Washington Examiner Editorial on "Glider Safety"

[Tom K (ES)]

http://washingtonexaminer.com/time-for-faa-to-act-on-glider-safety/article/2525829

[[email protected]]

"There have been at least 28 collisions or near misses and seven fatalities in crashes involving gliders and planes since 1998, according to federal data. The reason is that gliders are exempt from federal rules requiring planes to carry transponders"

Grate article!
MM

[Mike the Strike]

On Sunday, March 31, 2013 1:14:05 PM UTC-7, Tom K (ES) wrote:
> http://washingtonexaminer.com/time-for-faa-to-act-on-glider-safety/article/2525829

Let's mandate them in all drones first! IMHO these are going to be a bigger threat to safety than gliders, whose owners are increasingly installing transponders anyway.

Mike

[Dan Marotta]

I am absolutely sick of government regulations.

Having said that, I have a transponder installed in my glider, but it was
_my_ choice.


"Mike the Strike" > wrote in message
...
> On Sunday, March 31, 2013 1:14:05 PM UTC-7, Tom K (ES) wrote:
>> http://washingtonexaminer.com/time-for-faa-to-act-on-glider-safety/article/2525829
>
> Let's mandate them in all drones first! IMHO these are going to be a
> bigger threat to safety than gliders, whose owners are increasingly
> installing transponders anyway.
>
> Mike

[Mike the Strike]

Absolutely - they make Americans drive on the wrong side of the road, for one! How about a bit of freedom to do our own thing?

Mike

[Bill T]

More B.S. !!
How many of those reported near misses were with nether aircraft talking to ATC or within radar coverage?
Granted the accident at Minden described in the article was tragic and gladly no loss of life, and within radar coverage.

But that would not help in our valley this weekend with a guest P-51 Commemorative Air Force from a nearby airport giving rides in our valley, low level, below radar coverage, fast, not on the frequency, with gliders around. low level to the point that he had to climb to clear the ridge with gliders on the ridge above him.

Unless he has TCAS on board, he would not have seen a gliders transponder, and he was below ATC coverage.

Half of the gliders aloft in the valley had a transponder.

[[email protected]]

On Sunday, March 31, 2013 3:14:05 PM UTC-5, Tom K (ES) wrote:
> http://washingtonexaminer.com/time-for-faa-to-act-on-glider-safety/article/2525829

Where did they get the picture of the glider being "catapulted" into a tree-filled valley? Now that looks like fun. Really, is this from Poland (last Soaring)? Or is there somewhere in the US that does "catapult" launches?
John Cochrane

[Bart[_4_]]

On Mar 31, 7:34*pm, wrote:
> Where did they get the picture of the glider being "catapulted" into a tree-filled valley? Now that looks like fun. Really, is this from Poland (last Soaring)? Or is there somewhere in the US that does "catapult" launches?

Courtesy of google image search:
http://www.photos.com/royalty-free-images/glider-szd-35-bekas-being-catapulted-bezmiechowa-poland/144331474

B.

[Brian[_1_]]

I wouldn't read to much into the 28 midairs or Near misses. I am aware of only two actual midairs where a transponder might have helped.

I was involved in a near miss last year, where I spotted the other aircraft more than 5 miles away and when i determined we were on a potential collision course maneuverd to ensure we were never closer than 1/2 mile. The other aircraft saw me and also made about a 10 degree course correction away from me even though we were already on diverging flight paths. As a result of this incident I have learned that it seems at least one companies policy is if they see a glider they will report it as a near miss. These kind of policies may be inflating the near miss numbers.


Brian

[Bill T]

It's not what we knowing pilots read into it. It's what the media and Washington spin masters tell the public that matter.

[vontresc]

On Sunday, March 31, 2013 10:58:00 PM UTC-5, Bill T wrote:
> It's not what we knowing pilots read into it. It's what the media and Washington spin masters tell the public that matter.

This same editorial pops up in one of their papers every three to six months. IIRC the owner of the company had a near miss with a glider in his biz jet, and has had a bug up his ass ever since.

Pete

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

On 3/31/2013 9:45 PM, vontresc wrote:
> On Sunday, March 31, 2013 10:58:00 PM UTC-5, Bill T wrote:
>> It's not what we knowing pilots read into it. It's what the media
>> and Washington spin masters tell the public that matter.
>
> This same editorial pops up in one of their papers every three to six
> months. IIRC the owner of the company had a near miss with a glider
> in his biz jet, and has had a bug up his ass ever since.

Exactly. And the bug doesn't seem to know, or doesn't care, there are
far more airplanes without transponders than gliders.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

[Dan Marotta]

Mike, you made my day with that!


"Mike the Strike" > wrote in message
...
> Absolutely - they make Americans drive on the wrong side of the road, for
> one! How about a bit of freedom to do our own thing?
>
> Mike

[JohnDeRosa]

I don't mind editorials but the writer should get his facts
straight.

As I see it the issue on implementation is not the weight. It is the
additional cost (unit, wiring, antenna, etc) and the effect on our
limited battery capacity.

Also, "The glider exemption was a simple oversight in the first
place." HUH??

Let's point him in the direction of LSA. Or maybe automobile crashes
where there are certainly many orders of magnitude more near misses,
crashes and fatalities.

- John

[Dan Marotta]

Seems to me there's a statement in the FARs regarding transponders along the
lines of "aircraft with engine-driven electrical systems" or similar.
Gliders are exempt by default since they generally don't have engines. Same
with classic or simple airplanes that have no generators or alternators.


"JohnDeRosa" > wrote in message
...
>I don't mind editorials but the writer should get his facts
> straight.
>
> As I see it the issue on implementation is not the weight. It is the
> additional cost (unit, wiring, antenna, etc) and the effect on our
> limited battery capacity.
>
> Also, "The glider exemption was a simple oversight in the first
> place." HUH??
>
> Let's point him in the direction of LSA. Or maybe automobile crashes
> where there are certainly many orders of magnitude more near misses,
> crashes and fatalities.
>
> - John
>
>