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Nixon’sair policyContinued from page 3Anderson was a master administrator. By cleverly browbeating his subordinates and manipulating overall departmental policy, he encouraged light plane operations but saw to it that a high standard of pilot training and workable priorities were maintained.Thus, when Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport was officially opened in June, 1971, general aviation aircraft were restricted to occasional charter flights and private light aircraft movements were banned.However, Anderson’s successor, Charles Halton, succumbed to pressure from general aviation lobbyists and allowed light — • planes to operate into Tullamarine.Airline protests over this invasion of Tullamarine reflects their fervent desire to prevent a repetition of the difficulties encountered at Sydney. There, it is not unusual for a Boeing 747 to taxi from the terminal, followed by a Cessna 150, a 727 and a couple of DC9s. The jumbo becomes airborne, leaving a lethal swirl of wake turbulence behind it; the Cessna is delayed for up to five minutes to allow the turbulence to dissipate. Another /our to six minutes elapses after the Cessna takes off before it is clear of the track to be flown by the 727 and DC9s.So for 10 minutes, three jets (carrying about 300 people) are left squatting line astern while the Cessna pilot exercises his Walter Mitty fantasies. Without the Cessna, the 727 could have been cleared for take-off two minutes./' after the jumbo lifted off.There has been a gradual reduction in the standards for private’ flying over the last 10.years, again brought about by the intense lobbying of general aviation organisations, under the guise of economic necessity, and leading in turn to a frightening number of close encounters of the worst kind.Controlled airspace . around Melbourne airport has shrunk considerably to allow freer access by light planes (outside controlled airspace) into Moorabbin. Combined with an expansion in the general aviation fleet, and the appalling lack of navigational expertise.of many of its pilots, air traffic controllers are often faced with having to separate heavy jets from unidentified light planes which have penetrated the Melbourne Control Zone. .Near misses are not uncommon; on the average at least one light plane strays into the control zone every day, and - fearing licence cancellation, some will even deny their presence when instructed to call ATC, insisting that they are outside controlled airspace. Faced with the limited evidence of a hand-drawn radar plot and controller testimony, magistrates are often reluctant to impose the punitive measures, needed to ensure a reduction of this type of offence.• Not surprisingly, the public hears nothing of the many near misses which happen throughout Australia each year. When two Qantas 707s travelling in opposite, directions passed within 200 feet of one another in 1976, the press was not informed. Nor was there any mention of the VIP flight carrying Prime Minister Whitlam which came perilously close to an AnsettDC9in 1975.Several years ago, a TAA 727 had to take violept avoiding action to miss a 500 foot, two ton “weather” balloon high over Mildura: No-one spoke. I
Newspaper Details
Cremorne Junction Nation Review
Cremorne Junction, New South Wales, AU
Fri, Jul 28, 1978
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Luis P.
AR 26 Nov 2021
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Cremorne Junction Nation Review
