Ferris and others, the reason operating Class C is claimed to be no more expensive than operating Class E in Australia is because the Class C is not correctly manned.
For example, under the NAS, a Class D controller is responsible for a small amount of airspace – normally 4.3 miles in radius, up to 2,500 feet AGL. This is so the controller can concentrate on the airspace where the collision risk is greatest – i.e. close to the airport.
Let’s look at what happens in Australia. The single controller in the tower at a place like Albury not only has to be responsible for the Class D airspace to 4,500 feet, but also responsible for the Class C airspace to 8,500 feet. Obviously if there is circuit traffic including an airline aircraft, and suddenly someone calls up 40 miles away in the Class C airspace at 7,500 feet, the concentration of the controller must move elsewhere.
This is the whole secret to it. It is the reason the United States and other countries don’t turn their Class E above D into Class C. That is, the controllers would then be concentrating on a vast amount of airspace where the collision risk is small. They would also have greater responsibilities in that airspace – i.e. the separation of IFR and VFR procedurally.
Surely this is obvious, or are we going to wait for another incident like the one at Hamilton Island? Two airline aircraft were nearly put into each other there because (amongst other things) the controller was trying to hold other aircraft out of the zone – because it is so huge, and because we don’t use proper Class D procedures.
The ATSB at the time was so convinced that I was right that they refused to allow a release of the transcript of other aircraft talking on the frequency around the time the incident took place.
Some of the military people at the ATSB have their minds set in concrete, and basically they look backwards. They don’t even have the self-confidence to ask experts in other countries – say, the NTSB – on how we can actually do it better.
I will say it again. We will wait for the accident, killing 40 or so people in one of these Class D zones before we realise that to give one controller a huge amount of Class C airspace (as well as the Class D) is just going to increase the chance of an accident.