Peuce, why won’t you address the main point that I am making? That is, that I accept that Class C airspace with proper staffing levels and radar is clearly safer than Class E. However Class C airspace that is operated as an “add on” to a lone Class D controller who is already overloaded clearly doesn’t add to safety.
Are you suggesting that in Australia a controller at a place like Albury can adequately control all the traffic in the circuit area and on the runway, while also adequately separate IFR and VFR up to 45 miles away – without radar and using some type of procedural means? Does this consist of a crayon and a ruler on a map?
I’ll say it again. Class C airspace is clearly safer than Class E if you have the adequate tools and staffing levels. If you run Class C at no cost to Airservices, by adding this extra workload to controller of the Class D below, you end up reducing safety in the Class D airspace where an accident is 100 times more likely to happen.
It is interesting how no one will comment on this. It hasn’t come from me – it has come from professional controllers from Australia and around the world. Even if you don’t agree with this, please at least address it.
I mentioned previously that when I was in the USA, controllers that operate Class D to 2,500 feet claimed that to put Class C above without radar and without extra controllers would clearly reduce safety. Why do they have such a different opinion? Why wouldn’t they want to have Class C above? Why wouldn’t the pilots in these countries want to have Class C above being controlled by the one controller who is doing the Class D below?
The answer is simple. Commonsense alone – let alone professional judgment – shows that such an airspace is an accident waiting to happen. No, the accident won’t be in the Class C airspace above, it will be in the Class D airspace. This is because the controller has diverted attention from aircraft close to the runway in order to separate an IFR and VFR aircraft that might be 40 miles away, can’t possibly be seen, and because there is no radar there is no real idea of where the VFR aircraft is.
I still find it amazing that Australian air traffic controllers would not insist on the Minister’s directive going ahead – i.e. that an approach radar system be provided where Class C airspace exists.