I am not against a technology solution per se. What
I am against is looking for a solution which could
take years to implement when a solution is needed tomorrow.

It seems to me that several people think that the introduction
of technology will be simple, it won't. The problem
is extremely complex. Assuming that GPS is accurate
enough, it isn't (especially in vertical positioning),
and that it updates qickly enough, it doesn't, at least
the ones we use at the moment don't, that still leaves
the problem of keeping track of 40 gliders constantly
changing direction realtime, can AWACS do that? Still
leaves the problem of how you keep the pilot informed,
display in the cockpit? I don't think so. Having sorted
out all that, what does a pilot do in response to an
urgent warning of collision, turn into another glider
which was not logged as a threat until the sudden evasive
turn was made. Technology might give the warning but
it is the human that has to react.

I personally don't think we have the technology or
expertise to design such a system or indeed the expertise
to put it in a small enough space to fit in a glider
right now, and the cost could be more than the average
glider is worth. I am not saying do nothing, what I
am saying is do something realistic and achievable
now. I have little doubt that what has been proposed
will be with us in 10 years time but it is now that
we have a problem.

I stand by what I originally wrote, humans are the
cause of accidents, humans can prevent accidents. Whether
we have the will to do it is another matter entirely.

If GPS was that accurate radar whould be obsolete and
transponders museum items.

At 06:18 01 May 2004, Eric Greenwell wrote:


Don Johnstone wrote:

The answer is, good lookout, good situational awareness
and the ability to put safety first, press on itius
second.

This doesn't sound like an answer to me. I do all those
things, yet I've
still come close to collisions.

Don't expect the other guy to get out of your
way, get out of his, and if that means he has an advantage,
sobeit, at least you continue to fly on intact.

I don't expect the other guy to get out of my way,
but I've still come
close to collisions.

These have generally been contest situations involving
many gliders, but
not always. An effective, but not perfect, way to avoid
collsions is to
always fly well away from other gliders. It's not a
perfect way, because
you can't stop other glider from seeing you and joining
you.

I'm surprised people are willing to claim a technological
solution is
unworkable without any demonstration of it's ability.
How can you say
'The answer is, good lookout, good situational awareness
and the ability
to put safety first, press on itius second', when you
have no data on
the proposed solution? Wouldn't a better remark be
'Try it, and show us
the results?'

--
Change 'netto' to 'net' to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA