I wouldn't read to much into the 28 midairs or Near misses. I am aware of only two actual midairs where a transponder might have helped.

I was involved in a near miss last year, where I spotted the other aircraft more than 5 miles away and when i determined we were on a potential collision course maneuverd to ensure we were never closer than 1/2 mile. The other aircraft saw me and also made about a 10 degree course correction away from me even though we were already on diverging flight paths. As a result of this incident I have learned that it seems at least one companies policy is if they see a glider they will report it as a near miss. These kind of policies may be inflating the near miss numbers.


Brian