I note that most of the members of RAPAC who want the simple US type CTAF
Dick, I caught out AsA blatantly lying to RAPAC on Navaids in the Melbourne basin. I think CASA / AsA treats RAPAC with disdain and uses them just when they need to say they have had industry consultation.
One of the great unanswered questions is what provision AsA is making for navaid training / currency in the major training hubs around Australia.
Periodically, I go through the RAPAC minutes. I'd encourage everyone to do that and see how much their scope is limited. Try reading the November 2015 Victorian minutes regarding CTAF frequencies.
The guys on RAPAC I know are smart guys with good intent. But the information flow to RAPAC and the agenda is controlled by CASA / AsA.
I think one of the problems with our system is that we essentially have 5 levels of users, each with their own rules / protocols and each of these groups have very little understanding of how the others operate.
My 5 levels / groups are:
1. Airline / upper FL traffic
2. IFR / higher level / long distance VFR
3. VFR VH
4. RA Aus
5. Gliders
Some of this has been evident in this tread. Clearly the guys advocating jumping from one CTAF frequency to another don't cruise at my levels - let alone jet / pressurised levels. Its not often that a LSALT will allow me to cruise at a level that would have conflicting traffic - even if I wanted to. At my normal 8,000ft - 10,000ft cruise I have no benefit from monitoring CTAF frequencies with traffic that is below 3,000ft.
The much, much, much higher rates of pilots who are IFR rated in the US (aside from enhancing safety) mean that more people understand the broader system. CASA's discouraging of people gaining IFR ratings (via overly complex training, ADS-B, aircraft inspection regimes) is scandalous.
I don't know how the US deals with LSA. But my observation is that few RA Aus pilots have any idea of the normal VFR protocols and treat the radio like a car CB.
Recently, I was at a regional Victorian airfield listening to 2 aircraft from a prominent Moorabbin school on the CTAF frequency. They were over 20nm apart, but had long detailed discussions about what levels they should be flying to be clear of each other.
Something is very wrong with our system and / or discipline. But read the Nov Victorian RAPAC minutes, the the NSW ones and you'd despair that CASA will ever get their hands dirty and engage with the real issues of pilots.