Airplane pilots don't bother looking out...

On 7/22/2010 7:23 PM, 5Z wrote:
"Flying over the white cliffs of Dover, the two pilots of a Gulfstream
450 jet keep their eyes glued to a flight-deck display, ignoring the
almost cloudless sky over the southern coast of England on their
descent to a nearby runway."

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/...3vk_QD9H43NV80

I wonder how prevalent this attitude is outside of airsports and "low
end" general aviation?

So for us "peasants", the option is spend huge sums to install IFR
certificated electronics in order to be seen, or hope these guys
sometimes look out the window. And if they don't, and there's an
accident, who will get the "blame" regardless of right of way rules.

Imagine if we had some non certificated equipment that provides a
"crude" electronic position of say, +/- 1,000'. Then these guys would
get an alert, and just maybe look out the window.


I have one of those non-IFR certificated thingies already: a
transponder. It's kept the fast expensive stuff away from me for 8 years
now ;-)

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (netto to net to email me)

- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz

Or, at least get a PCAS - for about £420 sterling or I suppose about
$600 US Dollars. They still won't know you are there, but you will
then get an alert to their transponder if they have one.

Chris N.