Patrick Normoyle

Sure is, as is Karratha, CASA directed ASA to install ATC there as of Nov 2010, it is expected to get much busier over the next few years.

Broome has actually been a Class D control tower / CTZ now for about 8 months, CASA directed ASA to install ATC in that location due to the rapid increase of traffic there due to the mining boom.

Now that would be funny, i can see it now, another Kevin Rudd type exit i would thing ?

I'm just glad they got the ADS B idea out of their heads, there was a great deal of histeria associated with the implementation of that little gem, i would have to take out my rear seat to carry all the hardware i would need. Imagine how rediculous a tiger moth would look like with 2 VHF radios, transponder and ADS B installed. We have a lot to learn from our fellow aviators, their triumfs and failures. Lets hope wiser decisions with less knee jerks are made in the furure.

Mazda, that is correct with the exception of Essendon Tower who have a TSAT ( it has the required redundancy etc etc required to be used as a radar ), the Regional towers use their display only as a situational awearness enhancement tool, i think your idea for the multicom / unicom has a great deal of merrit, but only time and political pressure from users and governing bodies ( RAA, SAAA etc ) will make a change happen. From the work i was involved with prior to opening Avalon some years back, there is a defined threshold based on passanger numbers for the establishment of ARFF, but not for ATC ? If there is one, CASA holds it dear to their hearts. In the current political climate, a government would be very reluctant to remove a tower from service until all the safety cases in the world have been hashed out and there is no liability on the GVMT if something goes wrong after the tower is shut down.

So true, Mazda, and not all transponders will be ok, alot of old transponders will need to be replaced to meet the TCAS functionality. But if the government was going to subsidise the cost, i'll have one for my Fisher MK1 thanks, i don't care how silly its sounds or looks.

I believe this was considered as a cost saving measure some years ago ( that affordable safety thing again ), unfortunately of the 29 civil ATC towers, not all turn a profit, some run at a significant loss. The likes of Coffs, Sunshine, Mackay, Hamilton Island, Albury, Tamworth, Broome, Karatha, Parafield, Moorrabin, Jandakot, Archerfield, Launceston and Hobart could all handle RAA type aircraft amongst their usual mix of aircraft when the traffic pattern suits, but the true reality is a user pays system would not see much if anything gleened from RAA aircraft operations and the increase in workload and possible staff requirements may be overall prohibitive, they may just try to over price the airways charges to keep us out.

The guys and gals will, they don't have a Radar as such, but the get a display of radar data to assist in position fixing aircraft for visual identification. An incredible tool, if ever you get a chance, ask the tower folk for a visit and see what they see.

Pick me, i'll go, i'll do it. just make sure every aircraft over 7000kg is on the ground, i don't want to see my insides turned to outsides. I don't think this is where the CTA endo. is going to go, maybe class D tower airspace and some enroute airspace for terrain or water crossing reasons.

Yeah, thanks for reminding me, they were not the most co-operative council, i could have worked harder if i had tried, but a much better option was found and it turned out to be just magic, at the back of the Capricorn Roadhouse, two strips were put in and we built a couple of hangers and all was good, no council red tape and also no rent or charges.

So true, unfortunately, the rules we MUST use can be extreamly restrictive, 3nm by radar is the best it gets until we can use visual sep, then we can put them close and safe, we don't need this at our ALA's. Good use of radio's and vigilence looking out the window ( if you have them ) is the key. I hope the CTA endo. gets through, i have Ultralights fly through regularly in Adelaide, i had a great little Searay just the other day ( i was dirty with envy, a beaut day and i was working ), but this fella was VH registered, so the rules are all different, the aircraft is basically the same as a RAA registered one. Again, it will come down to wether or not we can get you through, what you want to do etc. Just because you can dosent mean there is space for you to do it. It is pretty hard to justify circuits in a Drifter at Adelaide while a B747 is waiting at the holding point. But it would be fun !

I am not a legal whiz at all, but i am sure there would be some legal recourse on the "person paid a small amout" to provide a service should their actions or inactions lead to an accident or incident. ATC's get scrutinised continously and every mistake is recorded and assessed thoroughly ( as you would expect and hope )even down to spelling errors ( when spelling a tracking position eg. DOTUP ), i know a collegue who got stood down for getting that wrong, a bit harsh you say but our mistakes have the potential to be catastrophic, would you accept a minimal pay for such responsibility ? I am a big fan of airfields laying out neighbour friendly flight patterns and local proceedures in ERSA, some ALA's even go to CASA for help in promulgating flight paths in and out of their area to minimise the risk, this led to the VFR routes we see around the country, RAPIC (Regional Airspace Users Advisory Committee) and other such groups really work hard to lay down safe ways to use conjested airspace without having to make in prohibitive ( making it CTA ).

As far as Prossie being dangerous, i understand that Qantas mainline wont fly there as it is too "risky", but they will let Jetstar go in their sted ? "affordable safety" ? ? ?

Dick Smith, where does one start, i love his passion, the guy has heart, but he has a little of all of us in him, we want it all but we don't want the cost to be passed onto us. Prossie is a great example, unfortunatly a slowly deminishing airport, the local council has managed miracles to keep the facility open this long, maybe i can answer this with a catch cry, have you ever heard of "AFFORDABLE SAFETY ", that is basically what we are all on about here, from my suggestion of "if it flies, it has to have a radio" ( i have some great mates who fly hang gliders (mad the lot of them ) and most will have a hand held of some kind, to Mazda's idea of the airport operator / refueller etc. Someone has to pay ? In my previous life, i managed an airport in Western Australia, Newman, attached to an Iron Ore mine, BAE146, B717, F50, B1900, BE20, C404, C414, BE58 and smaller operated there ( Oh and me in my Fisher Mk1 ). We were a CTAF, with and AFRU that worked most of the time except when the field got hit by lightening or flooded or the Genny didn't start when the power went out....... I was also the airport refueller, the tractor puller the trailer with hose gascollator and pump equipment on it, no radio installed and nore could there be, you can't use it while your refuelling anyway and no phone either, so i couldn't have helped any traffic while i was doing that. I also had a multitude of safety officer tasks to do and if i wasn't in the safety vehicle, then no radio either, it is a difficult dilema that must be addressed both globally over all aerodromes and individually on an airfield by airfield basis.

I have been in ATC for 8 years now and a pilot CPL / RAA for 26 years, i have seen pilots in B737's get their left and right mixed up ? I'm not saying any of us are perfect, but if we spent more time teaching and developing great airmanship, enhancing communication and situational awearness with all pilots ( especially young / learning pilots ) we would go a long way to reducing the risk. The airfield i am at has high drag slow speed aircraft like my Fisher Mk1 and Jab 230's all the way up too PC12 and BE20 plus choppers and all sorts, it is a great place to see how it works, and sometimes looks ugly, but to have an untrained person providing traffic / information may leed to greater problems.

Tomo, i think it is more the case of great airmanship, and as Mazda has said we can all help, the refueller, the flying school etc, but the pilot in command must make the call as to the validity and acuracy of the information. It is often said about me. i love the sound of my own voice, but i have no problems informing other pilots as to my position, the weather, a pod of whales off the coast etc, we are a fraternity and as such should hold the interests of all participants in high sted.

The CTAF R 's were in places like Proserpine, a non towered aerodrome in class G airspace that have at least one RPT service per week, as per the below NFRM 0908OS - Carriage and Use of Radio and Circuit Procedures at, or in the Vicinity of, Non-towered Aerodromes - Amendments to CARs 166 & 166A This was all ratified on June 3rd 2010 and incorporated into the Certified / Uncertified and registered Aerodromes classification structure ( as well as military ) when they are non towered. I like the idea, and hopefully if a refueller is not busy and see's or hears something "off" he would pipe in and try to help out, but what if he is busy and there are 4 or so lighties waiting for the Dash 8 to land at XXX airport, who is helping out then ? Is the refueller in some way "at Fault" where is the duty of care in this case. I like the system we have, i feel safe that when i approach an aerodrome once at 10nm i make the required radio calls and that anyone else in or about to use the area is also on the freq and responds with their intent ( is safe to do so ), so it is just the uncertified airfields that we must be extra vigilent at, no requirement for 2 way coms equipment in aircraft. However, the aerodrome operator can make it a requirement that aircraft have VHF comms but i don't see this as a very likely solution. I think it would be a great fix if ALL aircraft were required to carry a servicable VHF radio and were also required to make radio calls, there is a burdon of cost to those who don't have radio equipment as yet, but this is a cost the owner / operator should be prepared to pay to enjoy the privilage of flight ( all types of flight ).

Alan, I am in Aldinga Beach, just a few km's from Aldinga Airfield where i have my aircraft. Prior to moving here i was living in Mackay, and thus i have had to make some changes to my aircraft to keep out the wind chill. I am in the latter stages of fitting a Robinson R44 half windscrean to my Fisher to be like some of the bubble canopies you see about the place, i hope to be up committing aviation by the end of the month. I look forward to catching up with some fellow Ultralighters over summer this year.

I think you will find almost all RPT aircraft will have TCAS, it is becoming a required piece of equipment for all RPT. But in Class D airspace ( most regional towers ) no radar control means no need for a transponder, it will be of a great assistance to the controllers as they will see you on their TSAD ( Tower Situational Awearness Display ) a poor mans radar which is what almost all NON radar towers have, and when you are slow, with a very small profile it is extreamly hard to see from the tower, even with bino's. A Cirrus at 5nm is harder to see than an Airbus at 40nm, so a transponder will make a world of difference. If i could afford one, i would have it in my aircraft.

Winsor68, yep that was me, and as for a reason, any is good enough, it will be for a one off per letter of authority, on the day or within the date range specified and to be within the required paramaters. I did it on my birthday while i was there, flew down from Lakeside in the morning, worked the day and then flew out to Marian and then Finch Hatton, back over the airport and up the coast to look at some whales. The aero comp would be a perfect reason, Nav ex ok too. I rang and got some advise and then submitted my request, give yourself plenty of time 30 days plus is best. That is great news about Prossy, they had no real legal leg to stand on and it was a knee jerk reaction to an accident many years ago. I think we should all remember that ATC and TCAS and CTA etc are all systems in place to mitigate the risk of collision in various airspace, different services are provided in the various classes and this is based on the types and concentration of traffic that use the areas. Proserpine will not get ATC until they are doing far greater than 50 RPT type movements per DAY everyday, it just wont happen, that's why we have SEE AND AVOID and Communication systems required within CTAF R's such as Proserpine. We as pilots should know what is going on around us and provide timely information to those who may want to use the same airspace as us. I have a perfect war story for this :- One very fine morning i was out in my Fisher enjoying the coastal run from Laguna to Cape Hillsborough for a landing on the sand ( below the high tide water line, of course ) when i heard 2 F111's coming up from Mackay low level and fast. They were not on a LJR ( low jet route ) they were just on a jolly from Rockhampton to Townsville ( wouldn't you if you could 400kts at 200ft ? ) They made an all stations call just out of Mackay CTA and i responded with position etc etc, we devised a safe way to pass eachother and to ensure their wake turbulance didn't see me wrapped up in Purple and Yellow Dacron with alliuminium tubes sticking out of the most uncomfortable places. If they didn't make their call and i wasn't listening or responding, it would have been very nasty. But this is the nature of our airspace, see and bee seen, broadcast and be heard, there is losts to be said for our system, i feel it is adequate for the majority and we must learn to live within it's rules. However, where there is a rule there is a way to bypass it, in this case you need to do some leg work, but this is something special YOU want that others can't have unless they do the work too. Let's not forget that different airspace has different requirements, Class D is the easiest, equipment wise, all you need is a reliable 2 way comms, no transponder ( it will help with CASA and ATC ) and the rest is as per the exemptions you ask for and get from CASA. I have been through Tindal, Cairns, Darwin, Mackay, Melbourne Approach, Amberley Approach airspace and some airfields, it can be done, it is one of our rights as aviators, but we must first gain permission to do so. Lastly, just because you get the letter from CASA and you have done everything right on the day, don't just expect a clearance straight away and the way you want it from ATC, there are many factors that will influence your clearance. If anyone wants help or advise regarding this, i am more than happy to help. We are not the only ones that have restrictions placed on us, just any War Bird Pilot / owner, i had a guy at Essendon when i worked there, he had a realy nice Jet Provost, however he had incredible restrictions placed on him operating into or out of Essendon, there are 2 runways with 2 directions ( so 4 runways so to speak ), he was only allowed to use one for departure and the opposite end for arrivals. He could have moved his aircraft to another airport where he would have had NO restrictions, but he wanted to use Essendon, and why not, he is entitled to, but he must comply with the special rules for him.

If there is no control tower and no controlled airspace then anyone can enter/depart or transit ( as long as you are lic. rego etc ), HOWEVER ( isn't there always a however ), the airport owner can restrict who uses what when and how ( just look at Proserpine airport ), this is a fine sticking point, and a hard legal standpoint, your overhead in your J230 with 4 POB and the noise stops, ERSA says you can't land there but there is nowhere else safer to go ? You would be fine to land in their carpark but not on the runway ? ( Give me a break ). Sorry to say, Local flying schools while great at what they do, can't do what ATC does, and there may be a conflict of interest there also, the low traffic airports like Lismore etc, can take any aircraft, but we must remember, a B737 etc runs at a high cost compared to our aircraft and we MUST make way for their activities and don't forget the ever increasing security requirements that change when an RPT aircraft is on the apron ( depending on it's size , at the moment ). Just so you know, an ATC is tested twice a year on a practical exam and once a year on a written exam, if we make a mistake we are taken off the console, scrutenised and in most cases returned to the console after remedial training / checking or counciling for the event. This is a highly regulated and scrutenised environment ( as it must be to ensure the highest level of safety ), this is not something a flying school can take on. If a local airfield is busy, then hopefully the owner / operator has a fly friendly / standard operating proceedure to be followed to try and minimise the risk, keep it safe and provide the best system to suite the pilots, residents and other interested stakeholders. A while back, i managed an airport in outback WA ( this is where i built my Fisher MK1 ), we had 18 RPT flight by B717, F100 and Bae146 aircraft per week plus 9 B1900 and 4 F50 aircraft per week, as well as multiple light aircraft all working to make a living, i however was just out having a jolly, good airmanship will have you stay out of their way and let them have it first, great airmanship will help them to get what they need, for example - wait a few minutes until they have arrived and then join final, let them taxi and depart first or depart and make an early turn to get out of their way ( if safe to do so ) and always communicate ( they are not our wives, they DON'T know what we are thinking all the time ) so let them know and don't use local slang, i once heard a guy say he was 2nm south of Dicko's shed, now what map or chart will i find that on ?

It's not that common actually, ASA has over the years spent bucket loads of money installing and maintaining radar sites throughout the country, but much like our roads, the most used routes have the widest and best surfaces etc, but smaller and less used areas have less equipment. The same with the outback areas, Broome for example is getting a new tower and Karatha has had millions spent on it for a refurbishment. Someone has to pay for it and that is the airlines and their passangers. Apparantly there is no fixed establishment threshold for introducing a control tower, interestingly, there is a passanger per year threshold for installing a Rescue and Firefighting Facility, go figure. I'm sure that is a question for CASA to answer, preferably on live TV with the Minister for Tranport and the Australian public watching ? And there are not many people out there who want to go to places like Karatha where the average 3 BRM house rents for $2500 per WEEK ( i am not kidding ). The mining boom / explosion has resulted in the opening of these two towers, Avalon in Melbourne was a bit of political pressure and some Arse covering ( i think ) but well needed tower. As for a CAGRA or UNICOM, someone has to pay for this stuff, the equipment and staff all costs lots of money. Who will pay, only the user can be charged that means us.

Andy is absolutely correct here, CASA will eat you alive and as we say it "rip you a NEW one" and then fine you and in the end of it all, we ( RAA types ) will all miss out. I am a lucky one, i have a CPL and am an Air Traffic Controller with my own Fisher MK1 ( drifter type aircraft ) i have obtained CASA approval 9 times to enter / transit CTA. For the most part it is like trying to get your wife's approval to buy that new aircraft or similar, you have to have a good argument / reason, backed with documentation and details, follow up with calls and emails to the relevent officer, CASA will help us but we need to do all the leg work and give them what they need. I have never had a request denied, a few times they have asked for greater detail or more information. I am sure that the great folks at RAA will get us a training package approved by CASA for RAA aircraft, then trained pilots will be able to enter some CTA/CTZ 's. You have to remember, a jet will come back to 140kts over the ground within 5nm from the threshold ( at best ) they need to be on a stable approach and don't have the cockpit resourses to be looking for one of us. Take into account, everything on Approach and Tower frequency is recorded as is all the data from Radar and flight planning etc, we must report all errors etc, that means if you turn the wrong way, bust a level etc, you will get reported, make sure you know what you are doing and where you are going. The best advice i can offer is, go with someone else and be their eyes and radio operator, get a taste of it and then try it your self ( with all the right approvals ). If in doubt, ASK, request guidance or advise us that you are unfamiliar with the local area / taxiways. We are there to help and keep it safe for all. You must know your stuff though, know and understand runway marking and signs, phraseology and be prepared for holding and waiting for the right spot to get your turn. As long winded and complex as it may be, read as much of AIP as you can ( available online for free ) or buy your CFI a beer or two and chew his /her ears off, they can tell you a world of information that may just help. I think there is a place for everyone in the sky, just be prepared to work for it and don't expect to cut circuits at Sydney international airport or any other major airport. However, you can expect to transit some controlled areas or even land at some regional airports like Coffs, Mackay or Sunshine Coast. I recently worked at MAckay airport where they have Skyfox Gazel ( VH reg ) aircraft operating, the aircraft is no different to an RAA aircraft physically. I hope our board can keep up the fight for the many pilots out there that can and want to fly safer and shorter routes in and around CTA.

Hi there fellow Ultralighters, i am a happy Fisher MK1 owner / builder, now in Adelaide ( please don't ask why Adelaide ), in my spare time i earn a living at the Governments expense as an Air Traffic Controller at Adelaide Tower, a room with a great view and pay to match. I attained a CPL many years ago when you could afford to do it and now i just fly for the thrill of it. I have made a great deal of friends through flying and hope to do so for a while longer.