(USA) NTSB issues recommendations to the FAA and the SSAregarding transponder use in gliders
On Apr 2, 1:07*am, wrote:
Kirk,
* *Ironic that you talk about 22k cloudbases over Grand Canyon! That
is about the altitude of the midair on June 30, 1956, that got
Positive Control Airspace(now Class A) lowered from 24,000 to 18,000
feet! I put a transponder in my DG303 years ago. Most of the glass
ships at Warner Springs have transponders. There is no excuse for not
having a transponder if you do cross-country. The same excuses I hear
(not from you) are the ones I heard when I started power flying in
1973. Too expensive, blah blah blah.
* It was extremely lucky no one was killed in that Minden midair. The
few times I have soared there(in rental ships) I have had close calls
with 121 carriers on the localizer for Reno or corporate jets going
into Minden. Flying wave the other day at Warner I was on LA Center
the whole flight. It was amazing the amount of carriers that vectored
around me or got TCAS alerts.
* There is lots of traffic out there folks. Transponders are a great
safety device. The 0440 vs. 1200 has nothing to do with power output.
Per LOA with Reno the 0440 identifies you as a glider rather than an
airplane. It should be an FAR to have a discrete code for gliders and
hopefully will happen soon.
* * Happy Soaring, *Dean "GO"
Dean,
I would set a slightly different priority: A PCAS - type device is
the absolute minimum required for XC (or local in busy areas). Out
west, where XC is flown at much higher altitudes, then the transponder
becomes important.
I currently fly east of St Louis, not far from the Class B but never
get high enough to conflict with airliners. Our main threat (aside
from the occasional bizjet or KC-135 out of Scott AFB) is VFR light
planes. Here, a transponder will not help much (if at all) for most
of the traffic, while a PCAS will help a lot. But a transponder
wouldn't hurt!
But I have a hard enough problem convincing members of my club for the
need for radios, much less transponders in gliders! Lots of
resistance to change in older club cultures, not surprisingly...
And let's not get started on altimeter settings! I've run into many
pilots who are more concerned with using the altimeter (set to QFE!)
to figure out their pattern altitude than with using a properly set
altimeter, along with a radio, to decrease the chance of a midair in
busy airspace. Scary, really...
Cheers,
Kirk 66
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