John,

You've got some pretty good ideas there. If you're an AOPA member (there
are other ways, of course), you can get approach plates for the airports of
interest and take the coordinates of such things as Initial Approach Fix to
put into your data file. That's where the approach to the airport will
begain. Note that there are normally many approaches to an airport. There
are many other things such as terminal VORs but too many to discuss this
way. You would be best served to talk with an instrument rated pilot about
your ideas. Preferably he's also a glider pilot!

Do you need to be flying around instrument runways?


"John Carlyle" wrote in message
...
Doug,

I firmly agree that transponders are a necessity for gliders flying in
busy airspace. Having recently installed PowerFLARM, too, I think that
it is very useful for helping me be more aware of traffic. But that's
not really enough for a glider only rated pilot like myself. I think
it's critical for VFR only trained pilots like me to get educated on
how IFR traffic flows through VFR airspace.

A few years ago I learned the hard way that VOR stations have
increased traffic levels, so I put their locations into my waypoint
database so I'd know when to increase my vigilance. Now I know that
there are low level approach routes outside Class B airspace (I
previously thought IFR approaches were either inside the Class B or
over 10,000 feet), I'm trying to figure out how to mark their location
in my airspace file. Another thing I'm doing is picking the brains of
some fellow glider pilots who are ATP rated, to try and find out if
there are some other nasty surprises out there.

It would be great if there was some AOPA or FAA course that would make
flying VFR around IFR traffic learning more formalized. Have I missed
something?

-John, Q3


On Jun 12, 11:26 am, Doug Mueller wrote:
John, I would like to share this with you and the entire glider
community.
FWIW. I fly transport category aircraft for a living. I fly gliders and
small prop jobs for a hobby. I cannot over emphasis how critical
transponder usage is in this day and age. The airspace system has seen
huge
pressure to condense for the number of airspace users. For example a
transport category aircraft is separated from another aircraft by only
1000
ft vertically above Flight Level 290(29000ft.)
The terminal airspace that is a 25 mile radius of a major airport is
overflowing and the Air Traffic Controllers are now spilling aircraft
over
into other airspaces. Your EWR example is a perfect case.
In the lower altitudes of the controlled D airspace below 18000 along
airways and terminal areas, the transports rely on TCAS because we are
generally travelling anywhere from 4 to 9 miles per minute. I am a
trained
general aviator and my head is outside of the cockpit 75% of the time.
For
whatever reason sitting in the transport I can never see traffic with the
use of my own eyes before TCAS spots the traffic. It is probably because
of
my focal length is geared to looking farther down the road at 4 to 9
miles
per minute. When I get a TCAS alert I change my focal range to look for
traffic that is within 5 miles of my aircraft. At the speeds I fly I have
approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute to acquire visual contact before I
fly
past the vfr target. I have flown in and out of RENO and a lot up and
down
the CA coast. Looking for gliders in the owns valley has always been a
challenge. I have not seen one yet. I have seen them on TCAS but have
never
visually acquired one.
The day is coming when a glider or a small aircraft will collide with a
transport. The day that happens all gliders and GA aircraft will be
grounded since the transport industry is an economic contributor and will
not be punished or the incident. All General Aviators have a
responsibility
to try to postpone that day. The transponder is a simple solution to
postponing that day. You can be part of the problem or part of the
solution. I wanna keep having the freedom to fly my glider. Thanks for
listening. Doug