Perhaps Grumpy would like to add something else constructive?
Sorry about the delay but have been away on 4 day trip.
Unfortunately I don't diary the litany of TL "incompetence" but will try to pluck some out of the air. My company flies into TL at least six times a week and has done this for at least the last twenty years or so (I have been flying into it for the fifteen years I have been with the company).
The latest was about 10 days ago. In the morning from start of taxi until line up 23 mins. That same afternoon from taxi until line up 27 mins. Come on fellas, not good enough. No more than 3 arrivals both times. Put TCAS onto max range to see what was coming and bugger all.
Routinely held at holding point Alpha one (called ready) while an aircraft on approx 8-9 mile final is then cleared to land. TCAS shows nothing to the east in the direction of departure.
We don't have the problems at Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton or Brisbane that we regularly have at Townsville. All the other blokes in my company are of the same opinion as myself. I have canvassed the opinions of mates with Virgin and Sunnies and they all agree, Townsville is not good.
Last year enroute from Mackay to Townsville we were cleared to 7000' (VFR conditions). We were told that traffic was another aircraft on a reciprocal track at 6000'. Sure enough the TCAS confirmed this. The other aircraft traced down the TCAS screen towards us. There was no other aircraft within a 15 mile radius of us. The other pilot remarked at the time "fcuk, don't these clowns know what a vector is". Consequently we ended up over the top of the airfield at 7000' and had to do a spiral descent onto 01 . Fcuking pathetic.
These are but a few instances that I can think of off the top of my head but there are many more. When a few years ago it was announced that TL controllers were going to Iraq to train the controllers at Baghdad airport, this created much mirth at my workplace about the poor bloody Iraqi's. This turned to some dread when we realized that it probably meant the B team was being left in charge at TL.
I'm sure the guys at TL are wonderful blokes, kind to their mothers and like cats and small dogs, it's just as ATCO's they're not real good.
ps, just remembered , on the odd occasion Caribou, C130 and B350 crews transit through our base at Cairns. One of the blokes I work with asked a Caribou crew what they thought of TL ATC and if they were stuffed around like the rest of us. The answer and I quote "they're ****"
