Mooney accident pilot refused a clearance at 6,500'
For those that have flown in the ATC system of other countries, the comments above only serve to confirm the comments of a friend that had done many ferry (non RPT) flights from both Europe and the USA. It is not the system here, but the culture of those that work the system. It maybe safe, but it does not flow very well, hence some of the comments above re VFR ops.
Maybe ASA should reflect on their culture?
"Everywhere else they treat you as a professional until you prove your an idiot, but crossing the FIR boundary into Oz you are treated like an idiot until you prove your a professinal"
I did read the rest of it, but the first thing he/she said indicated there were many people trying to access the airspace and being denied. I have no idea where that is and I’m not blaming the controller but if LAX can have safe usable VFR corridors why can’t we design our airspace to provide the same? No, our solution is to just say no, cut Airservices staff and pay the boss a bonus for doing that. I think we should be aiming for better than that.
This is what I’ve heard from the Townsville refueller....
No flight plan lodged
Clearance requested very close to the CTA step
Controller unable to issue the clearance without first completing coordination with CFS tower, “standby” is an unacceptable response , required response is “remain clear of controlled airspace” in this circumstance apparently
Controller was himself/ herself a GA pilot, would have been willing to help as they could
No further request for help/ advice received, no expression of doubt/alarm/distress
Um , that’s about it, my aircraft was refuelled by then....
No flight plan lodged
Clearance requested very close to the CTA step
Controller unable to issue the clearance without first completing coordination with CFS tower, “standby” is an unacceptable response , required response is “remain clear of controlled airspace” in this circumstance apparently
Controller was himself/ herself a GA pilot, would have been willing to help as they could
No further request for help/ advice received, no expression of doubt/alarm/distress
Um , that’s about it, my aircraft was refuelled by then....
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My experience with towers as a rather geriatric Auster driver has always been fine. I flew to Essendon a couple of weeks ago and phoned up before takeoff to see if I could get a direct via Kalkallo. Lovely chap suggested I plan via Doncaster because MELBOURNE was using east-west.
Good service would be a clearance e.g. Broadford or Kilmore to Essendon, with vectors to keep you out of the way of the Tullamarine traffic. ATC can do that but they choose not to.
It’s quite clear that GA are “second class citizens”. It’s a culture thing and self reinforcing. VFR pilots in general perhaps avoid controlled airspace except during the obligatory excursion at the flight review. We are thus rusty, clumsy and hesitant which makes more work for ATC. Who then perhaps get a little curt and annoyed and the cycle continues.
YMEN must be sick of our tentative efforts during reviews and sick of requests for city orbits. No one would think of calling YMML because the answer is always going to be “no” and the thought of the paperwork and threat of prosecution if one caused an RA to an A380 freezes the blood.
To put that another way, considering the demonstrated proclivities of the regulator, dealing with officialdom of any sort is akin to stopping your car next to a police vehicle to ask for directions.
Having said that, I was always very comfortable with the wonderful and patient ATC at YMMB, who have always been a joy to talk to.
However that’s my perception.
YMEN must be sick of our tentative efforts during reviews and sick of requests for city orbits. No one would think of calling YMML because the answer is always going to be “no” and the thought of the paperwork and threat of prosecution if one caused an RA to an A380 freezes the blood.
To put that another way, considering the demonstrated proclivities of the regulator, dealing with officialdom of any sort is akin to stopping your car next to a police vehicle to ask for directions.
Having said that, I was always very comfortable with the wonderful and patient ATC at YMMB, who have always been a joy to talk to.
However that’s my perception.
While we at it why not blame the authorities for not mandating Synthetic Vision in all aircraft so they can see the rock solid stuff coming. Or even “basic” TAWS. Because VFR into IMC and/or CFIT keeps happening.
Dick always bangs on about how we are not as good as the USA. Australia could have *bettered* the US requirement to have TAWS in anything turbine with more than 12 seats (1992) or more than 6 seats (1998) by requiring it in ALL aircraft here. Accident likely avoided.
Who was the boss of CAA in 1992 and CASA in 1998?
Dick always bangs on about how we are not as good as the USA. Australia could have *bettered* the US requirement to have TAWS in anything turbine with more than 12 seats (1992) or more than 6 seats (1998) by requiring it in ALL aircraft here. Accident likely avoided.
Who was the boss of CAA in 1992 and CASA in 1998?
Thread Starter
I have to plead guilty.
As CAA/CASA Chairman I was concentrating on reducing unnecessary costs - not increasing costs!
As CAA/CASA Chairman I was concentrating on reducing unnecessary costs - not increasing costs!
Last edited by Dick Smith; 12th Nov 2019 at 07:56.
1 new controller is a minimum $300K before they get anywhere near seperating traffic.
Dick, if you can convince the minister to remove the requirement for AsA to return a dividend to the government that would be a great first step!
The requirement to run as a business restricts services to to nonpaying clients.
(The townsville refueller seems on the money)
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If I want to go to Essendon to cover CTA on a flight review, it probably costs an extra $80 to go in and out via Westgate than a more direct clearance through CTA.
I heard what was obviously a training flight (with an annoyed instructor) denied a clearance into CTA. If that flight needs to be repeated to tick off CTA, it could easily cost the aspiring CPL an extra $500.
If it takes an extra 10 minutes to track around Melbourne OCTA instead of direct, at $300/hr that's $50. Look at all the aircraft that track OCTA from one side of Melbourne to the other and back e.g. student navs. That cost might be an extra $100 per flight.
VFR pilots are paying a truckload of money to make life easier for ATC.
What do IFR aircraft pay in enroute charges? If you charged VFR aircraft e.g. 100km of enroute charges at double the IFR rate every time they received a clearance, and clearances were available as freely as they are for IFR it would probably be a fantastic deal.
VFR pilots don't want to pay airport charges. What makes you think they'll pay en-route fees? When you have a user pays system, the user paying for it gets priority.
Don’t think VFRs are subject to enroute charges.But the ones who are probably won’t like E above D in regional airspace as it would congest the terminal area too much. Also unless there is some sort of ADSB mandate for VFR the safety risk may be too high with unknown tracking on random VFR in and out of surveillance coverage in busy terminal type airspace mixing it with high performance commercial traffic.
Don’t think VFRs are subject to enroute charges.But the ones who are probably won’t like E above D in regional airspace as it would congest the terminal area too much. Also unless there is some sort of ADSB mandate for VFR the safety risk may be too high with unknown tracking on random VFR in and out of surveillance coverage in busy terminal type airspace mixing it with high performance commercial traffic.
And to satisfy minimum post length parameters: Complete bollocks.
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So no one seems to want to answer my question. Probably because it would render dicks argument the rubbish that it is if what I suspect is true.
How far past the cta boundary did the accident occur?
How far past the cta boundary did the accident occur?