Originally Posted by
dick smith
Can someone put it up on this thread.?
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority is under fire over its handling of changes to the radio frequency used by light aircraft in uncontrolled airspace at some small airstrips.
Victoria’s regional airspace and procedures advisory committee was worried enough about confusion over the changes that it warned they posed “a serious safety risk’’ and it asked CASA to convene a summit to explain them. But CASA says it has already moved to address the issues raised.
The changes were introduced in May last year and amended this month. They mean that aircraft operating into airports without a discrete common traffic advisory frequency, the radio frequencies on which pilots tell each other of their position and intentions, are now required to broadcast on the frequency en-route air traffic controllers use to talk to airlines flying at high levels. The move mostly affects uncharted agricultural and country landing strips.
A meeting of the Victorian RAPAC was told the change was so poorly managed that most light aircraft pilots were unaware of it.
“It was pointed out that had there been any industry consultation prior to the change, the risk of accidental jamming of air traffic control instructions to airline traffic could have been clear,’’ committee representatives told The Australian.
RAPAC members also see the way in which the changes were announced as part of the problem. They say they were announced in the airservices information package, which is generally not used by the visual flight rules pilots, but not in other places such as the visual flight rules guide.
As a result, even CASA admitted there was confusion and many pilots were still using the multicom frequency.
Victorian RAPAC member Dick Gower said he had been in touch with other committees around Australia “and they’re all saying the same thing”.
The Victorian RAPAC has put a series of questions to CASA on matters such as what issue the changes were trying to address and whether the authority was complying with its own requirements to consult with industry.
A CASA spokesman said the regulator had the advisory publication and information booklet on civil aviation regulation 166 to include information on the issue. A notice to airmen had also been issued and CASA aviation safety advisers include this information during presentations to pilots.
“If pilots are aware of frequency congestion this should be reported to the relevant RAPAC to request a frequency change such as a broadcast area,’’ he said.
The spokesman said pilots should use the published CTAF frequency at non-controlled aerodromes with a CTAF and the multicom frequency of 126.7 MHz at uncontrolled aerodromes marked on a chart.
“At or near aerodromes not marked on a chart pilots should use the relevant VHF area frequency,’’ he said.
“Using the multicom at these unmarked aerodromes is not appropriate as other pilots operating in the area who are unaware of the aerodrome will be on the area frequency.’’
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