New Castle ELT Requirement

The safety of flight is ultimately the responsibility of the P.I.C.
(so says the FARs)--this includes ensuring the operational condition
of any *required* onboard instrumentation and equipment.

The safety of a single flight is the responsibility of the pilot. However,
the safety of a soaring contest falls in the lap of the contest organizer.
His decisions regarding the safe operation of a contest at a his site should
be respected, and not 2nd guessed.


But ask yourself this: if because someone lands gear-up twice should
the airport owner [for liability concerns] demand that all similar
aircraft be installed with a gear warning system as a condition to
operate at his airport?

Invalid analogy. Landing gear up will not cause a ground and air search
involving time, effort and risk of numerous individuals and agencies.

What I see is a knee-jerk policy unilaterally instituted under the
color of an exagerated concern of liability in the rare case of an off
site aircraft accident during a glider contest. Such a policy
instituted at a public airport could rightly be contrued as

New Castle is a private airport. Check your facts before posting.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/VA85


The proper protocol in this matter would be to defer such decisions to
the sanctioning body (SSA).

Please post a reference to this protocol. Is this published somewhere, or
is it just your personal opinion?


Guy Byars

Ed:

My comment has nothing to do with the "checking of facts" as I know
New Castle is a private airport. The point is that what initiates
there could very well have consequences elsewhere--and you know that.

Please be advised that my soaring club is currently fighting a battle
with a dictatorial airport authority at a private airport whose
strategy is to create arbitrary, grating rules in an attempt to get us
off the premises, so forgive me if I am sensative to any such mandates
as you have been involved with the creation thereof. It's bad enough
when such rules come from unsympathetic sources. It's harder to take
when we do it to ourselves.

As far as the reference protocol, it is my "opinion" that the SSA
should be afforded the authority to standardize what equipment is
required to fly in a soaring contest else who knows what specific
requirements some local airport owner and his friends may come up
(with the best of intentions) that all of a sudden becomes a barrier
to universal involvement.

Best,

Ray