sun Valley, Idaho, I had the pleasure of nearly hitting one!
Class E airspace does not work without radar monitoring and full traffic participation-period! It never has, and it never will. Class E airspace without radar is merely an extension of an outmoded philosophy of "affordable safety."
I am not keeping score on this issue. The prize is far greater than anyone's pride! This is about stopping the confusion and improving upon the safety of a nation's treasure-it's safe skies.
The Dick Smith bashing simply must stop, if we are to proceed in a functioning dialect that moves us forward towards a solution. If you want the industry to succeed in Australia, you cannot continue to look backwards or even laterally. The airspace in America is fairly safe, I think there is still room for improvement.
What better way for the Americans to learn, than from the leadership of the Australians as we try to find innovative solutions to seperation in remote regions.
Let's get on with it!
Last edited by Chris Higgins; 19th Jun 2004 at 15:50.