There are other issues at stake. These include the
possibility of airspace charging, the cost of an approved
installation now that EASA has so kindly taken us under
its control and the risk of being fined or grounded
should we inadvertantly infringe controlled airspace
even if only by a few metres.

Will we be breaking the law if we forget to turn the
transponders on, or if they or the batteries fail in
flight? One of the main characteristics of our current
New Labour Government is the number of usually stupid
new laws they have introduced that it is now possible
to fall foul of!

As to the safety issue, the Air Traffic Controllers
at our local airport have already admitted that they
will almost certainly filter out our returns to reduce
clutter on their radar screens! The only possible gains
we get from all this cost and hassle are slightly reduced
risks of being knocked out of the sky by a TCAS/ACAS
equipped airliners or UAVs. As there has never been
such a collision in the UK, is a reduction of an almost
zero risk really that worthwhile? Mode S does nothing
to reduce the much more probable risk of colliding
with another glider or light aircraft!

Derek Copeland

At 13:12 06 September 2006, Mike Schumann wrote:
The only significant reason to oppose such a proposal
are the costs
involved. What is really needed is a concerted effort
to come up with a
truely low cost transponder or ADS-B transmitter (~$200),
so that it becomes
a no brainer to carry one on everything that flies.

Mike Schumann

'Derek Copeland' wrote in
message ...
OK, OK. So the Jocks have a couple of wave windows
that can be activated in advance by a telephone call
in accordance with a local agreement. We have nothing
like that in Southern England!

I do hope you are not in favour of mandatory Mode
S
Transponders in all aircraft (includes gliders, hang
gliders, paragliders and balloons).

Derek Copeland



At 09:12 06 September 2006, Rory O'Conor wrote:
Oh really?

Please read
http://www.scottishglidingcentre.co....space%20MoU%20

BGA%20
2005%20lores.pdf
And then re-comment.

Rory

------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroup: rec.aviation.soaring
Subject: Mode S Transponders....
Author: Derek Copeland
Date/Time: 17:20 05 September 2006
------------------------------------------------------------
In the UK we are not allowed to fly Gliders in Class
A or Airways, full
stop, period!