Gundog01, you state:
The military operates within the legal requirements of CASA legislation pertaining to separation standards.
Remember the argument Dick, it is about government legislation not military procedures.
This is only partially true. For example, CASA has quite specific dimensions for Class C airspace promulgated. Nowhere does it show Class C going to 24 miles at ground level. The military has simply decided to take no notice of the CASA “standards” in this case.
Gundog01, if you are going to be good at your job (i.e. war fighting) you need to have people who are strong at leadership, have lateral thinking minds, and copy the best practices from anywhere in the world. They also need to be forceful enough to do what they say they are going to do – not just lamely copy some rule from 50 years ago from a pathetic Government bureaucracy.
It is the military’s job to comment when their actions are causing unnecessary risk. Why couldn’t they say that they are concerned about the unnecessary risk created for Australian families, and they are working with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to update the regulations so the risk can be reduced?
The reason the military does nothing is your statement:
That might sound a bit arrogant, but really, why lobby to change something that in their eyes (for this particular situation at Willy) isn't broken?
What they are saying is that it is not military lives that are at risk when they are holding a single engine plane with a young family out over the ocean, so why should they care at all?
It is interesting that when I, and other civilians, see a military person being injured or killed overseas, we are incredibly concerned – and many of us do everything we can to assist the families. What a pity it doesn’t work both ways.
In fact it does work both ways. Many of the military people I know are concerned about the unnecessary risk that is being created at Williamtown and other places, but believe they simply can’t do anything about it.
CaptainMidnight, I can’t remember what I actually said to Williamtown ATC, however it certainly wasn’t that I would refuse the instruction they had given me (i.e. to hold) as has been recommended by others on this site.