It is now becoming obvious that after Australia led the United States and other leading aviation countries by six years in the ADS-B mandate that there are now business jets which are flying non-ADS-B compliant and are being forced by Airservices Australia Air Traffic Controllers to fly at flight 290 or below in the non-radar airspace. Already I have heard that one plane was forced into very bad weather.
I just wonder how long it will be before there is a serious accident causing multiple fatalities because a business jet is not able to fly above the weather but is being forced by the Air Traffic Controller to fly in the middle of the worst weather possible. Especially with summer coming on and the wet season in the Northern Territory and some pretty horrendous weather conditions around.
I am sure there are those who will say that the pilot can use the radar to weave in and out through the big CBs, however it is not always possible to avoid the maximum turbulence this way.
If you look on
Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker! it’s obvious that about 98% of the time there are plenty of flight levels available in the non-radar airspace where these aircraft could operate and, once again, using
Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!, it’s quite obvious that non-equipped aircraft would be able to climb and descend with procedural separation standard.
I understand it’s not the ATCs who have refused to accept these aircraft, but a small group of “concrete minded bureaucrats” within the upper echelons of Airservices and CASA.
Of course, when the inevitable accident occurs because a bizjet has had its wings pulled off, I bet it will be the ATC who will be blamed or will at least have it on his or her conscience that the aircraft could have flown above the weather and been separated in an acceptably safe way.