Bindook,
Typical post from you. Lay off. It's not the controllers fault. And others, this attitude of VFR being excluded is not becuase of the type of airspace, it's the attitude of senior ATC management. At the recent I endured a 10 minute rant and rave by Mike Smith and the Kings about how one could fly a 172 into LAX, land on a taxiway and go to a FBO for lunch after dropping off unsecured pax, and how you can't do that at SYD. The relevance to NAS? NOTHING. It's the attitude of the australian government that causes this problem!
The real issue out of all this nonsense is that Dick Smith doesn't want to pay any money to fly anywhere and he doesn't want to talk to anbody. Period. That's what this is all about. It's got nothing to do with increasing safety: making use of radio in CTAFs optional IS reducing safety, and replacing class F with class E is NOT going to increase safety (or at least will be a total and utter overkill: how many IFR operators have jumped up and down demanding E instead of F? None. John King take note. "IFR need E for safety." Nonsense). Dick has always been on the hobbyhorse of User Pays (arguably the main reason the GA industry is in decline in this country as opposed to the US), so as Capcom said, do this:
Charging regime- VFR NO charge in C, E, F and G of course.
Noting, of course, that GA get a hell of a lot for nothing now (well, maybe 50c for a phone card call), all funded by the fare-paying passenger: all the Flight Information Services, NAIPS pilot access, Internet, AERIS, AWIBs, SAR. If you mob want to get really petty, then start paying for all of that. GA benefit in many ways from hopping on the coattail of commercial operators; it's just that some of you self-centered cowboys can't see it/forget that/refuse to admit it.
Lowdown,
but when the airspace overhead controlled airports allows unfettered access, I think you will see many benefits to GA operations
Is just plain dumb at, say Alice Springs. I've been there when 5 jets are within 30 nm, and to expect us to have to lookout for no-radio VFRs waffling around overhead the 'drome at 4500ft just above the control zone while managing the aeroplane, and the radio is "alive", is just stupid. I mean, what is the problem with getting on the radio and telling the tower what you're doing? This sort of nonsense will NOT make hoards of people stay away from flying aeroplanes!
Time for a cup of tea.