[Peetwo]

From the school of 'passing strange' coincidences - cont/-

I note the following from Advance's 'Responsibility in ATC post: ...CASA has an Office of Airspace Regulation which is required to operate in accordance with a policy statement issued by Michael McCormack and Para 47 reads:

The Government expects CASA to adopt international best practice in airspace administration. This includes adopting proven international systems that meet our airspace requirements. The Government’s airspace strategy recognises that international airspace systems include a range of characteristics to be considered, and implemented as appropriate...

Now referring to this post extract off Mick Mack's thread:

Not sure about home to roost TB but I think it is about time "K" started up a TAB on how long it'll be before the witless, wonder from Wagga will pause to change feet again?? 

In the meantime this via the other Aunty yesterday...

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Flying school for Chinese pilots reports racial abuse, laser pointer attacks and jammed radio signals

ABC Mildura-Swan Hill 
By Christopher Testa

Posted yesterday at 5:01pm

PHOTO: QantasLink is among those to have raised concerns about increased activity at the airport. (ABC News: Christopher Testa)
RELATED STORY: Flying school allegedly funded with embezzled Chinese loans

Reports of interference with aircraft radio communications and the use of laser pointers at one of regional Victoria's busiest airports, where a flying school trains pilots for Chinese airlines, are being investigated.

Key points:

• International Aviation Alliance CEO Simon Clemence said tensions over the academy's presence meant it had become "reluctant to even let [the students] out"
  
  
• Mr Clemence, who is also Mildura's mayor, said unknown persons had jammed radio frequencies
  
  
• A spokeswoman for the Australian Communications and Media Authority said it was investigating a complaint
  

The International Aviation Alliance academy has been subject to a number of complaints about noise, however CEO Simon Clemence said tensions over its presence in Mildura had escalated to the point where the academy had become "reluctant to even let [the students] out".

Mr Clemence, who is also Mildura's mayor, said unknown persons had jammed radio frequencies to prevent its aircraft from operating, and aimed laser pointers at its planes.

And, he added, Chinese student pilots aged in their 20s had been subjected to racial abuse on aircraft radios and in public.

"All the rednecks are coming out and quite literally attacking us," he said.

Academy helping amid covid-19: Clemence

The flying school opened to much fanfare in 2019, when Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack announced the Federal Government would contribute $2 million toward the installation of an instrument landing system at the airport.

Mr McCormack at the time said the funding was allocated because Anne Webster, then the Nationals candidate for Mallee, "continually rang me and rang me and rang me" and said the region needed the landing system to attract flying schools to Mildura.

PHOTO: The academy has been subject to a number of complaints about noise. (ABC News: Christopher Testa)

But in recent weeks, enough "distressed" constituents had written to Dr Webster angry about noise from late-night training flights that the MP had written to the flying academy to ask it to consider changing its schedule.

Part of the school's plan to alleviate those concerns involves expanding to places like Swan Hill, whose council this week voted to pursue negotiations that could eventually lead to 200 Chinese student pilots learning to fly at the Swan Hill Aerodrome, despite some councillors' concerns.

Mr Clemence said the academy's presence had helped some businesses in Mildura survive the downturn associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, and that it was even courting interest from the Tasmanian Government.

But while business leaders and local councils were attracted to the academy's promise of an economic boost, Mr Clemence said the students had been subjected to vigilante behaviour in the community.

A spokeswoman for the Australian Communications and Media Authority said it was investigating a complaint about interference to licensed radio communications services at Mildura Airport and had encouraged the airport's management to report the matter to police.

Mr Clemence said while there were genuine community concerns about aircraft noise and foreign ownership, he felt "anti-Chinese sentiment" was fuelling much of the outrage at a time when coronavirus was spreading.

"If this was Qantas, would anyone really be making all the complaints and allegations they are making now? I don't think so," he said.

ATSB found no need to investigate report

QantasLink is among those to have raised concerns about how increased training flights have made Mildura Airport a more difficult place to fly to.

In a recent airspace review, the carrier told the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) it had begun to find radio traffic at Mildura "challenging", with pilots commonly encountering "poor or miscommunication" on radio calls.

Virgin Australia, another of the three commercial airlines to service Mildura, also told the review none of CASA's recommendations would address the risk of "insufficient or ineffective communication" involving student pilots whose first language was not English.

Peter Guest, a recreational pilot from Mildura, said he had encountered communication issues on multiple occasions, and felt it was "just pure luck that there hasn't been a collision yet".

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) contacted Mr Guest this week after learning of an incident last Sunday (April 19) in which he claimed a pilot from the flying school failed to respond to his radio call as he prepared to land.

The ATSB decided no further investigation was warranted.

CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said more education about radio use at Mildura was planned but stressed the airspace was safe, with three incidents recorded over the past year out of almost 20,000 flights...

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...And this bit: ...also told the review none of CASA's recommendations would address the risk of "insufficient or ineffective communication" involving student pilots whose first language was not English...

Not the first time interested parties (Airservices/big developers/ local & state govts) to an identified airport/airspace safety risk issue have completely ignored the proposed risk mitigation proposals/recommendations put forward by either our inept aviation regulator; or the ATSB, State Coroners and even the Australian Senate...

Extract from the December 2019 Mildura Supp airspace review:

9 Recommendations The supplementary review does not recommend a change to the airspace classification or architecture.

To enhance and improve the level of service operating in the review area the following recommendations have been made:

Recommendation 1 Airservices Australia should publish a Visual Terminal Chart for Mildura by May 2021.

Recommendation 2 Flying training organisations based at Mildura and Wentworth aerodromes should consider the benefits of developing and submitting an Airspace Change Proposal (ACP) for the identification of flying training areas and where gliding or other activities are undertaken.

Recommendation 3 CASA Flight Operations Inspectors should complete a Request for Change to change the Mildura Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF).

Recommendation 4 CASA Aviation Safety Advisors should assist to establish an Aviation Safety Forum at Mildura.

Recommendation 5 CASA Aviation Safety Advisors should conduct a seminar at Mildura by March 2020 providing information targeted towards flying instructors, flying students and airspace users. Subjects such as ineffective or improper radio communication, standard phraseology and others matters identified be included. Mildura should be included as a location for the yearly AvSafety pilot seminar.

Recommendation 6 Mildura Airport should amend the Mildura En Route Supplement Australia entry, to advise visiting aircraft are not to conduct circuit training at any time.

Conclusion The OAR has conducted a supplementary airspace review of Mildura. The airspace review ensured that the airspace complied with the requirements of the Airspace Act (2007), Airspace Regulations (2007), the Australian Airspace Policy Statement (2018), the Minister’s Statement of Expectation (2017) and CASA’s Regulatory Philosophy. The recommendation from the Mildura Airspace Review 2018 is closed. The supplementary review has made six recommendations. The OAR will continue to monitor aircraft and passenger movement data, reported incidents and assess information to determine the appropriateness of conducting the next review.

Keeping the above OAR Mildura Airspace review extract and the 'Advance' OBS in mind, it is worth contemplating what the legal standpoint would be if (God forbid) there was another mid-air collision within /or in the close proximity/ or crossover of Class G/E airspace into a busy CTAF; given the concerns of the RPT operators and the ATCO SMEs on the UP.

QLink had commenced engagement with stakeholders and were seeking feedback on changing the CTAF at Mildura due to the same frequency being used at Horsham and Shepparton. Pilots on descent from flight levels into Mildura require heightened situational awareness due to broadcasts being made on the frequency at different locations. The commencement of flying training at Mildura has further increased this awareness. The current workload has meant this CTAF issue has not progressed and it is requested that it be handed to another agency to complete.

QLink and Virgin Australia provided examples of occurrences when their aircraft experiences issued with a number of aircraft operating in the circuit at Mildura at the time of their arrival. These included an instructor on the ground, providing direction to a training solo pilot over the CTAF, aircraft not responding to radio calls, numerous aircraft in the circuit resulting in an unstable approach and over transmissions from users at Horsham and Shepparton.

This is the Airservices response to the OAR Mildura review findings:
 

ATC was satisfied with the current airspace arrangements.

Back to Advance:

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..VERY PLAINLY any system of airspace administration that is able to separate IFR aircaft but does not do so, in the full knowledge that those aircraft may be operating in conditions where they can not visually separate themselves is NOT applying any form of international best practice nor proven international systems.
 

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And finally Mr Apporoach with the last word:

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...Come on ATSB, should a critical safety issue be identified - FOUR PEOPLE DIED!

Why is this not a safety problem when it could have been prevented with an airspace model and ATC services that were accepted by CASA back in the '90s?

Why was the Federal Government provider of ATS allowed to then argue with the regulator and have the plan overturned? (At a time when it was managing the FAA Pacific Towers that used exactly the separation services they were rejecting for Australia!)

Even the State Safety Programme starts off with complacency:

"Australia has an enviable record in aviation safety, among the best in the world, which has been built on a strong safety governance system, forged over many years."

That's OK then we don't really have to try any harder, do we?

I believe I could guarantee that if the two aircraft at Mangalore had been airliners, with or without passengers, then action would have been taken.

There is a better way, Minister! For the sake of a few dollars and a few more controllers, those four men need not have died...

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MTF? Yes I believe so! - P2