Planspeaker
It is nice to hear you do the right thing - by the sounds of it you have your transponder maintained properly (with an accurate Mode C), you listen out to the barrage of radio chatter (which according to Dick you should ignore and watch the pretty little lakes and mountains below), and it even sounds like you speak up when you think you need to. Godd work. If only we could depend on
all VFR pilots to do likewise, it would be so much easier to pass traffic and get pilots talking to each other when they need to know they are in coflict. Unfortunately, in my experience, only about half of VFR pilots do what you do (more later).
As ****su-Tonka pointed out, let's imagine Class C airspace for a minute: IFR pay for a service, VFR do not. VFR calls for a clearance - nothing in the way - VFR gets clearance as requested. No delay.
This time, there is IFR traffic. VFR calls for a clearance. ATC will facilitate clearance to the VFR without significant delay to the IFR aircraft (yes, even in class C airspace, IFR can and do get moved around VFR - look at PJE as an example). Do you think it is providing a service to the paying customers (generally RPT, if not private IFR) to prioritise the VFR traffic?
Now bring in Class E airspace. VFR happily flying along. IFR is subject to a clearance. VFR is not. ATC does not provide a separation service, but provides traffic information - and facilitates "segregation" if necessary. Who has to move? The VFR traffic, if listening out, is often in a significantly different performance category that it would not even work if the VFR traffic tried to move for the IFR. So as it turns out, every time, without exception (in my experience since November 27), IFR traffic has had to maintain level or divert around known or unknown VFR traffic. So now VFR traffic get priority, by virtue of the fact that nobody apart from the pilot has the authority to move them.
But as I said before - good on you for doing the right thing. Except for the following example (which occurred to me recently): VFR was in E, overflying a D tower. A jet dpearted from the D tower, opposite direction to the VFR traffic. A broadcast was made, the VFR traffic identified himself, verified his level, confirmed his tracking intentions. Great stuff
Jet calls, advised of traffic, advises he will maintain a level beneath untill passed
Everyone is doing the right thing. About 45 sec. prior to passing, VFR traffic announces "we have the traffic sighted, and we are passed" to which the jet quickly replies "we also have the traffic sighted .... but we are not passed yet ... "
We depend on all pilots to see and avoid in AusNAS. Perhaps some pilots' definitions of "avoid" differ from others?
Dick
How do you reconcile the fact that those who pay their way in the airspace now have to move around those that don't? So not only are IFR operators paying Avchrges (even though VFR never had to anyway), but they are also wasting money in "lost efficiency" avoiding other traffic. And I can assure you, Dick, that the money saved by VFR aircraft tracking direct is offset by the fuel wasted by RPTs (including 747s) dirverting around unknown traffic. Well Done.
