AsA Bidding for RAAF TAC
Join Date: Apr 2005
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Darwin Approach all from Bisbrane by end of the year. Blue (or green) people doing the gig initially, then to trade the uniform for a $[insert facilitative agreement] payrise in a few years... The rest to follow over time. Raytheon must be pissed.
Join Date: Jan 2006
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I think you will find that ASA is acting in a strategic manner. The RAAF are hard pushed to recruit/retain controllers because their salaries are tied to defence ranking systems.
Pearce will be the first base to utilise the Eurocat equipment when they move down to the Perth TCU. Makes a whole lot of sense as these two units interact on a daily basis due to the proximity of Pearce to Perth. In fact a lot of civil transits go through RAAF airspace and the coordination is a night mare due to 2 different radar systems and non talking data processors. Watch for some improvements in civil/military traffic handling. There is no short term aim to subsume RAAF ATC due to the security and posting requirements of defence.
The uniforms will continue to control military traffic and civil transits. Any economies of scale rationalisation will take a number of years. Anyway I could never understand why we had 2 separate entities for the number of aircraft we have.
Pearce will be the first base to utilise the Eurocat equipment when they move down to the Perth TCU. Makes a whole lot of sense as these two units interact on a daily basis due to the proximity of Pearce to Perth. In fact a lot of civil transits go through RAAF airspace and the coordination is a night mare due to 2 different radar systems and non talking data processors. Watch for some improvements in civil/military traffic handling. There is no short term aim to subsume RAAF ATC due to the security and posting requirements of defence.
The uniforms will continue to control military traffic and civil transits. Any economies of scale rationalisation will take a number of years. Anyway I could never understand why we had 2 separate entities for the number of aircraft we have.
Join Date: Apr 2000
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As you say though, there is no way they can take away all the uniformed people from RAAF ATC due to deployment requirements etc. Although, some idiot in the Government may just try (hence the reason that at one point you couldn't find an army plumber anywhere in East Timor to fix a sewer).
Some sort of gentlemanly 'sharing' agreement would make sense though, as the RAAF really can't retain the ATC personnel it needs with the funding it has.
Some sort of gentlemanly 'sharing' agreement would make sense though, as the RAAF really can't retain the ATC personnel it needs with the funding it has.
Join Date: Sep 2005
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....the funding it has. CRAP! They have plenty of funding, they won't use it to pay controllers properly becasue that would mean pilots wouldn't be at the top of the tree or now they have to pay them more again. Notwithstanding, the RAAF has dragged it's heels on issues and a range of conditions pertaining to controllers for the past 20+ years and they have now paid the price. Past CAS/CAF's have purposely neglected controllers because they didn't like them in the first place and when certain senior ranked controllers worked hard to get in a position to actually do something meaningful with their position of power and made "the" promisese to do so, their ego and self-preservation for something greater for themselves took over and it all fell in a steaming sh#t heap. No surprises there really. The fact is that ASA don't have the numbers to do it. The RAAF don't have the numbers to do it BUT rest assured, the government does have the money to make it happen. Never believe they don't! They ALWAYS have the money. And just look around, the world is hard pressed for controllers everywhere. NATS, SERCO, ASA, RAAF etc etc etc. He who bids big might just win!!!
Watch this space, there will be another exodus to the sands!
Watch this space, there will be another exodus to the sands!
Join Date: Apr 2001
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Originally Posted by Capn Bloggs
After revisiting DRW recently, couldn't happen quickly enough. And I used to be in the RAAF!
How about I post something along the lines of 'Gee I've seen some of your landings Capn Bloggs. Remind me never to fly with you.'
Alas, no. That would be a pointless snipe without substance wouldn't it?
'Gee I've seen some of your landings Capn Bloggs. Remind me never to fly with you.'
PS: You use the term "landings" loosely. "Arrivals" wqould be more appropriate. Did you say flare at 20 or 10?
Well, you think we are short of Controllers now ... a friend of mine in ASA said she heard that a promise had been made by the new ATC General Manager to get rid of between 100 & 200 Controller positions as part of the efficiencies of the current re-structure
Nunc est bibendum
I've got to say that I've always been pretty happy with the controlling from DN. Sure, it has some limitations (crap airspace design) but that's not all in the RAAFs hands. The SATCO up there is a good bloke with a strong focus on service delivery and he's supported by a bunch of other guys who 'get it'.
I'll admit to copping the occasional crappy vector or late turn to final but at the end of the day, most pilots forget that our interaction with the ATCO on the other end of the mic is for a few minutes at a time whereas the poor ATCO is doing this stuff hour after hour. I know I make the odd mistake or two over an eight hour shift!
I'll admit to copping the occasional crappy vector or late turn to final but at the end of the day, most pilots forget that our interaction with the ATCO on the other end of the mic is for a few minutes at a time whereas the poor ATCO is doing this stuff hour after hour. I know I make the odd mistake or two over an eight hour shift!
Join Date: Aug 2002
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ATC General Manager to get rid of between 100 & 200 Controller positions
This also means that once gone to ASA 7, you can never go back; which eventually means the pool is very stagnent and then gets stale, not adopting to new technologies etc.; one of two things happened last time this was tried, no one wanted an ops support job, those that did couldn't open a wet paper bag (in relation to ATC) and thus the support area didn't function... Saving money, hah, we'll see.
Join Date: Feb 2006
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So why not fix the root cause - fourth time lucky!
Where will the consequent harm reside - RAAF ATC with a smaller pool - B707 syndrome revisted. Any resignation will have greater effect.
ADF operational flying training - will AA ATC provide the same "special" service?
Civilian traffic - do you really think what you get now is bad - just watch out for the future GA - especially at Darwin.
Good luck.
Where will the consequent harm reside - RAAF ATC with a smaller pool - B707 syndrome revisted. Any resignation will have greater effect.
ADF operational flying training - will AA ATC provide the same "special" service?
Civilian traffic - do you really think what you get now is bad - just watch out for the future GA - especially at Darwin.
Good luck.
