Bme & Kta Nas
Late entrant into the NAS by stealth etc argument i know.
The fundamental difference between the system as proposed here and as it runs in the US is that in BME and KTA you aver a 100NM from the nearest radar. THAT is what makes the US airspace a lot safer than the crock that is being visited on us here.
If all RPT or even if all IFR hve TCAS is irrelevant, since none of them are the slightest good if the vfr in question does not have a functionig transponder, dont forget that most of the VFR aircraft flying into BME have just come off a dirt strip, only takes a stone sometime since the last time it was checked.(Checking usually comes about when an RPT (WHO ONLY KNOWS ABOUT HIM BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN GIVE TRAFFIC) fails to pick him up on TCAS.
A 737 cockpit at 10 miles ibound is a busy place, (as is that of an E170/190, Fk100 etc), throw in a bit of cloud at A035 and you are flying an RN/RNAV/NDB approach and the very last thing you want is some un-notified VFR traffic who is not yet on the tower frequency to ruin a lo of people day. Can't happen?? How many mid-airs have happened in just that scenario in the US?? and that is WITH radar coverage!!!!
Unalerted see and avoid is putting a lot of confidence in TCAS....if it is that good why do we even have controllers??
I feel sorry for the controllers who will have to work these zones, they are being set up for a catastrophe which will not be of their making. They know the system that they are being asked to implement is unsafe, even CASA knows it is unsafe, that is why they will not do a safety audit on it. It is also unnecessary, CASA's own review of the Brome airspace, released less than 2 months before CASA DEMANDED that AsA put in a tower by 18/11/2010, stated that the current sytem was working well and would continue to do so for the next 5 years or until movements increased by another 10,000 movements. Please note that there was NO consultation with ANY of the stakeholders before this decision was taken. What kind of organisation goes against the results of its own review? This decision is an idealogical one only.
One last point, how many mid-air collisions have there been between two aircraft who were in reciept of a directed traffic information in Australia???? Find this number and compare it with the number of mid-air collisions in contolled airspace.....
Safe flying everybody, just dont expect it around BME after November 18