Transponders

Ben Flewett wrote in message ...
There are lots of excellent reasons for not requiring
gliders to carry transponders but this study seems
flimsy. In NZ we often have groups of gliders flying
together whilst using transponders - no problem.

As I see it (and this is for the Western US, and may not apply in NZ
or the UK, etc) there are really only two reasons for not carrying a
transponder: No place to put it in the glider (I've been trying to
figure out where to install one in my LS6 (small panel), it will take
a complete redo of the panel to squeeze it in; and cost - as soon as I
win the lottery (or get REALLY scared by an airliner) I will probably
get one.

The main reasons for not requiring gliders to carry
transponders a

- if airspace is managed well they are not required
in most areas. The real problem is that the groups
that draw the lines on the maps give the commercial
airlines more airspace than is required. For example,
Auckland (NZ) airport has more airspace around it than
Heathrow.

If you fly away from airliners, or airways, then the midair risk is
obviously low. I fly right next to the Phoenix Class B and share
airspace with a lot of traffic. I'm still in Class E, so a
transponder isn't required and I'm not talking to ATC, but still it
would be nice to be "seen" by any TCAS-equipped planes in the
vicinity, especially when cruising (i.e. invisible) at high altitude
(cloudbase above 18000' is not uncommon out here).

- as a glider pilot I don?t want to spend my day listening
to commercial pilots talking to ATC all day. I prefer
to have the radio tuned to a gliding frequency or off.

Same here, and since I'm VFR in Class E airspace, the only time I talk
to ATC is when I think it may help - like during the week near a busy
military base. Then I let them know where I am, and the controllers
have always been very receptive - vectoring the fighters around me if
necessary. Having a transponder would make it easier for ATC to track
me, and many fighters could see me as well with their systems. It
doesn't mean I would have to talk to them more. Is it different in
NZ? (aside from no fighters - a shame about your A-4s and MB-339s!)

- most (but not all) controllers don?t understand how
gliders operate. The glider pilot is often required
to provide training to controllers whilst trying to
fly their glider. I don?t like having to do this?
?no, I am a glider which means I have no engine and
thus I cannot maintain 3000ft?.

Again, just having a transponder doesn't mean you have to talk to ATC
if VFR, it means ATC will see you and know you are VFR (squawking
1200) and let other traffic know you are there. If you do decide to
talk to ATC, it's that much easier for them to locate you. And the
ATC controller is not controlling you, so it isn't your concern if he
doesn't understand gliders - it's his, since his responsibility it to
protect the airplanes that he is "controlling"; those on IFR
flightplans in his airspace. Trust me, he will appreciate any
"training" you can give him! (thinks - invite local ATC for a glider
ride - many of them are pilots anyway and would jump at the chance!).

- most glider pilots (including me) are not commercial
pilots and are not practiced at talking to ATC. Controllers
are used to speaking to commercial pilots and often
become frustrated with amateur glider pilots. The
also become frustrated with the unpredictable flight
path of gliders.

C'mon, if stinkpot student Cezzna pilots can do it, even glider
guiders can learn to speak ATC! Try it, if you step on your johnson
you can always give your buddy's identification and turn off the
radio! And at the speeds we go, to ATC we aren't unpredictable, we
are parked!

Once you agree to put transponders in gliders you are
obliged to use them and they are a pain in the ass.
If you only give commercial operators the airspace
they need there should be plenty left over for gliders.

How are they a pain in the ass? Put in the extra battery, turn it on
when you takeoff, turn it off when you land, take out and charge the
extra battery. Again, this may only apply to the US, but having a
transponder doesn't mean you have to talk to ATC. It means that when
you do want ATC to know where you are, they will see you, and that
some airplanes (those equipped with TCAS or similar systems) will have
a much better chance of seeing and avoiding you. If you fly (location
or altitude) where there is little commercial, business, or military
traffic, a transponder will probably not help much, since most small
planes don't have a TCAS-like capability.

Just like most safety issues, the is a cost and risk tradeoff. Some
day (unfortunately, probably due to a bad glider-airliner midair),
transponders will probably be mandated, probably within certain
altitudes (say, above 10,000ft within 50 miles of Class B and C, for
example, with no exceptions). When that happens, we will have to
solve the problem.

Cheers,

Kirk