UA 246

It seems like this incident took place near teddy intersection at approx. 7000 msl? That’s just a really bad place to be flying if you’re not talking to ATC, with or without a transponder. Teddy is major point on the arrival and anyone who's flown into ORD has heard of it. The Flight Aware track is deceiving because the jet does a few turns over Janesville at 10000msl but that’s not where the conflict took place. It was SE of JVL at 7000msl when the jet had to climb to miss an aircraft.

As glider pilots we really need to know where the major traffic is and not go there unless you are in contact with ATC. Look up all the major airports you fly near on Airnav.com, and read about the runways, especially the STAR arrivals, also frequencies, and phone numbers are helpful. You can download free copies of the STARS.

Then on your flights, if the lift takes you near a busy intersection at the altitude used, call ATC. If you’re well below the traffic, maybe just listen? However, know that if you have a transponder and don’t call, you are causing a lot of chatter on a busy frequency. They will all be trying to figure out what you’re doing.

Be sure your radio is able to transmit clearly and call early before your its a problem for them. There is lots of talk here about ADS-B and transponders but this costs nothing and works very well.