Scran
My examples in relation to Canberra are correct. You can fly in from the north across the missed approach path into Canberra and get a clearance from Canberra tower (whose airspace you are in) to fly visually to Parliament House.
Obviously if an aircraft on approach to Canberra does a missed approach, it’s in your vicinity. Somehow Canberra tower can handle this – like controllers do all around the world in places other than Williamtown.
The Chaser
Target resolution is used in all Class C airspace in the United States. The controllers have told me if they did not use target resolution procedures, they basically would not be able to operate Class C airspace safely.
Please understand that under ICAO in Class C, IFR must be separated from VFR.
The FAA has not notified a difference in relation to Class C, so they consider the procedures they use in Class C to be control procedures and have the controller responsible for separating aircraft.
Yes, I agree – it’s not three miles. It’s as you point out in the documents you have posted.
Of course, they do give traffic to each aircraft. When I am flying at flight levels, controllers normally give me traffic of someone crossing or passing at a nearby altitude. It’s just courtesy and adds to safety if someone has made a mistake. It does not mean the controller is not responsible for separation.
I say again – these Class C procedures would be ideal for Williamtown which does not have mosaic radar and as far as I know is using a single head for aircraft that are in close to the field.
Or, as I mentioned before, why not give the tower some airspace so it can control traffic like they do at Sydney airport. You are not separated there if you are in a helicopter by three miles from an IFR aircraft – they have some quite modern procedures similar to what is used in the United States – that’s if you have the right controllers on duty.
Peuce
You say aircraft certification has nothing to do with air traffic control procedures, however I am giving an example of where people in the bureaucracy have maintained that something shouldn’t be changed for many years and, when it is, it’s widely supported.
If we can accept the US certification standards, why can’t we accept US-enlightened procedures for Class C?
Once again I see all these posts about maintaining the status quo. Once again, I’m not criticising workface air traffic controllers in the military. I feel extremely sorry for them. They are treated as second-rate people, not allowed to make responsible decisions that their colleagues make every day all around the world.
One day this will be fixed. Until then, I wouldn’t recommend people join the military because it’s clear that some of the procedures are up to fifty years out of date. This is nothing short of criminal, as far as I am concerned, when lives are at risk.