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Argument number 3.While collision avoidance equipment is available and
expensive (not because of politics really but because of liability), it is not flawless. I have spent thousands of hours with TCAS and have seen numerous near mid-air reports filed. It is a vast improvement to nothing. It does not replace the mark I eyball, but augments it enhancing safety. Many pilots get balled up (preoccupied) looking for the reported TCAS traffic and fail to see the piper cub buzzing by till he passes 300 ft. over the cockpit. Good tool. Not fallible, distracting and expensive. I had one installed on a Gulfstream 1 for $35000.00 and the equipment requirement is the same for a C-172. An alternative, which is listed on Tim's W&W web site is a radio monitor that receives the IFF transponder (which the TCAS also is) and gives a range and relative altitude for the closest target. Not a bad tool for cruising solo but not useful in a thermal of more than two where of course (hmm...)you would know the proximity of that one other target. Multiple targets that are transponder equipped within the minimum range of .1mi (600 ft) displayed would not be displayed. Like I said a good tool for on the run, not in a thermal.Now to the meat of the matter. The most valuable lesson we can learn from the recent mid airs we have suffered is improved Communications. Virtually all gliders are radio equipped. In the pattern with very diverse aircraft types we avoid collisions not only with visual diligence, but mostly by communicating clearly where we are flying. If you are entering a thermal, announce to those in the vicinity of your intentions. I am not suggesting constant radio communications while thermalling, but if you are joining say so. If you tell your neighbors you intend to do something and you decide to do something else, say so.I am not suggesting that technology does not exist or can be developed to combat this, nor do I think we should sit on our laurels waiting for someone else to come up with some magic tool to do it for us. I think we should press on talking about possibilities and put our briains together to come up with that tool. Possibly those of the technology camp can start an LLC to mitigate the liability and develop a tool but I think we are obligated to improve the tools we already have to increase our situational awareness. That tool is the radio and the improvement we can make today is to practice good communications of our intentions.v/rjeff |
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Jeff Dorwart wrote:
Let me mention an important factor here, the age of the pilot. I have constated on myself that as one ages, the field of vision becomes narrower, not to mention that attention is not of the same quality, reflexes become poor, etc. This could well be one of the most important factors at play here. Sooaring is much much bettre fitted to young people in excellent health and doing a lot of sports (i mean sports like squash) than to old people. -- Michel TALON |
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Michel Talon wrote:
Jeff Dorwart wrote: Let me mention an important factor here, the age of the pilot. I have constated on myself that as one ages, the field of vision becomes narrower, not to mention that attention is not of the same quality, reflexes become poor, etc. This could well be one of the most important factors at play here. Sooaring is much much bettre fitted to young people in excellent health and doing a lot of sports (i mean sports like squash) than to old people. But mostly old people have the time and money for gliding. In my personal case, I am well aware of my declining capabilities, but I think the lot of free time I can (and do) devote to gliding compensates for that, i.e. if I had started gliding betweeen 15 and 50, I would have been flying less than 50 hours per year (now over 200) and this factor overrides the decline due to age. |
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Robert Ehrlich wrote:
Michel Talon wrote: Jeff Dorwart wrote: Let me mention an important factor here, the age of the pilot. I have constated on myself that as one ages, the field of vision becomes narrower, not to mention that attention is not of the same quality, reflexes become poor, etc. This could well be one of the most important factors at play here. Sooaring is much much bettre fitted to young people in excellent health and doing a lot of sports (i mean sports like squash) than to old people. But mostly old people have the time and money for gliding. In my personal case, I am well aware of my declining capabilities, but I think the lot of free time I can (and do) devote to gliding compensates for that, i.e. if I had started gliding betweeen 15 and 50, I would have been flying less than 50 hours per year (now over 200) and this factor overrides the decline due to age. I don't think so. I remarked that a fair number of people whom i learnt killed themselves soaring, were "well known famous" pilots, flying a lot, but getting older. And, yes, since the soaring pilots population is indeed getting older, thanks to the effect you mention (time and money), it could well be that the number of accidents augment, if this theory is true, of course. -- Michel TALON |
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