Positive marks to JOhnm for admitting a mistake and publicising it for others to learn from. -ve marks to people who have a go at him.
This thread has similar undertones to another on this site and that is pilots do like to blame ATC. Isn't the goal one where you don't need to talk to a controller in order to fly from A-B? I don't want to talk to a damned controller most of the time, it gets in the way of just bimbling along and he might require me to do things that make me think.
Take a look at the Los Angeles Terminal Area chart. Now that is what I call busy airspace, nothing like that in Europe, I suggest. On the back is a nice diagram of the area with lots of lovely visual reference points, and thick blue lines with arrows and altitudes on them. These are visual routes which you follow in order to get through SOCAL airspace without having to talk to a controller.
The airspace is properly designed for both IFR and VFR traffic, and the chart makes it easier to see the edges.
SOrt the airspace out so we don't need to depend on the goodwill of a controller to get from A-B. That will reduce airproxes and infringements. Not bring it down to zero, but the only way to do that is to ban commercial traffic, and that will never happen
