AOPA and ATC Privatization

How about examining the real-world experience of pilots in other countries
where ATC services HAVE been privatized?

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).

Ask pilots who have gone through the privatization process how they have liked
it. Without exception, everyone I've heard from says the same thing: sure,
there might be a few shortcomings in the present system (hey, what system of
ANYTHING is perfect?), but you are much, MUCH better off with the existing
system run by the government. Is there ANYONE (except for the people who have
personally benefitted financially) who have gone through a switch from a
government-run ATC system to a privatized one who think it has improved
things? I haven't heard a single voice supporting that position. On the other
hand, I have heard many, many others who all say the same thing: you Yanks
would be absolutely CRAZY to get rid of the wonderful system you now have and
throw it away in favor of a system whose primary goal is to generate revenue
and keep costs down.

Rather than unrealistic, ideological fantasies (i.e. anything the government
does is always bad, and anything the private sector does is always better) I'd
like to hear what specifically is wrong with the current system, and exactly
how selling it off to the low bidder is going to address that. Absent those
details and a convincing, fact-based analysis showing how a privatized systsm
would benefit us all, this simply looks like nothing more than a good,
old-fashioned money grab to me.

David H
Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Visit the Pacific Northwest Flying forum:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying

The pilots don't like it because they are forced to pay for the services
that they recieve. Everybody else likes it.

"the people who have personally benefitted financially" are the pilots and
controllers.

Mike
MU-2


"David H" wrote in message
...
How about examining the real-world experience of pilots in other countries
where ATC services HAVE been privatized?

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).

Ask pilots who have gone through the privatization process how they have
liked
it. Without exception, everyone I've heard from says the same thing:
sure,
there might be a few shortcomings in the present system (hey, what system
of
ANYTHING is perfect?), but you are much, MUCH better off with the existing
system run by the government. Is there ANYONE (except for the people who
have
personally benefitted financially) who have gone through a switch from a
government-run ATC system to a privatized one who think it has improved
things? I haven't heard a single voice supporting that position. On the
other
hand, I have heard many, many others who all say the same thing: you Yanks
would be absolutely CRAZY to get rid of the wonderful system you now have
and
throw it away in favor of a system whose primary goal is to generate
revenue
and keep costs down.

Rather than unrealistic, ideological fantasies (i.e. anything the
government
does is always bad, and anything the private sector does is always better)
I'd
like to hear what specifically is wrong with the current system, and
exactly
how selling it off to the low bidder is going to address that. Absent
those
details and a convincing, fact-based analysis showing how a privatized
systsm
would benefit us all, this simply looks like nothing more than a good,
old-fashioned money grab to me.

David H
Boeing Field (BFI), Seattle, WA
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Visit the Pacific Northwest Flying forum:
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/pnwflying

"Mike Rapoport" wrote in message
ink.net...
The pilots don't like it because they are forced to pay for the services
that they recieve. Everybody else likes it.

That would make them just like about 98% of the population.

"the people who have personally benefitted financially" are the pilots
and
controllers.


And the bureaucrats...

Mike
MU-2

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