Once again, posters completely ignore the fact that other countries like the USA – with about thirty times the amount of traffic in a similar land area – can move to ICAO airspace classifications for their military airspace.
This is a major safety issue, as it shows any pilot what service they will be given and what separation standards apply in the airspace.
Yes, I too have heard that civilian traffic receive a Class C service in our military airspace at places such as Richmond. But why not say this? In fact, I have found the service in Richmond at low level is more similar to Class D.
I put it to all of you once again – anyone in the services is being shockingly let down. If the leadership is so pathetic that it can’t even agree on international airspace classifications, it is obvious it will have difficulty in making decisions where people’s lives are at risk.
I will say it again – with the obvious lack of leadership in the military, I would wonder just how many unnecessary deaths are being caused because of this?
In relation to Richmond, I can remember the days when you were not allowed to get a clearance into the airspace without first phoning some person at the Richmond Air Force Base. I purchased one of the first “007” phones and put it in my helicopter so I could call from the chopper. I think they saw I had out-manoeuvred them and from that point on you could actually use a radio to call in for a clearance.
The telephone requirement remained for something like fifteen years and was only changed when they realised they had been out-manoeuvred. These people are a disaster for their service personnel and it is absolutely imperative that this be exposed.
Any holding I get is completely irrelevant to the major issue.
What I see is people on this thread who desperately want to attempt to keep the status quo. But for some reason the Air Force are not still flying around in DC3’s – they’ve moved ahead.
I’m sure we have all heard the criticism of the joint strike fighter project. Let’s hope that criticism is not true. If it is, our forces will be let down once again by gross incompetence.