Carl Orton wrote:
ARRRRGHH!
Just took possession of a '67 172 on Monday. Aside from work obligations and
IFR weather in the DFW area the past week, I was really really really
looking forward to this morning (Sat) to take my first flight alone in the
new bird.
Going over the logs once again last night (about the 4th time...) it
suddenly hits me - there's no record of a 24 month transponder check!!!
Grounded!!! Of all the checks we did on the pre-purchase, that one slipped
by. Shame on me. And it is one heckuva beeeyoutiful day out there. *sigh*
Oh well; that's the joy of aircraft ownership, I guess.....

Unless you have a Mode-S transponder and TCAS, a Mode-C/Mode-A
transponder has little value unless all the aircraft around you are in
radar and radio contact with ATC.
US aerobatic champion John Lillberg, flying his Extra 300S, was run over
from behind by a Lear 35 on a training flight. Both had been squawking
and talking to Class D airspace tower, the accident occurred just
outside the airspace boundaries. That was, what... five years ago?