This has been a very interesting read, thanks to those who've voiced their reasoning and not hidden behind motives.
My only concern is the attitude:
.....Elsewhere (Boondocks) ICAO G (Nil zip nothing) Specially for BIK and his pressurised Lanceair.....
taken to the airspace that inhabits a great percentage of this land across the interior. Why is it that from perhaps rather insulated positions in either the cities or suburbia, do some of you (especially those with the loudest voices), seem to forget that even though there may be nothing much on the ground (in your opinion) out here where I try and earn a living, the skies out here are reasonably near full of PC-12's, Metro's, Kingair's, Caravans, 146's, 737's and high performance piston twins and singles all trying to earn a living as well getting into and out of non-controlled strips and MBZ's. Why don't you check with the folks in the tower at Alice as to what sort of traffic flows they experience? They ought to have a fairly good idea as to peak times etc (as a great % of the traffic either originates from here or arrives back here). There is far more in the way of commercial traffic out here then private that's for sure. So why can't I get the same (or better) coverage of my flight then someone stooging around out the back of Sydney in a tomahawk?
Then there are the "migrating geese" (tongue firmly planted in cheek here), escaping the cold from schools down south etc who are getting out and amongst it in the bush, which is great to see, but they deserve as much help and protection from being lost as anyone alive also.
What I'm trying to get at is that is that this country has these dirty great designated remote areas on the ground, why should the airspace above it be treated the same? Surely those flying around out here deserve a bit of extra help (constant VHF coverage across the country at 4-5000' would be a fantastic start and an incredible leap forward in adopting a "mantle of safety" for those who have to traverse this country), and why is it so hard to spend a few million dollars and cover a bit more of the interior of the country with a couple of well placed SSR radar units (Mount Gillen, or even Mount Zeil at 5000+') would have to have enough elevation to be able to see 3-400 miles over the reasonably flat country out here.
It has to take those who make the decisions actually starting to look at the issue for what it IS..... The value of a human life (I didn't say
lives). When they can do that, and get away from this stupid notion that somehow the lives of those flying around out here are not as important as those flying around on the east coast, then the airspace reforms of this country may well begin to move ahead in a positive way.
Ausatco, I'm sorry mate, but I don't see where the vitriol was, only a post that perhaps cuts close, but not into you guys. I'm prepared to be told where I've missed it, though.
tobzalp, stop depriving a village somewhere of an idiot and take your self-serving crud away until you can find something either constructive to add, or an idea that might make a difference. Sniping like that is childish in the extreme. Twit.