Just a reminder gang, that we are all on the same team.
Had a lighty bust airspace today, no response to calls on APP/TWR/Area freqs, but s/he obviously realised their mistake as, after heading straight for us for 15nm, they suddenly did a dirty dart east about 3nm north of the airfield. Whether they heard a call and finally clicked that it was them being chased, or just regained their bearings and headed off in the right direction doesn't really matter. They still spent over 10 mins and 25 track miles in CTA without a clearance and descended from A045 to A025 (non verified).
We tracked them down when they landed at a nearby GAAP airfield and asked the TWR there to give them our phone number and ask them to call us. No call. As we have their callsign, I can't understand why they wouldn't call? If they did, we would be able to have a conversation about why they busted airspace (emergency/ignorance/nav mistake etc) and provide any information needed to help them avoid doing it again.
We still have to file paperwork on VCAs (for stats) but, after a discussion where we are satisfied that it was a genuine error which is unlikely to recur due to the education process, we can annotate that to the paperwork so that no further action is required. Ignoring us, means a "please explain" from CASA and a little black mark against your name (they add up). Plus, it's just rude.
It's not an "out to get you mentality" - it's a safety issue. Other acft were moved around to avoid an unpredictable track and unverified levels. So, please, if it was you - pick up the phone and let's deal with it so it doesn't happen again. We usually find you in the end anyway.....
