Dick,
I certainaly agree with your comments about trying to go through/over/around Williamtown, and certainly share your enthusiasm in trying to bring the story to a close, but I have a few small points about your post -
On the night of the accident (9th August, 1981), the Flight Service Officer even asked the pilot if he wanted to try and get direct tracking over Williamtown. The Pilot agreed, however was quickly told there would be a delay. Imagine holding out there over the mountains in turbulent winds, waiting for however long it would take for the flight details to be sent to Williamtown and for the controller to provide the clearance – it was CAVOK at Willi at the time.
The controller had just provided a clearance for AZC, a C206 at 8000, the same level as MDX was requesting, and MDX was closing on him. He was offered 7000 or 9000, but declined it. The delay was only a few minutes, and wouldn't require much holding. Any holding that MDX was required to do would have been over the posistion that he was in at the moment, at 8000ft on a line roughly TAREE-NABIAC, practically over the ocean, where conditions were CAVOK and relativly smooth. There was a westerly wind blowing, but well outside of the range of the mountain induced turbulance. The place he finally elected to take up his original planned route was roughly over Nabiac. The decision to take up the original planned track was solely the choice of the PIC. The arguement about risk of SE flight at night or in IMC is for another place! We suspect that he was unaware at this point that his vac pump had failed (or was very nearly about to fail).
Also, remember in those days - and what’s not in the BASI Report is that the Pilot never, ever spoke to a radar controller - it was all going second and third-hand to the Flight Service Officer.
Whilst this may be factually correct, it did not contribute to the situation, and communications between Sector 1, FIS 5 and Williamtown Tower were communicated effectivly and promptly. The controller at Williamtown was operating inside the framework and left and right of arcs as dictated to him by policy at the time.
Hopefully we can bring this to a conclusion soon. If you want to discuss it with me at all, feel free to PM me!