Airservices reduces costs to improve profits while they force GA costs up
 

Recently the head of Airservices Australia, Jason Harfield, gave a presentation at the Waypoint Conference in Canberra which shows they are pushing through redundancies and reducing costs so they can get back into a more profitable situation.

While they are doing this, they are still insisting to CASA that all small GA aircraft that fly in cloud must be fitted with ADS-B by February of next year. The CASA figure for the cost of this was over $30 million, yet there is no measurable saving.

The rumour around is that at the last moment, they are going to follow the AOPA request and delay the mandate until after that of the USA. In the meantime, lots of small firms are borrowing money to fit the ADS-B, even though they claim there is no measurable saving.

The self-interest in this is amazing. That is, " we can reduce our costs while we force extra costs on your business." Then again, there are certain advantages in being a monopoly, but you would think they wouldn’t exploit the position.

As I have advised before, I see no light on the horizon. I believe those who stay in GA are going to lose more and more than those who got out earlier. I’m sorry I can’t be more positive.

As of September 2015 there are 3567 LPV (WAAS) approaches at 1739 airports in the US. ASA can rip out most navigation aids in Australia but replace them with..........nothing. Why are LPV approaches not available in Australia? For a relatively low price, significantly lower than installing and maintaining ground based aids, a huge improvement in safety could be realised. Instead of having casa contacting pilots and asking them how they got into an airport when they suspect the weather was below minimum they could focus on delivering a service and fostering the development of GA.

Do you mean LVP?

Just my luck as I'm getting a Part21M MOD developed.:ugh:

Anywho - Dick, there will be a saving! The saving will be in AsAs coffers. What, with ADSB, TCAS2, EGPWS, WAAS approaches/departures, etc, the need to pay for controllers with experience, attention to detail and a good analytical mind will disappear - the aircraft will be almost flying and segregating themselves.

Nevermind how this will benefit GA - as long as the big tails, CAsA and AsA are catered for.

For interest.
 

FAA Rebates For ADS-B Start Next Week
By Mary Grady

The FAA said on Tuesday it will launch its ADS-B $500 rebate program next Monday, Sept. 19. The program will fund 20,0000 rebates, available on a first-come, first-served basis. “We promised that we would help aircraft owners equip with ADS-B, and I am pleased to say that today we are honoring that commitment and we are delivering on our target date,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.

And they can fit a far cheaper ADSB unit which also gives ADSB "in" and free Wx .

And not required in the USA for IFR or VFR below 10,000' in E and G if further than 30 miles from class B.

No, LPV, Localiser Performance with Vertical guidance.

Wots class B?

The airspace they have at LAX and JFK.

The US controllers operate it like our class C .

Wasn't ADSB sold to us many years ago on the proviso that Airservices would be the one paying for the box to go into our aircraft as it would still save them money from having to update the radar hubs? Wasn't there a sliding scale of when you had it fitted determined how much rebate you would get?

Or did I just dream that?

That was the original proposal.

When AsA could not remove the Secondary Servailence Radars they then could not get the cost savings that were required to pay for the ADSB subsidy.

So the subsidy disappeared but the mandate remained.

It's little more than sheer bastardry as there is no existing mid air collision safety problem with small aircraft that fly in cloud.