Graham, I did the ATC and Flight Service aptituted tests in 1969 and they were identical, even the interviews were the same. Hence my tag (Exfso)!! I got interviewed and ended up getting into a heated discussion with a new psych who had an axe to grind and she did not accept my reason for wanting to join ATC from my then job as an electrician. I was basically told to apply for Flight Service, which I did and got selected. As I said the testing was identical as was the psych stuff. (I had a different psych for the FS interview) The main difference between ATC and Flight service, apart from the pay scale is that ATC positively provide a traffic separation service in Controlled airspace, where Flight Service provided a traffic advisory service Outside controlled airspace. We both provided Search and Rescue, Pilot briefing and weather and Notam service. The theory courses were almost identical in fact from memory we both were trained in Melbourne in the same building. The training for both jobs is very intense as would be expected, but in the end we are only human and subject to making errors, that is what happened in this instance I would say, a simple brain fade, with potentially catastrophic results, saved by technology. I can say I had times when for one reason or another I simply missed traffic on aircraft and had them get too close together, but I did not have to provide a separation service, only advisory where pilots made their own decisions on the course to take to avoid collision. ATC have to provide separation, end of story.
Incidentally Flight Service no longer exist perse and pilots outside the controlled airspace corridors are basically left to separate themselves, thanks to Dick Smith trying to convert Australian Aviation to a model used in the USA. Since I left FS in 2000, I have basically lost touch, obviously and from what I have been told by friends who transitioned into ATC from Flight Service, it has become a real poofight!! with a much bigger workload being placed on pilots, particularly when flying to regional areas that don't have air traffic control. I suppose that is the price of progress!!!
