During the last year or so, Garman was selling quite a few Mode S
Transponders to people who already had their Moving Map GPS systems. With
TIS, you got the benefit of seeing traffic on your display.

A number of months ago, the FAA announced that they were phasing out TIS as
they install new radars. As a result, the interest in Mode S transponders
in the GA market has dried up. Now, to get this capability, you have to
wait for ADS-B, which the FAA is taking their sweet time deploying.

Once ADS-B becomes universally deployed and affordable, I suspect you will
start seeing a lot of VFR pilots who will have the able to see ADS-B and
transponder equiped aircraft.

Mike Schumann

"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message
news:P36Ng.3190$xh3.2277@trnddc01...
Mike Schumann wrote:
There are no perfect solutions. A transponder will not help you avoid
the vast majority of VFR traffic.

I wonder about this. Does anyone have an idea what percentage of the VFR
airplanes carry a transponder detector, including the low cost units? I'd
guess a majority of them do, but I haven't seen any numbers. If so, then a
transponder would help you avoid (indirectly, since they would be doing
the actual "avoiding") the majority of VFR traffic.

Locally, two gliders have PCAS/transponders, 2 have transponders only, 1
has PCAS only, and two have neither. Of course, we all have radios and
track each other that way.

--
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Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

"Transponders in Sailplanes" on the Soaring Safety Foundation website
www.soaringsafety.org/prevention/articles.html

"A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org