The space we need...

Not the bit between your ears but the bit between the ground and outer space that we need to operate in.
I got the sense late last week that various members thought we had successfully seen off Airways for ever...think again young grasshoppers...
This from an editorial I wrote in our club magazine in 2008...

Changing subject for a moment and in reference to a previous editorial regarding Airspace, it is regrettable the once again our CFI has had to fend off Airways totally misguided attempts to increase the regulation of a public resource – airspace. The folly of Airways approach is that with limited resources and controllers they seem convinced they need to control more and more of the skies. Logic would suggest controlling less and less airspace would allow better management of those areas left under their control. But logic and bureaucrats don’t make good bedfellows…

 

And later that year I also made these somewhat prophetic comments;

 

Experience the freedom of gliding…yeah right. Not when Airways are involved. The gliding movement has lost its attempt to preserve unfettered airspace up to 6500ft in the Waikato for the enjoyment of the general public rather than be at the behest of commercial IFR training and airline organisations.

The changes may not directly affect local flying in Tauranga but it will impact on those attempting to fly out over the Waikato, and especially those going south beyond Te Poi/Tirau. Whereas all airspace up to 6500ft was uncontrolled in the greater Waikato basin, now that level has been reduced to 4500ft. In a concession the airspace above and North of the Waharoa airfield can be opened to 6500ft on advise (i.e. you call ATC and they have 15 minutes to open it – no exceptions), but the area south is on approval. And we have all experienced what “approval” means…any busy days, any glitches in radar coverage, or any other pseudo excuse will result in problems.

Can we live with this?? We don’t have much choice, but clearly the established practise of meeting with Airways on their terms during airspace reviews doesn’t appear to be very

fruitful. Our leaders in the gliding movement attended lots of meetings, and we should thank them for their time and effort, but maybe a more “political” approach might be required next

time…headlines that read “Government body seeks to remove public freedom” might be a better method. And will there be a next time??? You bet there will be. If one looks at the new airspace map you can predict next airspace theft will be to lower the whole region to 3500ft in line with the airspace around Rotorua and Hamilton airports. This could also impact on areas Alpha and Bravo. What can we do???

Use the new upper areas in the Waikato as much as possible. Go cross-country as often as possible. Always open GAA 255 and GAA 254 when you intend to go west of Area Bravo,

document the reasons (busy, lack of staff, bad hair day etc) that Airways deny access to GAA 255 (the approval airspace south of Tirau).

If we don’t use it we are going to lose it…

We will need to be on guard for the next infringement on our Airspace.