Chimbu Chuckles, I think you will find the reason other countries don’t have frequency boundaries is so that pilots will concentrate on being on the CTAF frequency when in the approach and departure airspace of an aerodrome
What do they do for the 98% of their flight time NOT in a CTAF?
This alleged $100 million/annum saving from closure of the old FSO system?
Some back of the envelope musings.
Say there were 200 FSOs at any one time - earning say $60k (that was a lot of money in 1991) and say the total cost/employee was double that to take into account training/super/annual lve/sick lve etc?
Plus some infrastructure costs obviously, but given the nature of the beast fairly minor I would suggest. An office/FAX/computer (these days)/2x HF and 2 x VHF radios/phone line/printer and office consumables - Oh and a little weather station thingamy. For those posted remote a (very cheap and fully depreciated) govt house. In fact having been in a fair number of the briefing offices in those years I'd say the book value of those would have been bordering on zero too
I would have thought $35-40 million/annum would knock it over stone cold dead?
Where does the other $60-70 million/annum come from - would that be a 'rounding error' Dick - you aren't overstating the figures for the sake of your legacy are you?