What a singularly unhelpful contribution to this thread!
How any reasonable person could interpret:
"As this change is being introduced just as the soaring season is upon us,
the appropriate action for us is to continue to avoid this airspace totally
while our friends on the other side of the fence get used to this new approach
and the new rules bed in.
This means - continue to treat the airspace which is now (before these
changes) Class C as though it is still 'controlled airspace'. If you have to
enter this airspace - do so with appropriate caution and monitor the appropriate
frequency."
as meaning:
"the ASAC airspace coordinator and GFA President telling glider pilots not
to use that access"
is beyond me.
In my opinion Bob Hall's advice is both sensible and appropriate in the
interests of safety. It covers the implementation phase of a new system,
and only someone reading it with blinkers on could interpret it otherwise.
Brian
-- Brian Wade
Personal Computer Concepts Control SPAM with MailWasher Pro
Uniform Time http://www.uniformtime.com.au
PO Box 114 INDOOROOPILLY QLD 4068 Ph: 07 3371 2944 Fax: 07 3870 4103
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 12:27
PM
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] NAS , GFA
recommendations
There is a meeting in Melbourne today by the forces opposing
the new NAS rules including the pilot and controller unions.(see page 14 of
today's Australian - the story headed "Air changes dogfight near"). In
usual fashion this is reported with the union scaremongering first
and information about support for the new system right at the
end.
Now I'm fairly sure that the union leaders opposed to the change
now have a copy of Bob Hall's undated letter to glider pilots and have
taken great heart from this part of it(if they aren't rolling around the
floor laughing unable to believe their luck):
WHAT SHOULD WE DO THIS
SOARING SEASON? Airspace which is now G and has been upgraded to E is
unchanged for us. Operate as now with your eyes skinned but realise that
the major risk is other gliders. Monitor the appropriate frequency and
implement the enhanced look-out which the GFA have promulgated. This will
protect you from both other gliders and the few powered aircraft in this
airspace. Airspace which is now C and is being down graded to E. This
change in airspace represents, for other airspace users, the biggest single
change in the way they operate probably ever. It asks them to accept the
change in philosophy described above - ie from reliance on mandated rules
to reliance on other pilots. As this change is being introduced just as the
soaring season is upon us, the appropriate action for us is to continue to
avoid this airspace totally while our friends on the other side of the
fence get used to this new approach and the new rules bed in. This
means - continue to treat the airspace which is now (before these changes)
Class C as though it is still 'controlled airspace'. If you have to enter
this airspace - do so with appropriate caution and monitor the appropriate
frequency.
end quote
Make no mistake about it, this is
potentially devasting to the cause of more airspace freedom for sport
aviation.
Having been given access to far more airspace than previously
here we have the ASAC airspace coordinator and GFA President telling glider
pilots not to use that access. I'm sure this will be used along the lines
"see you didn't need to change that airspace to Class E from Class C
because even the glider pilots themselves reckon they can do without it
even in the peak soaring season"
I'd really like to know the
reasoning behind that advice. The real reason that the airspace has become
class E is because the safety case supports that. There aren't
classifications "Class E that used to be Class C and Class E that used to
be Class G" there is only Class E. Bob Hall seems to have invented these
classifications all by himself. Was this all your own work, Bob? How
confusing this will be. Take a look at the old ERC(L) for your area and the
new one(there is no shame in not knowing what an ERC(L) is - it is just a
reflection on your poor GFA training). Working out which was Class C and
is now E and what was G and is now E isn't all that easy in some places.
The boundaries have shifted in distance from the center and the levels have
changed. Of course Bob Hall may just be covering his backside because he
knows glider pilot training is deficient and he doesn't trust you all to do
the right thing.
The other airspace users concerned with class E
have had more educational material for much longer than the glider pilots
(the most useful information was the piece of paper about RPT ops at
regional aerodromes which GFA members appear not to have been supplied
with). They will not be referring to the old charts after Nov 27 and they
will be required to behave appropriately. Yes they may even see a glider or
VFR aircraft in Class E from time to time. The appropriate response to the
inevitable union inspired airmiss report will be "but ya saw him didn't
ya?"
Once again sport aviators have been sold out by their own and in
this instance it didn't even cost the bad guys 30 pieces of
silver.
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality
soaring instruments phone Int'l + 61 746 355784 fax Int'l +
61 746 358796 cellphone Int'l + 61 428
355784 Int'l + 61
429 355784 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] website:
www.borgeltinstruments.com
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