200th infringement

[TC_LTN]

I have read all this with interest. The acrimonious attitude demonstrated by the interchanges between Alan and Bose is thankfully not typical of the relationship between GA pilots and ATCOs IMHO. Pilots and controllers that I have the privilege of speaking with about the issue of infringements are generally very close in their perceptions about the causal factors and possible solutions to the problem. 'Electronic' dialogue, while a very powerful medium, is not always best a resolving what appear to be polar opposed attitudes. I suspect if Bose was to plug in with Alan on Thames Radar for a few hours he would quickly understand why your average ATCO (not suggesting you are average, Alan ;-)) has a healthy degree of cynicism about the abilities of your average PPL (which Bose has assured us he is far above in the food chain ;-))

I would like to contribute to the debate with a couple of issues which are close to my heart;

1. I personally, have absolutely no doubt that the ability to navigate by your average PPL has diminished dramatically over the past 18 years or so I have been providing a radar service. More worryingly, this diminishing ability is being perpetuated by declining standards in our instructors. My assessment of this is based on the fact that while providing a LARS service for approximately 12 years I had cause to file a report on one instructor who managed to conduct an entire general handling exercise inside controlled airspace, without a clearance. Conversely, over the past 2 years I have found it necessary to report infringements involving instructors on approximately seven occasions.

2. The provision of a comprehensive LARS service around the LTMA would have a fundamental and dramatically positive effect on the number of infringements of controlled airspace. This service would not only be capable of 'holding the hand' of a pilot who is struggling with the complexities of navigating around exceptionally busy and demanding airspace dimensions but would also provide the capacity to accommodate transit clearances in circumstances when the the 'zone' controller has airspace capacity but not capacity within his/her workload.

Both of these issues IMHO require the positive and decisive intervention of the CAA. Syllabus and standards need to be immediately reviewed and monitored. Enough data must surely be available from infringement investigations to indicate exactly where the present training regime is lacking. A comprehensive system of retraining and re-examination for EVERY infringing pilot would address immediately those people whose poor standards are readily demonstrable while fundamental revision of the biennial flight review and examiner assessment would address the root cause.

ATC service providers may choose to bite the bullet and simply provide a LARS service around the LTMA if the situation continues to deteriorate AND they believe, as I do, that the provision of the service would be a very positive method of addressing the problem. It is however, incredibly difficult to resource given the on-going shortage of radar controllers and very expensive given the fact that traditionally the remuneration generated for LARS is nowhere near what is required to cover the cost of provision. This, however, should be no excuse for the CAA to not direct the service providers to provide this service given the extent of the 'problem', the complexity of the airspace and the diminishing ability of busy controllers operating within controlled airspace to provide anything other than their basic 'contracted' service to IFR traffic.

Even given the relatively large amount of effort devoted to increasing awareness of the infringements issue amongst ATCOs and pilots, the figures continue to increase disproportinately as does the problem to the extent that I really fear some catastrophic event will be the catalyst to generate the decisive action which the CAA should be instigating NOW.