On Jan 1, 5:03 pm, Don Byrer wrote:
I soar at 67D, Reader-Botsford, ~22nm SW of CLE (Cleveland OH), along
the approach to CLE's rwy 06 . Our 67D field is 800'MSL; the 40/80
shelf of CLE's Class Bravo is ~2 nm NE of the field.

In the past we've easily dealt with this by towing to the S and W,
usually to 3K AGL/3800'MSL.m We also have good landmarks for the
Bravo borders and know to limit it to ~3K AGL beyond those areas.

CLE is extending the Class Bravo SW and NE with a 50/80 shelf (floor
5000'MSL) covering our airport about 8 nm to the SE thru NW

As you might expect, this is causing major concern among our glider
folks...

One side benefit is the aircraft which were often @ 3K MSL previously
will then be at 5K or above, as AT is required to keep 'em in the
Bravo when possible.

Any comments/suggestions on operating adjacent/under/within a Bravo?

Most of our gliders do not have a transponder; the added weight of a
xponder and largerht battery makes it the last the last place we want
to go...not to mention the expense of equipping 5 club gliders...and
we ain't got the $$ for that!

--Don

Don Byrer KJ5KB
Radar Tech & Smilin' Commercial Pilot Guy
Glider & CFI wannabe
kj5kb-at-hotmail.com

"I have slipped the surly bonds of earth; now if I can just land without bending the gear..."
"Watch out for those doves...smack-smack-smack-smack..."

Start with visiting the relevant approach/departures radar facility
and see what they do and how they operate, this may guide what you
decide to do, in particular if your club ought to prioritize use of
transponders and PCAS equipment.

But as for the comment on weight? Are you serious? At 2lb for a
Becker transponder and encoder and around 5 to 9 lb for a 7 Ah to 12
Ah battery how can this be an issue? Usual no-transponder excuses
involve space for batteries or panel space, but the real bottom line
comes down to cost. Money will usually solve all the problems you can
think of with new panel layouts, custom battery mounts, solar panels
etc. And upgrading batteries may or may not be necessary depending on
what battery capacity the ships have now and how the club operates/
changes/charges batteries.

Darryl