4x4 BBC 1 Monday 7-30pm
 

This might be an interesting one to watch, no doubt all the usual scaremongering, but in this one Alan Whicker takes a look at "the chaos that is Air Traffic Control"

Watched it.
What a load of old [reconstituted] cr@p
we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

Not much substance to it. Did they mention Eurocontrol once? Eurocontrol does not have control over all of Europe but it does do some good.

Switzerland got a slating, are they that bad?

[ 23 July 2001: Message edited by: Intel ]

Nope, no mention of Eurocontrol. Didn't say that, correct me if I am wrong, delays are there for safety. CFMU preventing sector overload etc

A subject crying out for an hour long piece of serious investigative journalism, and what do we get? One past it presenter (sorry to all the Whicker fans) and ten minutes of gloss.

Trouble is that now every man on the Clapham omnibus...and I keep running into them at every social venue...now imagines himself to be an expert on the subject. Thanks a bunch BBC Manchester.

Interestingly the program editor seemed at pains to show no distinguishing marks on the shots of aircraft when talking about any of the other problems, but was willing to have all delays blamed on ATC.
Will our new owners treat such libelous remarks as kindly as a government agency?

[ 24 July 2001: Message edited by: Bagheera ]

Hmmmmmmm, I wonder if I can catch the show on Sat with BBC America. I will have to look and see.

For those who may want to see what we are doing over here to spread the truth according to ATC may want to look at this link....
http://www.natca.net/RealMedia/ram/StreamingMedia.htm

regards

And gents, lets not forget that (acording to BBC Manchester) "free flight" means pilots can choose the most direct and SAFEST route.

So free flight will tell pilots where every conflicting aircraft is, anywhere, any time? Someone please tell me how!

This was possibly the worst piece of "journalism" ever to come out of the BBC. Notice there was no representation from UK ATCOs, UK pilots, UK airlines....

Is it possible to sue the media under the advertising standards laws? They said it was a documentary (which to me means resembling the truth)...

Lizard,

Catch 22. The researcher who produced the material for Mr Whicker got much of it from sources in the States. She used sources in the States because aviation professionals in the UK won't talk to people like her. All this happened publicly over on the Rumours and News forum around the time you registered.