DRW Radar U/S

[MoFo]

DRW radar copped a lightning strike recently.

It was an eye opener to watch ATC floundering with their version of procedural control. Unfknblvable.

Send these dudes off to Hobart or Alice Springs for some lessons on how its done.

[RENURPP]

Have to agree. We sat for at the holding point waiting 22 minutes for 1 I say again 1 aircraft to arrive. Unbeliebable.

Thetre was nothing procedural about it. 1 aircraft in the CTR was the limit.

[Gone Fishing]

MoFo

Could not agree with you more, however I think its important to highlight the fact that these are RAAF Controllers. I would hate to tar hard working and competent civil procedural contollers with the same brush.

The sooner the RAAF gives it away in Darwin and Townsville the better.

RAAF ATC. What a joke.

[The Hedge]

Do they have Radar in Baghdad?

[Saggi1]

So they can't do procedural control up there in Darwin. Stiff, take the radar feeds out of the Radar sectors in Brisbane or Melb Centre and lets just see how they go. Sure the controllers in Hobart and A/S are great at their job in the procedural enviro, but isn't that their job. As I said, lets take the Radar feed out of Brisbane Airport....I can guarantee that AsA would **** them selves and there would be alot of diversions going on. Did any get diverted from Darwin??

So you held at the holding point too long...I'm sure you had the whole air picture, especially just on the Tower freq. You have no idea mate!

I feel for those guys up there, possibly doing the procedural with very little training, and making delays to ensure safety is the number 1 priority. Did anyone get diverted did they put 2 together, I very much doubt it??

As for civil controllers in Darwin and Townsville, well it might yet happen, and who do you think they will employ to do the job? Yep, the guys that are doing it now.

Don't read the pilot forums telling each other they hope the other falls out of the sky!!

To all the reasonable people out there that control, all the very best may it be in Radar or procedural.

Cheers

[RTB RFN]

An easy target - a specialist without his/her primary tool (how well do you do LIM-PANEL IFR UA's or IAP's? - but at least you can practice).

Good call for the famil to Alice or Hobart - your wallet or mine?

Procedural is a very specialist job in itself and takes many years to refine. Obviously skills and performance are going to be reduced and there will always be room for improvement.

Normal ops - I'm sure they do a fine job in a unique ATC location under other duress of which we are probably not aware. There will be many pilots who know the local challenges who will support the standard of ATC at Darwin.

Be nice or get vectored (really badly).

[VH-ABC]

Darwin...

Seems a tough place to get the initial experience as a controller in the RAAF, with the large variance of types flying in and out each day, weather etc...

But its not like this is a new thing... curious to know what the RAAF is actually doing about the problems that exist there. I'm sure they are aware of the bagging they cop from all over, and the obvious poor service being given when only one aircraft allowed in CTR in times of technical U/S's.

With the government spending record amounts on defence budgets and military hardware, surely there's room for a small slice of the pie to be directed towards safety?

[ROB-x38]

Quick question - does procedural describe the mehtod used by ATC at class D aerodromes? eg: requiring an ETA and all that?

[No Further Requirements]

ROB-x38 - Procedural means no radar. Time, distance, speed and vertical are your tools. Class D is, as I understand, predominantly procedural (exclusively???)

VH-ABC - Yeah, Darwin does cop a bagging. However, I don't understand where they are not safe? How could it be more safe? What would YOU spend the money on? Another radar feed is the only one I can think of....

RTB RFN - Drop me a line.

Cheers all,

NFR

[VH-ABC]

No Further Requirements...

I'd want more money for training and people, not technology.

It seems that the RAAF ATC'ers get based in Darwin for a couple of years, then get moved onto another base... just when they are getting the hang of the NT. I'm just guessing, but it seems that they (and their experience) are getting spread a little too thinly about the place.

Also, how many of the guys/girls leave the RAAF after the minimum time in... opening up civil ATC opportunities which pay a fair bit more than the RAAF?