Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:00 pm
#1837077
I haven’t misunderstood your point and I’m not being provocative.
I was just curious when I saw the suggestion of a clean sheet of paper and then 9-18 months later the suggestion of some significant change.
It may be hypothetical but airspace modernisation is happening and will continue to happen, albeit after this last year likely somewhat slower than originally envisioned. So, because of the timescale hypothesised above, I wondered if there was any appreciation of the enormity of the task of even a relatively minor change never mind a clean sheet?
Take the recent Farnborough change. There would obviously be many hours of meetings and the like to design and agree proposed changes, consultations, revisions etc etc etc... all office based. But in addition there’s also numerous hours in the air traffic simulator testing proposed procedures, making the changes, then retesting etc etc. For the Farnborough simulations it’s not just Farnborough staff required but also adjacent units... so enough bodies to man the relevant positions from London and Heathrow at a minimum and without impacting unduly the live operation. A significant logistical exercise getting everything and everyone in place as required over a prolonged period.
Then, once the final design is agreed and approved the controller training plan needs to begin, which will likely include CBT, classroom and simulator time over a number of hours, days, weeks, months depending on scale of change. Again also involving the adjacent units as well.
The London Olympic airspace took a number of years, a clean sheet of paper for the whole country?
So, again, not being provocative. Was just curious if there was an appreciation of what’s involved in any airspace change behind the scenes. From what one sometimes reads there may be a little more than is often thought, is all.
Airspace change is very much needed for a number of reasons, as is an appreciation of the cost and the task.