So should we follow our European colleagues, particularly the Dutch
for whom I believe transponders were made mandatory? After the not
inconsiderable financial pain of having their new toys installed and
now having to have the installation certified every year they are
being told to switch them to standby during:
Winch launching ("resolution advisories" to overflying airliners, ATC
alerts due to high climb rate apparently)
Aerotows (ATC getting alerts on their screens)
Flying in gaggles (ATC getting alerts on their screens)
In busy areas around airports (ATC screens too cluttered)
So when would a glider actually have the transponder on? How likely
is a collision in that case? How likely is a collision under these
conditions with the transponder on?
Agreed, once these teething problems are fixed (some won't be that
easy) and all systems can handle these cases then I'll definitely want
one too. Until the equipment list in Annex E of DP1006AS and ATC have
the gear that'll actually do the job, my responses to these proposals
will be to politely point out the issues with the request to
reconsider. If the Dutch disaster repeats itself here, maybe an
entrepreneurial lawyer can be convinced to help with a class
action...?
Ulrich Stauss
On Mon 29/11/10 09:38 , Terry Neumann [email protected]
sent:
On 29/11/2010 8:56 AM, Mike Borgelt wrote:
snip -------------
In the meantime if you are going to fit a transponder make sure it is
a Mode S/ADSB capable one. For now the Mode A/C will ensure your
visibility to regional airliners on their TCAS.
It would only take one accident or near miss between a Jetstar A320,
Virgin 737 or a Rex Saab 340 (fitted with ADSB OUT and IN) and a
glider without these for all hell to break loose.
The power drain argument is nonsense as is the weight. A Trig TT21
weighs less than 500 grams including internal altitude encoder and a
suitable battery to run it for 9 hours is 550 grams.(3A-H NiMH) All
you need for ADSB OUT is a suitable GPS receiver. If PowerFlarm uses a
TSO'd GPS that's all you then need for ADSB OUT and ADSB IN. The
mickey mouse low power, licence free band Flarm rf link can be left
out too. You'll be able to see traffic out to the horizon.
Snip ----------------
These are good points Mike. I continue to have one concern. The specs
for this device indicate a power output of 130 watts, and this all
happens in the 1,000 Mhz region. I continue to be worried about the
effects of even a pulsed transmission of this level at that frequency
on nearby humans.
EMR is a pretty topical subject these day and perhaps with good
reason. I don't want to buy into a debate on this at all but ....
Where would you envisage putting the antenna for such an installation
on a GRP aircraft, and are you confident that such an installation
will meet the requirements for limits of EMR exposure to the
occupant(s)? Would you be totally comfortable with it yourself?
Thanks,
Terry
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