The Recreational - RPT mix

[Garfly]

This recent article:

 

WHAT EVERY VFR PILOT NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT ARRIVING IFR TRAFFIC

 

in the US based Airfacts Journal raises issues that apply here in Australia maybe even more crucially since we get mixed traffic at non-towered aerodromes in Class G - a state of affairs which, I believe, is rare in the US.

 

What every VFR pilot needs to know about arriving IFR traffic - Air Facts Journal

 

This CASA study on traffic issues at Port Macquarie Airport (NSW) covers some of the same ground:

 

https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net351/f/_assets/main/lib100244/aeronautical_study_of_port_macquarie_july_2014.pdf

 

And it makes the point in this (edited) excerpt that:

 

"8.1 International Comparison

 

 

 

There are a limited number of aerodromes in the United States (US) that cater for a similar passenger/aircraft movement ratio to Port Macquarie. According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data11 for the 2012 calendar year, airports with passenger and/or aircraft movement numbers nearest to the Port Macquarie figures include:

 

•  La Crosse Municipal; and
   
  
  
   
   
  
•  Waco Regional.
   
  
  
   
   
   La Crosse Municipal has a higher percentage of IFR to VFR traffic than Port Macquarie.
   
  
   La Crosse Municipal is a Class D (i.e. towered) aerodrome encompassed by Class E airspace (See Figure 12).
   
   
  
•  Waco Regional is a Class D (i.e. towered) aerodrome encompassed by Class E airspace (See Figure 13). Class D airspace exists from surface to 3,000 ft AMSL and Class E airspace commences from 700 ft AGL.
   
   
  

 

 

 

 

Comparing Port Macquarie to aerodromes in the US that support a similar number of passengers and/or aircraft movements indicates that if the US airspace system were adopted Port Macquarie would likely be a Class D aerodrome (i.e. towered)."