Leadsled
once again give in to possibly well intentioned but ill-informed sectional pressure groups
.
And exactly what do you three think you are...a very small
ill-informed pressure group.
You only think that you can get E over D up over Broome and Karratha is because there is nothing there now except a "detested" UNICOM in a CTAF.
If the threshold for establishment of a tower has been crossed then , by all means, go to a class D...However, establish the exact same airspace as would be implimented in the US, Class C.
Scientific studies have been done on similar EXISTING airspace. Not one study approves downgrading C to E For the Alice, Launi, Tamworth, Coffs or Rocky...In fact page 34 of the Alice study shows exactly where Broome and Karratha sit for the triggering criteria.
Reading through all this material...what it comes down to...you guys think class E will be safe because transponder requirments will allow TCAS equiped aircraft to detect a conflict....TCAS cannot be used for traffic mitigation....this is starkly bought into light with the Hyder review for Geraldton..That report
considers nominating a ‘Designated Transponder Area’ (DTA) in Class G
airspace to formalise and extend the Traffic Collision Avoidance System
(TCAS) protection afforded to PT aircraft from other aircraft that are fitted with transponders. CTAFs do not require any aircraft to be transponder equipped. Although AIP (ENR 7.1.2) specifies that ‘Unless advised otherwise by ATC or in accordance with para 7.1.9, pilots of Mode 3A or Mode S transponder equipped aircraft operating in Australian airspace must activate their transponders, and where a Mode C capability is also available it must be activated simultaneously with Mode A’. PT stakeholders have reported many instances where aircraft operating within the CTAF(R) were not transponding.
Another mechanism for requiring transponders would be to reclassify the airspace above the aerodrome as Class E. However this would require further in-depth safety studies.
Now why would class E be thought of this way?
Leadsled, I have had this argument tooo many times with you...If you want this type of traffic mitigation then push for ADS-B fitment...at least then those crews get protection from being able to ACCURATELY depict conflicting aircraft in both azimuth as well as elevation. TCAS is too blunt and NOT TO BE USED for this purpose.