Christmas Scene Jar
I think it is a recently published theory that if you took all the airplanes in Australia and shoved them in a jar the size of australian lower level airspace and shook it around it would take 300 years for two to collide. This doesn't take into consideration the fact that airplanes tend to congregate of course. I'm with Gaunty though; it would be just my sort of luck to beat the odds and find one.
Creampuff, in my very limited experience, an Oz pilot can't just say "flying vfr in Oz you'll be denied an airways clearance 1 in 5 times". I'm probably wrong, but in my experience it just depends on the airport you're heading into, the time and day (read traffic flow) and the alignment of the solar system (read controllers mood). I've never been knocked back coming into Canberra VFR, yet have had to orbit outside ML for a half hour on a quiet night. Yet the other day outside Melbourne just listening, I heard ATC absolutely bend over backwards with an Indian phrasebook to try and help out a guy who just wanted a clearance to clip the edge of class C to save himself about 1 minute. There is no hard a fast rule. Same as UK.
I don't have an instrument rating, but one thing I was wondering was what would ATC say if they denied an already airbourne inbound IFR flight anyway? Once airbourne, say from a CTAF or MBZ, aren't you already sort of accepted into the system anyway? Would ATC tell you to "remain OCTA"? How would they seperate you from other IFR traffic without putting you into some sort of pattern? I guess what I'm thinking is perhaps getting an IFR AC to hold outside OCTA with no holding pattern (as is often the case) AND providing seperation is harder than just accepting the aircraft. VFR AC however they can just say "remain OCTA" and absolve themselves of responsibility temporarily.
I realise I'm asking questions in the big peoples area here. I've got a load off my chest though..