Uh, ya thin mebbe Branson wanted to return to earth through under-FL600 airspace?
Sheesh!
Uh, I read the course deviation put them close to not being able to land on a runway - just crash land in the desert.
Sounds fundamental to me.
I’m disgusted with comments in this thread - I wouldn’t hire many of the commenters who do not think things through, do not read for comprehension. I definitely would not hire ‘Mike Winchester’ of stupid sneering.
Not aviation quality.
What IS Eurocontrol. An online check with Wikipedia shows:
Functions and centres[edit]
Eurocontrol provides a set of different services:
Maastricht Upper Area Control Centre (MUAC)
Network Manager Operations Centre (NMOC) – coordinates flight plans and actual traffic.
EAD – centralised access to AIS information.
Central Route Charges Office (CRCO) – collects en-route (and aerodrome approach) charges on behalf of Air Navigation Service providers (ANSPs).
Eurocontrol Experimental Centre (EEC) – ATM research, simulations, etc.
Institute of Air Navigation Services (IANS) – training and e-learning.
Eurocontrol Safety Regulatory Requirement (ESARRs) – basis requirements for certification and designation according to EC regulation 2096/2005.
From their own website: Eurocontrol is a pan-European, civil-military organization dedicated to supporting European Aviation.
Projects include Data snapshots, Aviation sustainability briefing, Covid impact on Eurocontrol airports, 4 year forecasts, think papers, Stakehold from an impact of climate change, Stakeholder on sustainable aviation fuels. (Does anyone else think this SOUNDS LIKE A COLLEGE THINK TANK?)
“Manage of European aviation network and European Critical Infrastructure”. “Digitizing and modernizing the way air traffic is managed over Europe.” (again, a THINK TANK).
“WHAT WE DO”
“Our activities touch on operations, service provisions, concept development, research, Europe-wide project implementation, performance improvements, coordination with key aviation players at various levels as well as providing support to the future evaluation of strategic orientations of aviation.” (LOOK AT ALL OF THE WEASEL WORDS HERE, NOW I KNOW IT’S A THINK TANK–THEY DON’T DO THINGS."
“Eurocontrol collects route charge on behalf of its Member States through its Central Route Charges Office. The CRCO runs an effective and centralized system that ensures these charges–essential to the funding of the European Air Traffic Management System are recovered.” AHA! They don’t DO things, they plan, they administer, they “coordinate”, they “provide support”, but THE BIG THING THEY DO IS RECOVER AND ALLOCATE MONEY AND SEND IT BACK TO “MEMBER STATES.”
Re-read the words they use to describe themselves–Just what the world needs–more government “planners”–“coordinators”–administrators–"think tanks."Sounds like the FAA to me–except the FAA actually DOES have an ATC system, and people that actually regulate and work the system on behalf of pilots, mechanics, manufacturers, and aircraft owners.
Let’s not give this too much credence–with the size of many European countries about the size of States in the U.S.–government may decide we “need” a “think tank” like this in the U.S. to “administer” user fees. (Sarcasm–we are well on the way now–the difference is that we collect fees fairly efficiently through fuel taxes–government would rather act like this “model” and impose yet another bureaucracy.")
There has been discussion, and perhaps movement toward, more seamless transfer of aircraft between country airspace.
But:
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I have not followed it in detail. Wikipedia’s article Single European Sky may be a good resource for that. Some countries already coordinate closely - the Maastricht centre for example.
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I have not parsed your word soup to separate wheat from chafe, rational management of airspace involves planning just as pilots plan a flight before taking off. Facilitating payment of usage charges is important to viability of the system. Eurocontrol has a common training capability Etc. I suggest Wikipedia’s article on Eurocontrol.
Indeed, Canada and US have become crazy, overlapping fiefdoms and regulations, and enforcement so stupid that people on a yacht arriving in the Victoria BC area had to stay offshore for two weeks because gummint goons would not do that other countries do - accept time at sea as self-quarantine. Then they’d have to get a test for COVID-19 - but how when they are not allowed to land? (The few yacht occupants had come across the Pacific with little trouble.)