graham brown

Bighting the hand that feeds you? I threw my Borgelt vario away years ago. Cheers a “not even a bootlace” (who has not killed anyone in 30 years of instructing and volunteered my time for nothing.)

New2 flying. I think you are asking is it good to learn gliding for power. In all aspects including landing the answer is YES! Flying the airframe is flying and leaving the engine out of it to start with teaches the pure concepts. Primacy will be ingrained to fly the airframe which will save your arse if it goes to worms. Spin recovery is taught in gliding as a matter of course and checked annually. If you have the opportunity to learn gliding before you learn power you will never regret it. You will probably glide forever too. Lots of airline pilots are glider pilots. Sully was a glider pilot and outlander in the Hudson. All good. Good luck with your learning

Yeah a good response. Most organisations responded in similar way. The Gliding Federation had many of the same gripes. Gliders are exempt on transponders but we have to monitor the class E frequency on the radio. We are not allowed to talk unless a collision is imminent. By lowering class e this stupidity becomes a big problem. Tugs and motor gliders are not exempt from transponder either. The GFA would only buy 8500ft min. GFA assumed this is about providing traffic service to ifr flights specifically regional airlines. On the transponder costs, you can buy 10 ec devices for one tso’ed transponder. What is a better safety investment?

Yeah that’s good. On windy select temperature, then hold you finger on the point of interest. A menu comes up with sounding as an option. Select that. The height of the thermals can be determined by the ground temperature.

GFA members get free access to sky sight. Dr Jack used to be used too, not sure if it’s still available. Windy has temp traces too.

Why is it safer for AsA to monitor ads-b via a ground based system and relay on the information via VHF radio to an IFR pilot rather than the pilot having ads-b IN and seeing the traffic directly? Jobs and $ ?

The RPTs don’t want to spend the money for ads-b in. They want all of us to spend the money so they can keep what they have.

TABS is USA spec, TSO C199. This is in 2 parts. An S mode transponder and a gps. The gps to c199 is available on the market but there is no s mode transponder to c199 nor an integrated device to c199 that I know of.

The mandate was for IFR aircraft and that has been implemented. VFR aircraft have various options depending on which airspace you want to use. The skyecho option was for air to air use to help see and avoid in class g airspace. It was not mandatory so the price would be low. It wasn’t meant for controlled airspace nor visibility to air traffic control. The problem is the RPTs in regional areas fly in class g airspace and do not have ADS-B IN so they can’t see them. They have tcas which need transponders. They probably whinged to ASA to increase class e airspace so they could see transponders. Obviously the alternate is the RPTs fit ADS-B IN. Modern tcas also have adsb in but the bog standard ones don’t. All this needs a lot of discussion with all in the industry to find a way forward. The ASA proposal has heightened the agro so finding a way forward for all in the industry, us included, is going to be difficult. Hope there is a way.

In the USA class e airspace there is no VFR requirement for a clearance, nor radio, nor transponder under 10000ft.

If you leave the airspace class g to 8500ft. There is no problem. The problems come about by changing it to class e. RPT’s and the like can get their separation and situational awareness themselves. Just like all the others flying vfr. We have the devices to do this now and so do they. No changes o airspace required.

They don’t need to change the airspace classification for everyone to start using EC devices and to get the safety benefit. Just use them as an aid to see and avoid and this includes RPT and other IFR pilots when Flying VFR. CASA only change the regs last July. Give it a chance first and I’m sure the problem is solved. Imho

It’s too sensible to be adopted in the short term. 🤔

We have to ask CASA as Airservices say they don’t know. I was involved in the low powered adsb introduction through ASTRA and it was only intended for air to air surveillance so I doubt if CASA will approve. We can ask CASA but I would not expect an answer for a few years. It’s not already in the regulations so it’s not an easy change. Best to oppose this outright.

It is all 8500 LL on the charts to 1500agl which makes no sense and is not practical. Have a look at the charts! No benefit to safety to RPTs except to reduce the sky’s of the vfr traffic. Increased risk to all vfr traffic being sandwiched into 1500 agl in those areas which is most of eastern Australia. Full tso’ed and certified equipment is required and Airservices says that’s a matter for CASA if we want changes. Airservices say they have been consulting on this but they haven’t. No presentation to ASTRA or RAPAC. No email to industry or those on their engagement email list.

Garfly. The service is vfr traffic to ifr flights. By making it class e they are saying to the rpt that they can give vfr traffic to them. They don’t know their coverage so an incident would raise the question of duty of care. Imho We need info on this proposal ASAP.

This discussion should be about why Airservices are proposing to lower all 8500ft class E airspace to 1500ft without consultation and analysis of the impacts. You need a certified and tso’ed device to enter controlled airspace and an EC won’t cut it. Changes to airspace impacts our freedom to fly and this will deny us of lot of airspace. They suppose to do safety cases and cost benefit cases. None of this is available on this one. I don’t think they know the adsb coverage they have at 1500ft to provide this service. Duty of care case would be interesting. All class G airspace users will need to fight this one so there is a reasonable approach to this. A web meeting for those who want to know about it doesn’t cut it. We need documents, maps, safety cases, cost benefits studies and a debate.

Yep https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2010C00376

Good on ya Ken I wish we could. Gaz, not sure how we get the Airservices received distances unless we know someone. I do have contacts but it may take a while. merry christmas

Air to air the range is very good. 50 miles at least. Flight radar 24 it’s not very good, about 20 miles from towns with receivers. Not sure what Airservices range is but they saw me over the Barrington ranges which is remote.

I have an instrument in a glider that says “drink” every 1/2 hour. I say yes please a beer will do but it doesn’t deliver! I’ll have to get it fixed.

ATC can see your skyecho. I have asked them and they can. I have also had 2 IFR flights advised of VFR traffic which was my sky echo. TCAS is another matter as they are designed to interact with transponders. ADSB IN is needed to see ADSB out. If the TCAS has ADSB IN capability they will see you.

Adventure tourism in NZ is worth 3 billion a year and exists because they addressed this issue of looking after those who were injured and not going through the blame game. Our system of determining blame before the help/ money is proved to those injured is not a great system IMHO. Insurance does not address this issue it avoids it.

Under pilots injury. https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/1761bcf1a49d5847a34354fe A very sad read!

The Judge made the statement in the same statement, so the difference stood out to me.