Frank Stutzman wrote:

Didn't I hear that TIS (traffic information service, or something like
that) is not going to be developed any further? If thats the case, what
is the value (to the pilot) of Mode S to your average part 91 flyer?

As an owner of a Garmin GTX 330 with traffic displayed on my MX20, I would
suggest that there is still value in a mode S transponder with TIS, if the
pilot flies a lot in the busy northeast, southeast (Florida), and/or
southwest.

While it is true that the FAA is actually disabling TIS for those radar
sites that they are upgrading, my understanding (based on reading articles
in _IFR_ and _Aviation Consumer_) is that this upgrade is happing slowly,
sometime over the next four to five years, and that the number of sites
that will eventually have TIS disabled is a relatively small number when
compared to the total number of sites that provide TIS.

_Aviation Consumer's_ last article on the subject still advocated TIS as a
cost effective, in-cockpit traffic awareness tool for the next few years.
Of course, if the FAA does get their act together with regards to the
nationwide deployment of ADS-B then this recommendation would change, but
the editors of AC still believe ADS-B is five or more years away from
nationwide deployment.

--
Peter