We are having a battle in the UK to stop the CAA (Civil
Aviation Authority, otherwise known as the 'Campaign
Against Aviation') enforcing the mandatory carriage
of Mode S transponders in all aircraft, which includes
gliders. The basic bit of kit costs about £1600 plus
fitting by an 'approved' organisation and Value Added
Tax (17.5%). In total we estimate this will cost at
least £3000+ per glider, with additional ongoing servicing
and licencing costs. Then there are all the extra batteries
that we will have to carry if we want to fly for more
than about 3 hours, which will have to come out of
our permitted MAUW. The fittings for the extra batteries
may have to have design approval by EASA, which is
another major cost.

Although transponders work perfectly well in IMC conditions,
they are also trying to impose strict VMC conditions
on gliding.

You may have enough money to fit and run a Mode S transponder
Ramy, but many private owners of older sailplanes do
not. An airworthy wooden gliders can be picked up for
£3k or less in the UK. Even for club owned gliders,
this proposal would significantly increase the cost
of flying gliders.

Most collisions involving gliders are with other gliders
in thermals or on ridges, or with GA or military aircraft.
Mode S transponders do little or nothing to address
this problem. Hence we are being asked to pay large
sums of money for protecting Commercial Airliners that
wish to take short cuts through Class G airspace, without
any benefits to us. Speaking personally I would be
less hostile to fitting ADS-B or FLARM systems, which
are cheaper, less power hungry and are of some benefit
to glider pilots in detecting other aircraft. Otherwise
we should expect all pilots to keep a good lookout
when flying in Class G.

Derek Copeland


At 05:00 29 August 2006, Ramy Yanetz wrote:
A miracle. Did the ASG 29 used a transponder? Assuming
not, I am wondering
if he could not afford one...
This is not good as there are elections going on in
NV right now and
you know some moron politician is going to try to
make the skies
safer!!
Maybe by enforcing the use of transponders in the Reno
area? I don't see a
problem with that...

Ramy

wrote in message
oups.com...
Rumor control here...

Challenger 800X with 5 on board on route to Reno from
San Diego
collided with an ASG29 around 16,000ft east on Minden
on the Pinenut
mountains.

The Jet landed gear up at Carson City the pilot sustaining
minor
injuries in the initial impact.

The Glider Pilot bailed and landed ok.

Look at KRNV.com or RGJ.com for more info.

This is not good as there are elections going on in
NV right now and
you know some moron politician is going to try to
make the skies
safer!!

Later

Al


Mitch wrote:
Heard there may have been a glider - biz jet crash
in Minden? True or
False?

-EX