I was on downwind to land my Taurus on a small strip in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. My transponder started blinking which does not normally happen in mountain valleys. Then two F-16s whizzed by at the same (very low) altitude not much more that 500 ft away. I do not know if they saw me. I have an appointment to get ADS-B installed next week and wonder if it will help.

The reason you transponder was blinking is probably that the F-16s were interrogating you - almost all US fighters have transponder interrogators and can trigger your transponder - your location is then shown on the fighter's radar display (correlated to a radar hit if it is looking there). With a radar lock, the pilot will then see you highlighted in his HUD or helmet.

Some of you seem to think the military doesn't care about midairs and is nonchalant about zooming around at low level. That is totally wrong - dead is dead whether you are in a 1-26 or an F-35! And the systems in mil aircraft put civilian aircraft to shame. For example, the F-15E that I'm most familiar with has a transponder working on Modes 1, 2, 3 (A % C), 4, 5, and S; an interrogator that can look for all those modes, a radar that can pick you up well over 100 miles away; a targeting pod that can identify you visually; a huge bubble canopy so you can actually see out (much like a glider but unlike just about any other civilian plane - especially airliners) and two highly trained and motivated aircrew that really don't want to hit you.

If you don't have either a transponder or a PowerFLARM in you glider, you are a big part of the problem.

And yes, military is getting ADS-B in it's aircraft - but that takes time and money. You want a tax hike to pay for it? I do, but I doubt you could convince Congress!

Kirk
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