Just back from a brilliant evening hosted by Airservices Australia at one of their ‘GA Pilot Information Nights’.
The night was an opportunity to learn more about Sydney’s controlled airspace and how the actions of GA pilots like myself are handled when flying in and around Sydney Control.
Having flown many Harbour Scenic’s with friends since getting my PPL it was a great chance to see exactly what happens when I make that request for airways clearance as I’m flying up the Northbound Lane of Entry. I learned, for example, why my clearance is handled by Sydney Departures and not Sydney Arrivals or Sydney Radar, how my aircraft looks on the controller’s screen when I’ve been assigned a squawk code and had the chance to meet the people with whom I speak to on the radio.
The visit was organised through my flying school Red Baron and there is more information on the Airservices Australia website here.
I would thoroughly recommend this experience to any GA pilots out there regardless of what level you’re at in your training. It was a really informative experience and a great way to understand exactly what’s happening when communicating with ATC in and around controlled airspace.
Plus if you’re a massive aviation geek like myself and have spent many a Saturday afternoon watching aircraft movements down by the fence, to learn exactly how an inbound aircraft is managed from Sydney Arrivals to Director to the Tower and see it all happening on the screen in real time was fascinating.
Big thanks to Matt @ Red Baron for organising the night.