Presidents Memo to RA-Aus members

ADS-B: A Panacea and Gravy Train for Air Services Australia.

A Poison Pill for RA-Aus and all private aircraft owners.

Last week I attended the Safe Skies conference in Canberra. During one of the presentations by the CEO of Air Services Australia (ASA), I was absolutely shocked to see the following slide as part of his presentation which depicted RA-Aus aircraft as a current safety threat.

ADS-B: A Panacea and Gravy Train for Air Services Australia.

A Poison Pill for RA-Aus and all private aircraft owners.

Last week I attended the Safe Skies conference in Canberra. During one of the presentations by the CEO of Air Services Australia (ASA), I was absolutely shocked to see the following slide as part of his presentation which depicted RA-Aus aircraft as a current safety threat.

( Mouse click on the above image to enlarge the photo)

ASA’s insinuations that Drifters (and by implication, RA-Aus aircraft) are unsafe is inflammatory and patently untrue. There have been no studies, no evidence produced to support the CEO’s suggestion. Air Services Australia is the same organisation that steadfastly refuses to implement the Transport Minister's “Ministerial Directive” that requires provision of radar in areas which Air Services claims to require Class C airspace, but have no radar - such as Coffs Harbour. ASA are content to ignore real SAFETY threats and endanger the lives of “fare paying passengers” by operating Control Zones without radar, and in the process disobeying a Ministerial directive; while fabricating non existent SAFETY problems of Drifters operating OUTSIDE control airspace in “G” or general use airspace, where they have been operating SAFELY for over 25 years.

I believe that the Minister should be taking ASA to task and insisting that ASA implement his directive. Where is accountability when a Ministerial directive can be ignored for over 3 years, endangering the lives of fare paying passengers? ASA is the same organisation that is now trying to ram ADS-B down the throats of private aircraft owners to cure a problem that doesn’t exist. What Air Services Australia is trying to do is shift the cost of new and replacement radars away from Air Services and on to all owners of aircraft under the guise of SAFETY in an effort to lessen their own financial responsibilities.

In the United States ADS-B is still in its infancy and the FAA has announced that due to technical and other reasons ADS-B will not be a requirement until 2020; and then for commercial aircraft only. For Australia to mandate a technical solution years before the US is inviting obsolescence and interoperability problems as well as additional future costs. Aircraft in the US will still be required to carry a transponder as the primary means of collision avoidance. Aircraft using only G or E airspace in the US will not be required to carry ADS-B. The US has significantly higher air traffic density and the fact that they are not contemplating ADS-B for class G or E airspace makes a mockery of ASA purported safety claim for the much lower density of traffic in Australian G and E airspace.

The fact is that forcing every aircraft in Australia to carry ADS-B would be a quick and easy solution for ASA requirements to replace their current ground-based radars. RA-Aus has no problem with ASA implementing ADS-B in higher level airspaces where it will be of most benefit to the airlines. Mandating ADS-B for use in both upper and lower airspace cannot be supported on either a safety or a cost benefit basis.

Air Services Australia is a government corporation providing ATC and Air Navigation services. It is expected to make a profit and pay a dividend to the Government. RA-Aus find it somewhat inappropriate that ASA is a member of the Aviation Policy Group (APG) a peak body formulating strategic aviation policy. Policy and profit motive do not make good bedfellows nor are they conducive in formulating impartial strategic policy that affects all Australian airspace users. Having ASA represented on the APG is a bit like having the fox in the henhouse. I believe that the Minister should review the makeup of the APG with a view to excluding ASA or alternatively having airspace users represented on the APG if ASA’s commercial interests are represented.

In last months magazine Lee gave an overview of what ADS-B was all about and the fact that there was a Joint Consultation Paper (JCP) put out by the APG on ADS-B. RA-Aus have submitted a response rejecting the paper and its proposals. A copy of our response is on our website.

It appears that ASA is ready to manufacture a bogus safety case on why G airspace should be reduced or why all RA-Aus aircraft should be fitted with an ADS-B. I ask that all members remain vigilant and be ready to lobby their local members of Parliament and write to the Minister asking that he curtail ASA’s arrogance and conceit. I’m sure our 8,200 flying members and some 4,000 aircraft owners would make an impact if they all wrote letters to the media and decision makers. In the meantime please do your own research into the issue so that you can respond to any nonsense claims of SAFETY issues surrounding ADS-B, airspace and CTAF( R) being made by ASA when trying to justify their own flawed agenda.

I would much rather be talking about fun things like the Evans Head Great Eastern Fly- In over the Christmas / New Year period. It promises to be a great time with many events planned over the four days. More details elsewhere in this magazine.

Christmas and the season of goodwill is almost with us. The office will be closed over the Christmas-New Year period so if you have any business that will need to be conducted over that period, plan on getting it done earlier.

On behalf of all the members I would like to pass on a vote of thanks to all our office staff who have all worked hard and efficiently in providing us with the services we need to keep us flying with a minimum of fuss. We wish them a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of rewarding challenges.

To all our faithful members, your Board extends the compliments of the season with the fervent desire that you all have a Merry Christmas and a SAFE New Year.

John Gardon

RA-Aus President