I think there are parallels with the various initiatives in Europe to remove road markings and traffic lights...drivers are forced to take responsibility for avoiding accidents with pedestrians and other drivers...
I agree. I have flow into really busy airports in the US that only have a CTAF and for the most part it works. I find the RT here in the UK overly complex with too much needless information being passed.
For example (not class G I know): Why should you repeat the QNH from the ATIS? The point of telling the controller you have information XXXX is so you don't clutter up the frequency with needless chatter!
Flying into class G airfields should be self announce with the ground station just providing airfield information. ...in my humble opinion!
Are FISOs the minimum requirement in the UK for instrument approaches by scheduled airliners at airfields in Class G? eg. Benbecula, Islay, Tiree.
Are FISOs the minimum requirement in the UK for instrument approaches by scheduled airliners at airfields in Class G? eg. Benbecula, Islay, Tiree.
An interesting question, since I believe some Scottish airports are exceptions to the following 
In the UK, there has to be ATC for any instrument approach.
The ATC does not need to be at the airport, however. It can be remotely located, and that is how the USA runs its non-towered airports (they have a remotely located and FAA funded approach controller). However the only example of this I know of in the UK is Walney Island which is a FISO in the tower and a BAE-funded ATCO approach controller elsewhere.
Elsewhere in Europe (and I will leave it to others here to give examples) there are IAPs which work without an approach controller. I guess one uses self-annunciation for separation.
The only reference I have ever found which mandates AFIS is in ANO Sect 3 Page 8 'Aeroplanes flying for the purpose of public transport of passengers—aerodrome facilities for approach to landing and landing'. Other than for those specified flights I see no requirement for anything at all. AGCS in itself is not an ATS in the UK.
I do wonder how many aerodromes in the UK which feel the need to provide AFIS really have this requirement. If it is not required then dispense with it and make huge staff cost savings. Having done it for 25 years it is a thankless task at near minimum wage and I really do wonder if any of it was at all necessary.
I know this is a bit off topic but it was mentioned.
One thing I find frustrating with regard to the Walney Island and Scottish island approaches is that, although they may be published, approval is only given to SAR and specific flights.
I had a chat with the Walney FISO about that, who said that although the ILS is published, it is documented as PPR. Reason being that only SAR, Emergency and BAE aircraft are allowed to fly it.
I'm pretty sure the CAA mandate A/G to become AFIS when a certain number of movements are exceeded. Certainly pre 2008 an airfield close to hours what hitting 60 thousand movements and the CAA were in discussion with the airfield operator about it.
I've also read on some other forum that one airfield whose movements had dropped significantly (like a third) and they had wanted to drop down to AG (they don't have any instrument approaches) but the CAA would not allow it on safety grounds.
Sometimes you can't even win. At our airfield we (the glider club) provide A/G radio when we're operating - when we can. We're a tiny club with just half a dozen active members, so quite often we can all be busy doing something else. But one particular microlight instructor kept chewing us out for not providing something like AFIS. I was too polite to tell him to just look out the bloody window (he was complaining about ground movements, mostly, which are easy to see from the circuit. Well, they would be if he flew the standard circuit, instead he flew this bizarre shaped and enormous circuit whose size was more appropriate for turbojet aircraft).
I've probably said it before but it seems to me that the UK has this bizarre obsession with R/T (up to having the R/T section on the glider pilot bronze exam needing a higher pass rate than all the other sections, despite R/T being the absolutely least important part of flying a glider).
To be honest on a nice sunny day (when I'm not crossing the Irish Sea) I prefer to talk to no one when outside of controlled airspace. I'd also agree a lot of airfields can get rid of AFIS, especially the ones who like to think they are ATC.
I last landed at Walney Island in 1999 and I have nothing to do with BAE or SAR. permission was obtained from BAE Systems and was done so (if memory is correct) as a matter of a simple telephone call.
Alioth, I am with you on your RT sentiments. There is a segment of GA that are RT obsessed. Not sure if it is unique to the UK but is does amuse me. When I fly with one or two of these individuals, it is fun to watch them start squirming in the right seat if I have not established two way communication with a facility of some sort. I also find it amusing observing them when they are flying, getting agitated when trying to establish comms with a busy facility and cant and then when they do make contact, they have to sign off as they need to talk to ATC at destination. How can they enjoy the trip? Can’t they not just go for listening watch and enjoy the scenery? My guess is that they don't actually enjoy flying but are more taken with the image flying gives them to Joe soap on the ground. I have had a pilot in the back of the plane shout at me to stop singing because pilot in back could not get situational awareness. That made me roar with laughter. WTF. I could write a book of short stories about some of the characters I have flown with.
