Peter wrote:
It should not be a “proportion”.
It’s not, every case is dealt with on its merits. It’s just that the numbers are fairly consistently around the 80% mark. It is not a target or intention, it’s just the way it goes.
You might as well point at the remarkably consistent annual number of infringements, not only across the UK, but also broken down into each zone. You could suggest that there is a conspiracy across all UK GA pilots to deliberately make a certain number of infringements.
That suggestion is as ludicrous as to suggest that there is an allocated proportion of disposals going down each route. It’s all just in the nature of statistics concerning a largely static situation.
Peter wrote:
For criminal offences, one needs a system which looks at what happened, how much it was premeditated/deliberate/etc, and allocate punishment according to a clear and published scale.
Yes, it should be clear and based on individual and what went on. People who were in similar situations should receive similar treatment / judgements.
I’m not convinced that this is the case with the CAA and have heard some strong evidence suggesting otherwise.
The UK airspace is a mess as we all know, on the whole pilots do not want to bust airspace. But when a lot is going on (for whatever reason) there are regions whose layout makes it very easy to do so.
Off_Field wrote:
have heard some strong evidence suggesting otherwise.
“Strong evidence”? That’s talking big. Care to share? (Privately, if you wish).
If I agree that it is “strong evidence” then I will take it up with the authorities.
“ might as well point at the remarkably consistent annual number of infringements, not only across the UK,”
I see no consistency there?
might as well point at the remarkably consistent annual number of infringements
Now let me help Timothy by producing a graph from the numbers above
Those who got sentenced to Gasco, Jan-June:
NOTE: THE ABOVE GASCO NUMBERS ARE JUST FROM THE ICG DECISIONS. This is a huge and deliberate omission in the released numbers. Lots more are sentenced to Gasco via the non-ICG route i.e. the one guy who runs the operation making the decision himself, with no oversight whatsoever:
Gasco processing capacity is 20-25/month so you can guess how many get sent to Gasco via the non ICG route. It looks like another 10/month, to keep the Gasco pipeline at capacity.
I was talking year on year, rather than month on month.
Do 1100 pilots a year get briefed by EuroGA to infringe? It’s the only explanation I can think of 
Not year on year either – see e.g. here.
The CAA did publish several years’ totals but they have now removed them. Their website now shows only this
FASVIG have some data but I can’t find it right now. Previously came up e.g. here. The numbers, much discussed already, are rising much faster than GA activity which as far as anyone can tell is declining all over the UK…
Lots more are sentenced to Gasco via the non-ICG route
Sorry, what have I missed? Where is this happening?
I would say that is fairly consistent. I mean, whenever I am involved in planning trips, fly-ins and other events, there are always people that drop out and others that join at the last minute, so you cannot be sure of the numbers, but I think that this forum does a pretty good job of providing between 1100 and 1400 infringers a year, reasonably consistently spread across different zones.
Last year’s increase was due to your focus on getting more people through ATZs and Hawarden RMZ. Great planning guys.
I’d love to be part of the planning group, if nothing else to see how you co-ordinate the numbers.
Yes, of course it’s ridiculous, but it is no more risible than the idea that the CAA is somehow orchestrating the results of the investigations. That is a conspiracy too far.
