wrote:
snip
Yet, as I said, that's irrelevant. Should a glider encounter an
airliner or any other IFR aircraft above 18,000 (or in other controlled
airspace) with newsworthy consequences....

Let's hope it does not come to this. All we really need are a few
official near-miss reports from hevay drivers who see a little too much
glider above 18K, and we will have to deal with the unwanted attention.
It is normal procedure for airline pilots to file near-miss
reports--they do it all the time. I had to take evasive action with a
727 who turned toward me a while back, and when I filed my near-miss
report after landing, I was told that the other pilot had alredy filed
his.

If you think this is unlikely because the big boys mostly stay up above
30K, think again. The turboprop commuter fleet is being replaced with
commuter jets that often cruise near the bottom of the Class A. So,
it's getting more crowded there.

The FAA is responsible for enforcement, so we can leave that to them.
But the pilot community is responsible for reinforcement, and rewarding
pilots who break the rules gives negative reinforcement. Aside from the
regulatory issues, it is also unsportsmanlike conduct. So, we will
remove OLC flight claims that show ovbious violation of Class-A
airspace without a reasonable explanation. This is not Orwell's "Big
Brother" it's more like Big Brothers and Big Sisters.

Doug Haluza
SSA-OLC Admin