Eric Greenwell wrote:
Dave Rolley wrote:

My real point, which got lost in the details, is simple. For the most
part, the ATC system is not designed for General Aviation. It is
designed to keep things from bumping into the airliners. It is not
designed for our kind of flying. My assertion is that simply adding a
transponder to our gliders will not necessarily improve the situation.

By "situation", do you mean keeping gliders from bumping into gliders?
If so, I agree that a adding a transponder won't help any, unless
gliders also start carrying the transponder "alerting" devices that
Monroy and others sell. These devices can also help with the airliners
bumping into gliders situation, but they depend on the glider pilot
instead of ATC.

If ATC ran the show, they'd require mode-S in everything immediately.
ATC doesn't mind if the Cubs and Champs and 2-33s of the world are grounded.

Is grounding everything safer? Of course. Sept 12th was the safest
day in modern US aviation history.

I think the best path is to get to cheap GPS transponders (and flight
recorders for that matter). If it's $100 and uses 4 "D" batteries and
runs for 30 days, everyone (well, almost) will get one.

This isn't so far off, with WAAS and all...



I believe that there needs to be an educational outreach on both sides
that lets each see what the needs and concerns are in a particular
geographical area. For instance, the practices used in the Reno area.

Again, I'm not sure what you are thinking of here. The Reno transponder
practices are aimed at keeping airliners from bumping into gliders,
which is the usual goal of a glider pilot that installs one. There is
education aimed at the glider pilot (transponder equipped or not) to
help them avoid the flight paths of aircraft going into Reno.

In any case, the density of glider traffic around Reno is routinely very
high compared to any other US area I'm aware of. The point I'm slowly
(and maybe poorly) making is putting in a transponder will provide most
of it's collision-avoidance value without any formal contact or
agreement with the local tower or ATC. A few situations, like Reno, may
be further improved with some contact.


I have visited the local radar facility on several occasions. The folks
there are very helpful and very interested in where and how we fly. Our
understanding where and how they route the airliners in our area helps
us. It is time well spent. BTW, the right of pilots to visit FAA
facilities was just reaffirmed. Contact your local radar facility and
arrange a tour. It may just give you the information you need to help
your decision on that transponder installation.

Good advice.

But remember, it takes more than a transponder to keep two aircraft from
going bump!

It's another layer of protection, but not an impervious shield. It does
address a weakness in the "see and be seen" technique that isn't easily
accomplished any other way, except by flying somewhere the airliners,
corporate jets, and some military aircraft (generally transports) don't fly.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA


--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd