Nugpot, What?
You have got to be kidding me. "keep your comments limited to something that you actually know about" ?!?
Honestly, go stick your head in the toilet.
You can't force an aeroplane into the air with a NOTAM, no. But you can use it to follow legal proceedings after the fact.
IF they didn't want to fly to FADN, they should not have bloody well gotten in the air in the first place, or done what any pilot is required to do when they can not follow an instruction, ask for a different one.
They could quite easily have transfered to FAJS, FAPE, FAEL, FAGG, FACT, FAUP or FAKM and FABL.
The NOTAM was sent in time to meet the required AIRAC cycle, so there is absolutely NO excuse for getting to FALE and then crying foul. The status and availability of FADN was know and avilable for ages.
What you are saying is like an aeroplane demanding to land on a runway that's NOTAM'd shut. Or whining about having to get a FAC number.
IF your boss is to frikken pig headed that he wants to fly his private jet into a field that has published retrictions for time on the ground, AND THEN NOT STICK TO IT, he can actually suck up his $50 million jet being moved somewhere else.
ACSA dropped the ball by not 1) closing FALE once they hit max. 2) not enforcing the 30 min for medium turn around time.
The operators screwed the pooch by only arriving the day of the game. HELL and high water the capacity of Durbs is 24 movements/hour the simple number of aeroplanes trying to get in there meant they had to start flying in at about 4pm the previous day. The CAMU issued slots were running from 0300 in the morning. Go look at how many of your precious VIP/ bizjet owners used their slots.....
Errorplaneone
ATNS & ACSA have blamed their customers for the chaos. Let's put this in perspective:
Yes, lets.
So... they control how customers make use of their services, but then blame customers for causing problems because the very systems that were put in place to alleviate above-capacity demands have failed!
so a simple planning exercise would have meant space was easily reserved for the scheduled carriers who generate more cash annually for the state than a few once-off bizjets, and only excess capacity would be given away to private operators.
A system of exponential charging for private operators occupying unallocated slots in the air or on the ground would provide great incentive to operators to shift to other airports and also make money available to refund scheduled carriers for unnecessary diversions, holding etc, and to ticket holders for missing soccer matches! (In an ideal world )
SO you think everything revolves around money? They would have got the guys whining about the FADN paperwork off the ground when the NOTAM clearly stated you get 30 min "free parking" otherwise the MANY will get screwed over by the FEW.
The same NOTAM that was pre planned, and published inside the required AIRAC cycle?
FADN was not the only option.
[What frustrated me on Wednesday was that light charters - King Airs and light jets were taking up space that was needed by aircraft carrying many times the number of passengers]
EXACTLY. The same bloody "light jets" that were meant to drop and go that didn't.
THIS IS AN OPERATOR ERROR. The plan was in place, the players, the guys holding the stick messed it up.
They weren't following the plan. "looking after your equipment" by contravening the NOTAM does NOT give you free reign to then shout at perceived faults in the system IF YOU MESS THE SYSTEM UP.
But what do I know. I only fly single engine planes. I've only managed to make it to airshows with small arrival windows, and stuck to schedules, odd parking instructions and the like. Obviously the lack of oxygen in bizjets and flying busses destroys braincells.
You know what? Continue shouting at the guys who put plans in place, and don't blame the people who actually messed the plans up, that's good airmanship.
Hope I never actually fly in the same airspace as you guys.