As both a glider pilot and a private light aircraft power pilot (PPL), the debate about alerted see and avoid, and radio use is all very well, but there are situations where even directed see and avoid can be difficult.
Gliders (and some light aircraft) in cruising flight can be difficult to see, especially in overcast conditions. Even when you know where to look, the target can be very difficult to find, especially when they are approaching you front on and not thermalling. You just need to keep looking, and if unsure, get on the radio again. Reams about this has been written in the 'See and Avoid' documents. I think that alerted see and avoid is not a bad way to operate. Of course the debate will always rage about Gliders being on 122.7 MHz versus monitoring the area frequency, and about when the CTAF should be monitored, because alerted see and avoid will not work if you are on different radio frequencies. To counterbalance this though, most light aircraft nowadays have 2 VHF radios, so at least you can listening out on the area frequency and monitor 122.7 MHz or monitoring the CTAF within 10nm of the aerodrome. However, often the CTAF frequency becomes cluttered by all the users within a 50 to 100nm radius. This leads to problems too! I would agree that many glider pilots need to tighten up their radio procedures: broadcast the required calls and to minimise chatter. Also because glider pilots are sharing airspace with other users, we should be teaching how to monitor the radio (and the alerted see and avoid is a strong argument for monitoring the area frequency when outside the CTAF) and to avoid unnecessary use. Of course others will have differing opinions! Bring them on. Safe flying, lookout, and listen! Michael Texler See: Operations at Non-Towered aerodromes http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/download/caaps/ops/166-1.pdf Principles of See and Avoid at Non-Towered aerodromes. http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/download/caaps/ops/166-2.pdf _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
