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[Lodown]

Ulm,

You mentioned RPT "think[ing] they 'need' ATC". Perception is everything. What they think they need is part of a safety case. If someone else doesn't think RPT needs ATC, then they are welcome to try and convince them otherwise. Getting them to agree to it is another matter.

It is not just the RPT operators that you need convince. The local councils of those airports you mentioned also have vested interests in the ATC services. You need to convince them too.

Your Porsche analogy isn't very accurate. I'm not the one with the Porsche. The few Porsche owners are the ones who have convinced the many ute owners on this dirt road that they need a 6-lane freeway from North America rather than just a sealed road and the trucking company operating on the same road should be the one to pay for it.

Can we afford a freeway and do we need one? How much will this cost us, both for implementation and ongoing running costs? Is it the right system for us?

The charging structure is vastly different in the US. I wouldn't expect many aircraft in the US would file VFR and actually fly unannounced IFR. How many aircraft do this in Australia to avoid fees and what impact would this have on a safety case? Australia also has a few pilots who avoid radio calls to escape airport charges. How many? What impact would this have? Maybe it is insignificant. How can you be sure?

Sectional charts cover the entire US and are updated semi-annually. The sectional chart presents a lot more information than the Australian WAC. What is the impact of NAS on Australian pilots flying with WACs updated every four years or so?

Another issue is ATC rostering. When the weather is clear, many pilots will be flying VFR with a reduced number of ATC. When the weather changes, then there will be an increased need for ATC. How do you roster for this without having extra controllers on duty during fine weather days and doing very little other than just being there in case "you need it" and not earning revenue? Seems to me to be a waste of resources.

These are just some questions that highlight the fact that you just can't selectively take pieces from a "proven North American" model and drop them into another system without supporting research. Maybe it can happen, but wouldn't you rather know as best you can before it was actually implemented?