US pilots concerned with collision avoidance, read the FLARM threads

Trial lawyers are a powerful lobby in the US, and they would thwart any
attempt to limit liability. It has been attempted before on medical issues
and failed. The trial lawyer associations can outspend any group that
attempts, for the purpose of public policy and safety, to impose limits on
liability.

Sadly, congresssmen are controlled by that lobby and will not use reason and
common sense to pass a law that would protect general aviation - or any
other group. And, collectively, the trial lawyers have absolutely no
conscience.

I am a lawyer and embarassed by how the system has got out of hand.

Colin

COLIN LAMB wrote:
Trial lawyers are a powerful lobby in the US, and they would thwart any
attempt to limit liability. It has been attempted before on medical issues
and failed. The trial lawyer associations can outspend any group that
attempts, for the purpose of public policy and safety, to impose limits on
liability.

Sadly, congresssmen are controlled by that lobby and will not use reason and
common sense to pass a law that would protect general aviation - or any
other group. And, collectively, the trial lawyers have absolutely no
conscience.

Congress did pass a very important law limiting general aviation
liability several years ago. It limited the aircraft manufacturers
liability for aircraft more 18 years old (as best I can remember). This
liability limitation is credited with much/most of the resurgence in the
"low end" (say, under a million dollars) general aviation sector.

A trial lawyer friend of mine whose primary clients were aircraft
manufacturers said his business tanked after the law was enacted. He's
replaced those clients with a tire manufacturer or two, and other
businesses, so he's doing fine again. So, it is possible for congress to
do good things, and remember there is a trial lawyer on each side, which
you might say suggests that half of them have a conscience!

Regardless, none of this addresses the question of how the TPAS
manufacturers deal with the liability issue, or what the issue really is.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

"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

Eric Greenwell wrote:

Regardless, none of this addresses the question of how the TPAS
manufacturers deal with the liability issue, or what the issue really is.


Or the perceived issue.
Doubt it's easy to start legal action in North America against a
Swiss company. If liability was a serious problem, none of our toys
would be available in North America.
All of these traffic warning devices are second oppinions. Of course
see and be seen is the first. And of course, that is mentioned in the
FLARM manual. Unfortunately there have been times that see and be seen
didn't work, so a second oppinion is good.
Remember, the rest of the instrument panel is essentially a second
oppinion too. You can fly without an audio vario, but it's a great help
in finding the core of a weak thermal, just as a device such as FLARM
will help maintain awareness of other aircraft, while still too distant
to be easily seen.
Jim