David H writes:

Want to see what things will be like if/when this administration has
its way? Look to Canada, New Zealand, etc. Without exception,
everything I've seen about privatized ATC services esewhere paints a
very, very unpleasant picture. I see absolutely zero benefits
(other than money going into the contractor's pockets - and that
only benefits them, at a cost to everyone else).

I have no experience with New Zealand, but please don't use Canada as
a weapon in this dispute.

As an instrument-rated Canadian pilot and aircraft owner, I have no
complaints at all about Nav Canada. The fee for private light
aircraft (about USD 45/year) is too small to be a problem, especially
in a country where no jurisdiction charges property or use taxes on
aircraft (unlike some U.S. states).

Service is good, and we have better coordination between ATC and FSS
than you have in the U.S.: for example, a control tower will
automatically receive a copy of your VFR flight plan and close it for
you when you land. The controllers and specialists have new, modern
equipment, but otherwise are pretty-much the same in Canada and the
U.S., from my limited U.S. experience (I had some shoddy treatment
from one controller at NY approach, but I wouldn't assume that he was
typical of the whole U.S. system).

Of course, that's from the private pilot's perspective. The Nav
Canada fee is much more of a burden for the airlines, and controllers
are not happy with working hours and pay (I don't know if it's better
or worse than the socialized ATC in the U.S.). Nav Canada has also
been scaling back local FSS's so that they have responsibility only
for their local airports and control zones -- briefings, flight plans,
and enroute now go through a few big regional FIC's. I never did
face-to-face briefings at a small airport anyway, but I know that some
pilots miss them.

So, I guess that the negative is the small fee, and the positive is a
major investment in new equipment (vs. the old, broken stuff that many
U.S. controllers complain about) and slightly better FSS/ATC
coordination. Everything else is pretty much the same as in the
U.S. -- private ATC hasn't been a triumph or a disaster in Canada.


All the best,


David