WebTrak
Note: Due to the large amount of interest in the Airservices Australia WebTrak service, you may expereince difficulties in accessing this service. If you experience problems, please try again at a later time.
WebTrak is an innovative system providing the community with information on where and how high aircraft fly, as well as noise levels of these operations.
It allows members of the public access to detailed information on aircraft operations around major airports.
WebTrak is part of the largest integrated Noise and Flight Path Monitoring System in the world.
How does it work?
WebTrak uses information from air traffic control secondary surveillance radars to monitor aircraft:
- within 55 km of the airport
- up to a height of 3000m above ground level
Aircraft noise data is downloaded daily from noise monitors strategically located about the communities close to the airport.
The information is then displayed on a detailed map (road or aerial) which enables the user to zoom down to their street level.
In Current Flights mode you can view current operations (delayed by 40 minutes for aviation security reasons) around the airport.
In Replay Mode you can access flight information and noise data for the previous two weeks.
Contact details
To provide comments, lodge a noise complaint or request additional information please use the contacts below:
Online form
Phone: 1800 802 584
Email: community.relations@airservicesaustralia.comLiability and Copyright
We have made every reasonable effort to ensure the information presented is accurate. However, the data within WebTrak may still contain inaccuracies in some cases. It should not be relied upon when making personal, legal or financial decisions.Noise data may not be available due to problems with the telecommunications network or maintenance works on the monitor. In such cases, try again in 24 hours time or contact the Noise Enquiry Unit.
In extreme cases some track deviations can occur at low altitudes due to radar reflections, which gives the impression of an aircraft deviating off the runway.
WebTrak is provided for personal and non-commercial use. Users may not modify, copy, distribute or reproduce in any form the data obtained from WebTrak. All maps used by WebTrak are copyright.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Ya can't make this shit up
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Airshambles 1st position – part 2
The primary focus of managing the business is in the area of attendance.
The inference therefore must be there is a significant problem with attendance. But what are the facts? Excluding long term sick-leave (3 months +) the average sick leave in the centres is 11 days per annum, slightly higher in Sydney and much lower in regional towers and the outer TCUs/TWRs.
This compares to other public service roles and those other roles do not work 24/7/365 shift work. HARDLY 4 times the national average, Julian, you've been sold a pup!
Is our sick leave too high? Well yes, in some cases there is leave taking which could be inferred as "abuse of leave"; but the problem we have is the way that all ATCs are targeted with the same managerial plan. Rather than address the individuals that abuse leave entitlements; they sweep everyone into the ‘problem bucket’ and punish us all. So because we don’t have managers that can sort out staffing issues, we need broad brush policies and practices. Leaders leading, ha, not likely, fools reacting, yes that’s closer.
Sick Leave cap.
Well you can’t buy what we have now, so can we sell it? What value would you really place on introducing a cap. Ask anyone struck down with an immediate issue, such as cancer or a heart attack, how much value they place on sick leave as required.
We have heard some managers say that they could still approve sick leave payments for legitimate issues, inference, current sick leave is not legitimate.
Can you get ‘income protection' as an Air Traffic Controller? No, is the simple answer, so if you can’t insure yourself against a long term illness and the employer won’t pay you if you get sick, what exactly will we do to protect ourselves, yes the fog is clearing, KEEP SICK LEAVE AS REQUIRED; don't touch it!
What if we conceded to a maximum of 7 days without certificate, with no restriction on leave with certificate? Yes we'll give you that for $15K each on base pay, seems fair given that we currently run at 30+ days each (well according the J.McGauran) of illegitimate leave, and it would comply the governments Enterprise Bargaining Framework, productivity initiatives for more pay.
Non Operational Duty.
We have higher standards than the general community relating to health and fitness when performing the task of ATC. We cannot take many readily available over the counter drugs and ‘soldier on’, etc. So what should we do?
Airshambles seems to believe that ATCs don’t do enough non operational shifts, when they have a head cold, have a migraine, etc, when they have taken codeine, pseudoephedrine or similar drugs.
Well there are a number of reasons why we avoid non operational work, most come back to management. What does a non-operational controller do? Plenty, if you have an admin portfolio or the like, not much if you are simply a ‘tools man’, filing paperwork is not legitimate work for non operational ATCs. Most ATCs are paid to do operational work only, pity that's not always possible.
Then what shift are you working during your non-operational day at work, as rostered or something else. Most controllers organise their lives around their shift work, to change your shift at short notice to ‘work non-operational duty’ it may have a significant effect on your outside of work life; the work life balance. This isn’t always the case, but try telling a manager that you’ll be in for non-operational duty from 10-17 vice your 06-13 shift and you’ll be meet with a WTF response; why?
What if you are fatigued for your 0600 shift. You could work later in the day after you get sleep, damn that work life balance, already organised things with the accountant/doctor/kids/wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend/principal etc. so can’t do that; is it fraudulent leave? No it’s legitimate as long as you did all you could to reduce your fatigue prior to ‘taking the knock’. If you can do for example an afternoon vice a morning, to manage your illness, in this case, fatigue, will they let you?
So we are sure that more people would attend non-operational duty if there was true flexibility, and a method of assigning something worthy to do on said shifts. Management is 100% responsible for not developing any value adding non-operational tasks and then they further exacerbate the issue by not allowing some shift flexibility if you can't front for the shift as rostered.
Of course their concern is that if you can change shifts on a whim, without penalty, why would you ever work a doggo?
Did anyone else notice the line that ‘there is an obligation to work reasonable additional hours’? Why slip this into the ‘sick leave’ section?
The current rule states:
4.3.1 We expect that you will work a reasonable amount of additional hours if the requirement becomes necessary. You may choose not to work additional hours in circumstances where the working of such hours would result in you working hours which are unreasonable after consideration of:
(a) Any risk to your health and safety;
(b) Your personal circumstances including any family responsibilities;
(c) The needs of the workplace;
(d) The notice given by us and by you of your intention to choose not to work the additional
hours; and
(e) Any other relevant matter.
Consultation:
We think this means Airshambles wants the right to do whatever they want, the consultation clauses make it very inconvenient for us when staff point out that consultation is required as per the agreement. How many times have they been caught out not consulting; more than they have done it right in the first place.
Part 7:
They want to reduce (clarify/simplify) your entitlements relating to ‘Discipline, Redeployment and Termination of Employment’. We assume this means that they want to impose more restructures and not be caught out by possible redundancy provisions; like during the ALM debacle; there are still some ATCs waiting AIRC advice about their entitlements. We also suspect that they want to be able more readily able to sack employees that have disciplinary issues, these existing processes are very restrictive on their ability to be complete arse-holes.
Grievances:
Airshambles obviously doesn’t understand what the current grievance system is. The paragraph they have written is exactly what the current process is, idiots.
Sustaining Capability (you’re joking right?)
Air Traffic Control is a great place to work and is able to maintain capability within the global marketplace. Oh please! We have the lowest morale ever, you need to fix it, you need to relax terms and conditions and be less focused on 'fraud' and more focused on the individual.
How about starting with paying global rates and recognising that working 24/7/365 is difficult. How about not standing people down for every little irrelevant event, how about recognising that our safety culture is primarily a box ticking exercise. How about giving something back? How about tapping someone on the shoulder and saying go home, you've done a good days work?
Airshambles now wants ‘flexibility’ in recleave; but wait they wanted the 18 month rolling plans so they could be better informed about operational training requirements and sustaining capability. This was a pillar of the Airshambles position in 2002. Well which is it? Locking in things so you can plan, or needing flexibility cause you can’t organise a beer in a brew house?
Methods of retaining ATCs, SHOW ME THE MONEY JERRY! Do we smell individual contracts?
Career development, blah blah, how about sticking to something? Management training, how many processes in the last 5 years, leaders leading, cert IVs in frontline management etc.
Less CBT, real training courses, real refresher training, movement between ATC roles, now that’s development, reduce change, INFORMATION OVERLOAD LEADS TO MANAGEMENT ARSE COVERING AND INCREASED RISK!
Career Break scheme options - is that a carrot? You can’t be trusted, we know that in 5 years time we will still be short and you know it, you can give us all you want when we have full staffing, not in the three years of the next agreement. Next move on, no wait that’s it.
Airshambles, we here at the shafters are very unimpressed by your first effort, F, go back to your desk do better next time.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
CEO Interview - part 3
Greg Russell on Negotiating principles 1: “We are finalising our thinking ... and in the first instance I need to discuss these issues with our Board.”
Purrrrllllleeeeaaaaassssseeeee!!!!!!, No chance of doing it before June 2008? Not since July 2005. We know, the new Chairman might support you more than the last, maybe he'll like your 'new' strategy?
Greg Russell on Negotiating principles 2: “This is one of the major issues for the organisation this year, they want to see it well handled...”
TOO LATE! You have no idea how pissed off people are already; maybe you need to visit a major centre and have some more no BS meetings?
Greg Russell on Negotiating principles 3: “... I’m still pretty confident we will end up with a reasonable outcome and hopefully one that doesn’t engender quite the degree of acrimony that occurred here in 2005. At the end of the day that level of acrimony is bad for our business and its counter to what I am trying to do here and that’s create a much better organisation.”
You have some serious work to do to get us on board, you have ruled by fear, sacking underlings that have disagreed with you or even questioned you, we believe that you have ripped the guts out of our organisation during your “tour”. Any thoughts of just leaving, we need a morale boost. The level of support our direct managers get from Level 1 and his “in fear” Level 2s does nothing to dispel the acrimony coming out of all these ‘stupid’ decisions from on high. SDE, ALMs, AWAs, and the like.
Greg Russell on Communication: “... I don’t think we have still cracked it completely and it is still a very important challenge for Airservices and various levels of our management.”
Cracked what exactly? If communication got any worse we’d think Joseph Goebbels himself was sitting in the big office. Nothing but SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!
Greg Russell on what Greg has in mind: “... at this stage ... we are not able to go into
detail at the moment ...”
Oh come on man, roll at least one die, give us a freak’n bone here.
Greg Russell on ADS-B 1: “It was under-scoped to begin with and I don’t think our early
project management was adequate, but we’ve put a lot of work into it in the
past two years.”
As usual we tried to do the cheapest option and got burnt.
Greg Russell on ADS-B 2: We have changed suppliers; we now have Telstra as one of
the principal external suppliers involved and they are doing a good job.
Did any one say significant legal issues?
Greg Russell on changes to Gyms: “ We’ve been reviewing ... employment package products ... we wanted to see value for money in terms of what we were
spending ...to make sure that a) we are getting good value for money and b) we’ve got appropriately qualified people involved in these roles and that’s what the new providers will bring to both Brisbane and Melbourne. I’m a part time gym person myself and I know how important these facilities are.”
So why then did you award the contract to a big faceless corporation, if you truly wanted report with gym users you would have realised that the ‘little people’ you sacked were part of our community, you robbed us again, way to go, all for a gold coin or two, maybe even the faceless corporation will cost you more. Greg you have demonstrated your obvious lack of compassion, but why SPIN this, were not buying, you may as well 'cold call'.
Greg Russell on the future focus 1: “Waypoint effectively would be our annual meeting with our shareholders - to report to them on how we’ve been progressing.”
Well no, it would be a meeting with key customers, the shareholders reps might be present but it would be a shareholders meeting now would it. What happens if they are dissatisfied or stop believing the SPIN? Go elsewhere? Nothing else other than Waypoint?
Greg Russell on the future focus 2: “first of all we need to satisfactorily
conclude the certified agreements ... a litmus test ... a changing spirit of better goodwill as we move to fix a lot of things that have been wrong with the organisation over the years.”
Well you know what to do, put a decent offer on the table, we’ll STFU if you do, we guarantee it.
Greg Russell on the future focus 3: “... to continue this process of reform and improvement within the organisation, especially the great work that’s being done in both the Air Traffic group and the TAS group at the moment.”
Great work, where? Oh yes, we missed the SPIN
Greg Russell on the future focus 4: “The fourth is the emphasis ... on training.... an enthusiastic group ... I want to see it grow - train not just air traffic controllers and firemen,
but our technical people and our management as well.”
But Greg, you gutted the joint, you’ve removed trained staff and put in ‘educators’ who will turn out great ‘graduates’ who probably won’t know a TTF from an NDB. What are the numbers again? What were they in 2004, what was planned?
Greg Russell reflects: “All in all, I’ve got to tell you it’s going to be a very busy year. My sense is that we are making progress and as I look back on the organisation I inherited
when I came here nearly 3 years ago, the change is very noticeable, hopefully for the better.”
NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH, In case you missed it, we think you have f@#^KED the joint, please leave and get yourself another job. Whatever your view of our comments, ask random staff if it’s been "for the better", go on we dare you.
PS Don’t sack them if you get an honest answer.
CEO Interview - part 2
Greg Russell on the reason for airspace closures: “The problem that I see is that there is still a view amongst some of our controllers that they are not willing to accept overtime.”
This is quality BS is it not? How much Overtime is being worked, how does that compare to the traditional overtime rates; maybe the problem is that 1.85 is less (after removing travel time) than the previous agreement and the financial incentive isn't as good. Maybe people have ‘hit the wall’ getting called every f#*&^’n day off, sometimes more than once.
Greg Russell on fixing the airspace closures: “I appeal to the majority of our people who are decent and professional Air Traffic Controllers to understand that we are working to resolve this issue, they may think that it has come too late in some respects and in some respects frankly it has, but I am seeking their commitment to help us through this period.”
WTF, over. Guilt up the ATCs to give up more days off, because you really are trying, “CROCODILE TEARS, Greg, CROCODILE TEARS”.
Greg Russell on the latest staff plan: “Toward the end of June I will be putting my name to quite a comprehensive plan that will give our people in our operational areas in particular, Air Traffic Control, the Fire Service and our TAS group an undertaking from me about the recruitment, training and career development prospects for each of these critical areas of our business over the next five years.”
Putting your name to it, well obviously it’s better than the last two plans.
What’s in the plan, what has happened or what you are going to do? We want to know how you plan to fix it, not why it’s broken. Any real numbers about retirements and early departures in it? Any analysis about what is likely to happen if you only anti up CPI for the CA, vs if you put 12% on the table?
What do the WAYPOINT sycophants say?
Greg Russell on the new government: “ ... ultimately we need to ... build strong relationships with the government of the day. We have put quite a lot of effort into building a relationship with our still relatively new minister and his office. I’m pleased with the progress we are making in this area.”
As far as I can tell Big Tony is not planning on sacking me yet.
Greg Russell on oil prices: “I think an organisation like us ... needs to be empathetic to the pain that our customers are going through. What I mean ... is that we have to continue to pay close attention to our costs because ... the airlines fund this organisation...”
In other words, the are hurting, we need to reduce costs, so a ‘bloody good pay-rise’ is a long way off. Perhaps when we made $106M profit we could have used some of that cash for good will. We know, we know.
Greg Russell on airborne delays: “... we have to be much more innovative about how we tackle the issues of delays, additional flying, additional fuel burn and certainly the question of emissions. ... their costs at the moment is fuel burn and that’s something we can do something about. We’ve done a lot in the past, but its something we’ve got to do even more in the future.”
How about starting with enough staff to ensure that we don’t need to reduce traffic to manageable levels with reduced staff? How about avoiding TIBA ‘fly arounds’ due no ATS.
Greg Russell on the NOC: “ is principally designed to get more efficiency out of the national airways system and I think there is very considerable scope for the whole industry - airlines, airports and ourselves as air traffic providers - to work much more closely to achieve that aim.”
Ahhhh Greg, staffing? We hear applicants were rejected because they couldn’t be released, what is the NOC, a database of faults, incidents, media issues and reasons why delays are occurring? Anything proactive happening? If not, when will it start?
Greg Russell on the industry’s views of ASA: “I think the organisation is generally regarded as being responsive ... and I don’t just mean that in the sense of major airlines ... I had one of the vice presidents of AOPA in here yesterday and he ... comment {on} ... the work we have done on the general aviation survey and what it’s going to teach us about what we need to do to improve our service to that sector of the business.
Well only if you actually do something about the results, tabulating the result isn’t actually doing anything. We think AOPA has been sold a pup.
Greg on the federal budget: “To some extent, we are insulated from it, as I was explaining yesterday at Senate Estimates, Airservices obtains all of its funds off budget.”
Well durrrrrr, you made $106M last year, paid tax and paid a dividend. We are off budget, because we actually contribute to general revenue, where no ‘figure’ is included for general revenue inclusion; so if you returned a zero dividend, the government wouldn’t be annoyed in anyway shape or form; because it wouldn’t effect their position; it would probably effect yours though.
Greg Russell on the CA, 1: “...a lot of people in Australia are being affected ... Some are suffering under the increases to interest rates, and there are some signs that those increases have not finished. Certainly the question of fuel price and the knock on effect that it is having on everything that is transported by road means that a lot of people that are doing it tough at the moment.”
So getting to work without a legitimate public transport option is hurting your workers too; we (mostly) all have mortgages or pay (higher) rents; CPI rises won’t cut it in the global market; don’t force us to leave, because many of us will.
Greg Russell on the CA, 2: “... our employees in Airservices are relatively well paid ... Its not an excuse for us to not take account of the movements in costs, ...”
But I will, if you over paid bunch of sooks think you’re getting more than CPI (which is a bloody good pay-rise, right?) then you’ve got to be smok’n somth’n.
Greg Russell on the CA, 3: “...wage increases need to be reasonable, there does need to be restraint and I think that’s to some extent going to be a fairly tough balancing act.”
Yep, use aint getting nuthin.
Greg Russell on the CA, 4: “The Government is clearly concerned about a wages fed inflation spiral which could easily develop based upon the inflationary pressures that are in the economy at the moment.”
Oh, piss off! The inflationary effects of less than 1000 peoples wages is next to nothing in the nations economy. It’s ok for the like of Dixon and Russell to get 100% pay-rises, cause they are worth it, but you worker bees get the honey that we decide, when we decide it.
Greg Russell on the CA, 5: “My own personal test is what would a reasonable person think is a reasonable outcome and that’s broadly the framework that I will be working in. There is certainly the issue of wage increases, and then there are also productivity issues. I see some opportunity to further improve the way we operate and to share those productivity gains.”
So everything that has happened over the last 3 years counts for naught; we need to produce more to get more. So we need to trade-off conditions, such as sick leave, or rostering principles, to get more than CPI, F()CK!!!!!, here we go again. Going to ignore growth, again? Or produce more 'dodgy' figures to justify your stance, hell it worked a treat last time.
Greg Russell on the CA, 6: “One of the most satisfying things I’ve done over the last few months has been to visit the childcare centre in Melbourne that we operate now with Qantas. It’s just an amazing facility, and I know that quite a number of our staff in Melbourne are using the centre. “
How many employees are getting this type of ‘benefit’? Nice try but no CIGAR Sir, too little too late.
Greg Russell on the CA, 7: “I want us to be a good employer and I am mindful of the fact that we are in a competition everyday not just to attract people, but to develop them, give them meaningful jobs and to retain them.”
Greg, sincerely it’s simple. LISTEN TO YOUR MANAGERS AND STAFF!
We don’t want extras we want fair and reasonable treatment, we don’t want to be treated like numbers or assets but people. We want real flexibility regarding work/life balance; this is more bodies at the consoles, help when you need it, real training and stop economic based short cuts, cuts in training, reduced facilities etc.
And because we won’t get any of that (dream the impossible dream), just pay us more so we don’t piss off. Retention, huh? The ‘development’ of which you speak, isn’t targeting us as the majority of your employees are beyond your ‘development’ targets. Great for the new entrants, if you really get a structure, but what's in it for those employed for 10 years+.
Greg Russell on the the workplace: “I’ve always said that if you enjoyed coming to work and you got paid for it, that’s probably the best outcome you could imagine in your working career.”
Whoops, it is easy, where is your 2008 staff satisfaction survey? Where is the communication and management structure that we asked for, in the Sh!tter that’s where, can anyone else spell “cock-up”.
Greg Russell on the negotiations 1: “... the engagement process has begun. There have been a number of meetings with the unions and what I am hopeful of doing is dealing with some preliminary things that needed to be discussed.”
Needed by whom? It’s old school delay tactics, don’t talk tacks until the drawing board is hung; threaten a low offer, get them all unsettled, offer something a little better and watch them jump at it in fear of getting a worse offer. Well it worked last time. Perhaps you need to read the staff once more, it won’t work this time; people are expecting pay-back, don’t believe it, well how are the June TIBA/TRA stats looking, morale plummeting, perhaps people are no longer enjoying coming "to work and getting paid for it".
Greg Russell on the negotiations 2: “What I am referring to there is some of the employment instruments we are seeking to resolve for instance in the ATC group with respect to our ALMs and Unit Tower Managers.”
The F#%^KING New Government dumped the AWA option, bastards! Maybe a sh!t ALM CA offer will get through, we’ll break them down. These are the people ‘selling management’, don’t you get it?
Greg Russell on the negotiations 3: “Also from what I understand from Civil Air, a lot of work has been done by the Union to have a look at the environment they are looking for.”
Even read the Vision document, nope, the OZ headline was enough?
Greg Russell on the negotiations 4: “From a Management viewpoint we are getting ourselves well prepared, we’ve looked at a number of options in terms of wage, non-wage productivity issues. I have asked that they be well and truly costed so that we know really what will give us the best outcomes and we don’t have to then wait from one iteration to the next that in some cases can take weeks and draw the whole process out.”
Ahh so it is all about cost.
Greg Russell on the negotiations 5: “I’d like to see us lock ourselves up and negotiate and do nothing else until we come out of the room with a deal. I want to keep our people informed in the process, and undertake the negotiations in a genuine spirit of trying to reach an outcome in a much shorter timeframe - and I think that will do us a lot of good.”
So you want us informed, but you want negotiations done in a lock up? Well which is it? You want a short time frame, yet you waste the best part of three months before even laying down one card? WTF?
Greg Russell on the negotiations 6: “...So, some people have criticised me ... we are engaging but the negotiation itself is still a little while off and I am hoping we can make it in a much more condensed format than it has been so far.”
Do you really mean that, well we won’t be holding our breath. Engaging but not negotiating, so have negotiations have begun or not? Why didn’t you seek engagement over the last 3 years, why wait until now. Claims that Civil Air doesn’t represent the members is always stated, yet you need to engage them for staff opinions before negotiating, well which is it, they don't or don't represent?
Greg Russell on the negotiations 7: “I think one of the criticisms I had of the former process was that it was stretched out over many, many months in 2005 and I think it was debilitating on our employees. I think the whole exercise left a sour after taste. There has
got to be a way to improve it and that’s really what I’m trying to achieve this time around.”
NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH It’s already too long, and we have that same sour taste, please put your clothes back on and step back, we don’t like it, another Certified SHAFTING coming on.
