Transponders

Duane Eisenbeiss wrote:
"Eric Greenwell" wrote in message
...

Kirk Stant wrote:


For a lot of people, it's $900+, which is about half the cost of

a transponder installation. When I look at it that way, I'm buying many
years of "insurance" for a one-time fee that is two years of hull

insurance.

Your "cost" seems a little low for the "total cost" of a transponder,
encoder, extra battery, and installation.

It will be larger if you have to install another battery and pay someone
to do the total installation, but a lot of people will be able to use
the battery they have and do the installation themselves (proper
signoffs required, of course). A Microair + encoder + antenna is about
$1800 from your favorite soaring supplier.

Also, your
"one-time fee " should include the cost of recertification every 24 months
which could be around $200. That might be between 10% to 30% of the annual
hull insurance (depending on hull value).

A VFR check is about $50-$70; IFR certification is much more stringent
and is $150-$300. Hardly anyone will want to fly their glider IFR, but I
know at least one pilot that does (not IMC, but on IFR flight plans).

I decided to install one after seeing too many airliners too close.
Anyone that feels that way about their flying should look into
installing one, because it's not as costly they likely think it is. My
articles in the Febuary and March 2002 Soaring covered things in much
more detail than I can here.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA