wrote:
As for Casey's belief that transponders would provide a better
investment with respect to safety, it's hard to argue the value. Once
again, though, this seems to be a rule responding to the concerns of
contest organizers. All things measured, the transponder may be more
valuable to the pilot, but not to contest staff.

Frankly, it doesn't appear to me to be due to the concerns of "contest
organizers" in general, it is the concerns of some members of the Rules
Committee, and perhaps a few contest organizers on the east coast, that
are driving this. No contest official I've had contact with out here
has ever expressed reservations about the lack of ELTs, and as president
of a regional/national contest sponsoring organization (Pacific Soaring
Council), I can't say that I've ever much thought about it, until now.
Strangely enough, we do actively encourage local pilots to get
transponders, due to traffic concerns in the Reno area.

Marc