Collision Avoidance Systems for gliders

On Mar 8, 11:03 pm, "KM" wrote:
On Mar 7, 12:52 pm, "Tim Mara" wrote:

"If we continue to fly in these heavy traffic areas, even with a
transponder, but do not stay in communications with ATC it's hardly better
than being there without a transponder.

Tim, this theme is repeated in both of your posts.I think it is based
on some faulty logic.Some of us have to live and fly in these heavy
traffic areas.You dont have to be in contact with anyone for TCAS to
work.Besides, what is to stop a safety conscious pilot from looking up
the STAR,s and DP,s for a peticular terminal area and just avoiding
those routes ?

We just had a glider and jet collide in this same situation.....the
transponder was reported to be turned off...this is the same situation and
same logic we hear all along. "I only want the transponder turned on when I
am near heavy traffic areas"

Where did you read this?I have read a few reports on this accident in
both soaring and some of the commercial aviation mags, and I never
read of any interviews with the sailplane pilot and this comment.Could
you pass along the reference?



What do you think will happen to us when an airliner hits a glider and it
brings the airliner down?

The non-soaring public isnt going to listed to some small group of rich
glider pilots with their expensive toys out there making it unsafe for their
kids to fly home from college, Politicians will go where the votes and
voters are, for more federal control. Just look at the politicians responses
in NY and Illinoise after these and similar incidents.

and also they are not required to advise VFR traffic of other targets or at
best on a "workload permitting basis" and they can do this only if they
have communication with the traffic...

Tim, they dont need to have communication with both targets to do
this.Besides, the TCAS equiped airliners dont need ATC to advise them
of traffic.

So as we blunde around making our circles in the approach path or airways we
can expect ATC to reroute the airliners and other traffic as we go happily
along . It won't take much more to convince the airlines there is a menace
out there causing them delays and costing them fuel..

Why are you predicting failure Tim.I want to reiterate my earlier
comment that there is nothing stopping sailplane pilots from looking
up the arival and departure routes and staying clear.When I was doing
alot of teaching with the CAP we had this well marked out on class B
charts that were available to everyone at the gliderport.It would be
nice to go soaring in the middle of nowhere, but hardly practicle.
I also think you are way over estimating our impact on the
airlines.Contrary to your post and several general aviation magazine
editorials, in 19 years of airline flying I have never heard even a
comment from airline managment about general aviation traffic
impacting our operations.
K Urban

according to the NTSB report, the interview with the pilot established
that the transponder was not on:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/GenPDF.asp?...06FA277B&rpt=p