SSA responds to ANPRM

I believe that the SSA has taken the correct position on the ANPRM. The cost benefit to equip cannot justify the benefit of avoiding mid air collisions with gliders AT THIS TIME. My comment to the SSA was this:

"If the FAA cannot assure collision avoidance, via positive ATC, for all aircraft that are equipped with a transponder or ADS-B then the safety benefit, if any, of mandating use of the technology is marginal and the cost to the gliding community of implementing this change is not justified."

However, my personal opinion is that at some point, gliders, UAVs, and all other aircraft will have to equip ( ground to infinity) to provide some kind of "Electronic VFR" for separation and collision advisories or avoidance. Right now there is just too much uncertainty with a chaos of operational and proposed systems(Mode A, Mode S, ADS-B, TABs, etc). Google and the UAV community are working on low power/cost transponder that may do the job. I feel that all pilots should take some responsibility for replacing eyeballs with some kind of electronic advisory/resolution. That inexpensive technology is not there yet for most aviation (except for glider to glider with FLARM).

So... the best strategy is to wait for things to evolve before the 2020 mandate. It looks like incorporating UAV into the NAS system will be the driver for low cost transponders that may be appropriate for gliders.

Walt Rogers WX

I also caution, any glider owner/operator that is considering FLARM Only,
that if
the FAA changes the FAR part 91.113 (Right of Way Rules) from the words
"See
and Avoid" to the words "Sense and Avoid" you will probably need to add a
transponder with ADSB anyway. If your in the market to getting something
new, I would strongly consider a transponder that meets the 2020 compliance

language over just FLARM. Just trying to save you some money. The changes
are coming. D

So is sight not counted as a sense now? Would they prefer you to touch or
smell it?

At 22:05 13 August 2015, D M wrote:
I also caution, any glider owner/operator that is considering FLARM Only
that if
the FAA changes the FAR part 91.113 (Right of Way Rules) from the word
"See
and Avoid" to the words "Sense and Avoid" you will probably need to add a

transponder with ADSB anyway. If your in the market to getting something
new, I would strongly consider a transponder that meets the 2020
complianc

language over just FLARM. Just trying to save you some money. The
changes
are coming. D

Sight seems to be a sensation that is decreasing in acuity. At least, it has more competition from in cockpit PDAs, electronic varios, electronic maps, and FLARM displays. I have shared thermals with pilots who have made more than one circle with their eyes and fingers down on the panel, NOT outside the cockpit. I have had several close encounters with other gliders where the pilots face and eyes are involved with the electronics, NOT outside. I had a pilot who was new to the area tell me with great enthusiasm how he had programmed his two handheld Garmin GPS units to use while flying for his gold badge and use that information along with several pages of finely printed numbers to help him make go/no-go decisions. I flew beside him on the same ridge for several miles and he never looked outside his cockpit once.
We do need passive systems that are always on.