Jabawoky,
No, hasn't changed my opinion, but I must admit that operating in that area does present some challenges, some of the demands of ATC in the New York area certainly sort out the men from the boys. Over LaGuardia @FL210, then down to 2500' heading for a Carnasi VOR can be "really interesting".
What I was really referring to was the behavior of all too many Regional and similar pilots, and their assumption of:
(1) Anybody who is not IFR is a "blundering big smasher/Terry Toweling hatted low time and/or incompetent PPL"
(2) RPT has some form of absolute priority, and the demands to other traffic to accept the "rpt directions" to get out of the way --- aircraft to aircraft "ATC".
Have a close look at the CAAPs for 3 June changes, it's all there, in a very muted fashion, but nonetheless spelled out.
Some of the incidents on file, that I have, are really quite funny, in a macabre sort of way, from the offenders point of view, they never (very obviously) ever gave a moments thought to who might have been on the other end of the conversation.
The other end(s) has variously been: A very senior flying CASA executive, a very senior officer of (then) DoTARS, handling aviation policy, the crew's boss, their airline DFO, a very senior Treasury official, a very senior executive of Environment, handling aviation matters, a string of cases of pilots for the same airline on a day off ----- and so it goes on.
One that just about takes the biscuit was an "RPT" landing straight in downwind, contrary to much existing traffic, it was an airshow, with a suitable AIC & NOTAM. When questioned as to his blatant disregard for CAR 166 and the AIC/NOTAM, his reply was "but I'm RPT". That all in front of a very very senior CASA executive.
Always be very polite on the radio, you never know who is on the frequency.
As to the legislative power behind the enforceable bits of the AIP, various CARs or CASRs will state, re. a particular matter, such as VMC criteria, that CASA publishing the criteria in AIP establishes the legal basis of the criteria.
This was not always the case. For many years the status of much of the AIP was in legal limbo. The changes so far have helped a little, but (other than for a lawyer, and even for many of them) the regulations in their present state are a serious challenge to pilots and engineers --- and their continued careers.
The number of cases of becoming "an inadvertent criminal" (first mentioned in the "Lane" report of the mid 1980s) are all to many.
And, since 9/11, any such inadvertent "crime" will seriously limit your international travel, as one LAME found out when he wanted to take his children to Disneyland, and too many pilots have found out, when they thought they were going to US for training - and were denied a visa.
Tootle pip!!
PS: One of my favorites is a crew from a well known east coast regional, advising me that my estimates for Willy were all wrong, a PA 28 couldn't go that fast, and why was I flying at all, if I couldn't get something so simple correct.
Actually I had a GS of about 200kt at 2000, this mob didn't know the difference between a PA 28 and what I was flying, even the special callsign didn't trigger anything in their tiny minds.
Last edited by LeadSled; 12th May 2010 at 01:29.