Dear Dan:
The FBO leases the airport and they have the safety of their clients in mind when they make rules. I have not inquired as to how they enforce the rules as I respect the FBO and their rules. I like flying there and the FBO and family are very good people. If I was to speculate I would assume you cannot get a tow without the right equipment. I have never been ramped checked for equipment, compliance is expected and I certainly would not do anything to circumvent the rules. If you are flying xc a tracker is a good idea, weather or not you can self launch.

Kind regards,
Jon


On Wednesday, June 8, 2016 at 7:28:51 PM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
I'm curious:Â* How does an FBO forbid leaving the local area if an
aircraft does not have certain equipment that the FBO thinks is
good?

Does he refuse a to tow the glider?Â* He doesn't own the airport,
so I can fly there without Spot or InReach.Â* Or does
he own the airport?Â* Is there some special circumstance, terrain,
traffic situation, etc., which makes him feel the need to snoop in
my cockpit?Â* I understand the value of a transponder around Reno
and similar places.

I'm glad I don't need a tow plane any more.





On 6/7/2016 7:13 PM, Jonathan St. Cloud
wrote:



How on earth did lack of piloting skills get annexed to having a well equipped cockpit. They are separate events without a causal link. Virtually all glider pilots learn in gliders not fitted with GPS nor electronic audio varios. The march of technology has made the sport safer, radios, audio various, transponders, Flarm, GPS, spot... These have nothing to due with learning the basics of stick and rudder. If you can afford the latest, great. If you can't still good. We have several local 1-26 guys whom fly amazing distances, and we have glass guys from early glass to the latest glass flying amazing flights. All of them can fly and it doesn't matter what instruments they use. However, they all must have a spot or inreach to leave the local area, this is required from the FBO.

If someone is giving you grief, it is more about them than you. As far as the march of technology making lesser pilots, I have not witnessed this at the glider port, but multiple accidents and incidents of Air-carriers has shown this. Again this is more training and experience than instruments. I am thinking of Airfrance held aircraft in deep stall for over 3 minutes, Korean Air, couldn't even follow a VASI, recent asian air another stall from altitude, cargo carrier out of SF where the 747 lost two engines on one side, long haul pilot forgot he had rudders...

All the glider pilots I know can fly, navigate and communicate. The modern stuff is nice and I believe leads to less head down time in cockpit, folding a map, looking up freqs, ...

With no offense intended to any of the posters, but this thread has gotten senseless. If you fly without any electronics fine, but know that spot and Inreach are required in some places and are just a good idea period. So are Transponders and Flarm. I couldn't care less if you navigate by GPS, this has no effect on me.








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Dan, 5J