Mandatory Radios

Mandating radios leads to a false sense of security.
If I don't hear someone, no one must be there.

We train people that RADIOS FAIL or get "stepped on" by other transmissions.
Do not rely solely or trust radios.
Batteries can fail or loose charge.

We encourage the use of radio's in all of our equipment.
We fly from a fairly busy uncontrolled GA airport with two parallel runways.
Glider traffic on one side and power (other than tow) on the other.

We only have 1 club glider that does not have an "installed" radio.
People use a club or personal handheld in that glider.
My personal ICOM has a "speaker/mic" that plugs into the headset plugs and I
attach the speaker/mic to the shoulder harness.

The accident tow plane not having a radio can be considered a "contributing
factor", but it is not the underlying cause.
The high wind situation in the accident can be considered a "contributing
factor", but it is not the underlying cause.
The accident glider on a "non-standard" traffic pattern can be considered a
"contributing factor", but it is not the underlying cause.

Both pilots failed in the #1 responsibility during VMC flight, to SEE and
AVOID.

BT

"JJ Sinclair" wrote in message
...
The majority of clubs and FBO's in Region 11 have gone to a mandatory
radio policy after the recent midair where the tow plane and glider
collided turning final. The tow plane was not radio equipped and
therefore didn't know (hear) that the glider was turning final from
the other direction. That makes 4 fatalities in this region caused by
lack of communication between the tow pilot and glider!

Several clubs are using hand-held radios for ships that don't have
radios. I flew last Sunday with a hand-held radio and it took some
getting use to. First off, where do you put it so you can hear the
speaker? Also, I found transmitting combersome................pick it
up with left hand, turn the mike toward you and squeeze key while
flying with right hand. Then I clipped it to the right side of my
collar using the big spring clip on the radio. That worked well as it
was clase enough to hear and simply rotate and press the mike button
to transmit. I believe students would need some guidance like this to
be able to make the required radio calls using a hand-held radio. It
looks like most tow pilots are using helmets with head-sets so they
can hear their radios. Also, a com-check before takeoff is essential
to make sure both radios are on and working, volume up, squelch set
and on the correct frequency. I used the $200 ICOM from Wings & Wheels
and found it quite satisfactory.

We can survive a lot of things in this sport, but running into each
other isn't one of them!
JJ