Any one catch the Melbourne - "Herald Sun" piece today.
Who knows - it's interesting though, when the CASA super spin - voice is onto it before the ink was dry. Hear it's been on Sky News. Still a rumor network ain't it ??.
Melbourne's crowded airspace dangers
Updated: 09:31, Monday May 7, 2012
Melbourne's crowded airspace is leading to dozens of close calls every week, according to a dossier compiled by the Herald Sun.
The paper said planes too close together, unsafe landings and mechanical malfunctions are putting thousands of lives at risk in the skies over Victoria.
The catalogue of chaos includes smoke or fumes in the cabin, pilots tracking for the wrong runway or airport, and birds flying into planes.
Other issues include dangerous goods on board such as explosives and carbon dioxide cylinders, communications system crashes, incorrect data entry or settings on flight computers, and call-sign mix-ups.
Many of the incidents go unchecked because safety authorities don't have the staff or resources.
'Experts have warned the crowded airspace above Melbourne, combined with fatigued pilots and air traffic controllers, could prove fatal on a mass scale,' the newspaper said.
Australian and International Pilots Association vice-president Richard Woodward was worried that financial conditions were driving all airlines to cut costs, including safety expenses.
'When things get a bit pear-shaped, they don't have the skills to recover, Mr Woodward said.
But Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman Peter Gibson said it was wrong to link the number of reported incidents with safety issues.
'Aviation is an extremely safe way to travel,' he said.
Sorry - no link - Sky News crib. Poor old Journo's, someone should tell them how things are.