BB - Thanks for some of the numbers. But the real numbers are the safety numbers. How many Airprox's,? How many collisions? How many discontinued approaches due to traffic impinging on the ILS? How many additional track miles were flown on departures due to proximate traffic? These are the real numbers. Does anybody have these? And how will they be influenced by the implementation of Controlled Airspace?
As for departures, whenever I've always climbed as per the standard company profile. It means that you have a reduced climb rate at 3,000' or so but after that you are briskly up to FL200 or so. I also hope that we don't have to join overhead at FL50 if we are IFR. That would be nothing more than a fuel wasting scheme - but having said that, it would be something truly worthy of NWI which has some of the most expensive fuel in the UK.
Don't get me wrong, I've got nothing against having more controller positions. What don't like is some prat with an MBA on the board of NIA trying to tell me that Controlled Airspace = Safety.
PM