Mode s Transponders

[Mike Brown]

For those that filled out the petition against the imposition of transponders here is the CAA's initial reply/findings. Take from it what you will!!!

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/810/RIA%20Apr ... update.pdf

Cheers
Mike

[Mikey]

To me it looks like the CAA were rocked by the amount of feedback they received but have decided to go ahead anyway.

The two outstanding points I took from it is that it will be a phased approach, tackling the more obvious users first, so Paragliders could well be at the bottom of the pile with no certainty to when this will become a requirement (if at all).

The other thing was the lack of a portable enough transponder for some applications and that until such a thing exists there will be no mandate to use it (or be grounded). My worry is how much is it going to cost when it finally gets developed?

[Anonymous]

seems the nancy that wrote that report(no name atteched) took it as a personal affront that their judgment was questioned(DAP is disapointed). Should the matter go forward I suggest a petition to change the person running the show as they havnt the ability to distance themselves from the issues.
I dont think that its likely to ever be a worry for PG/HG but perhaps as a compromise we could offer that they remove the legal ability to cloud fly and keep us below cloud base. There is plenty of room above cloud for the big budgies. That would leave below base for VFR only. Or if we are forced to use transponders then we get radios and land at heathrow like the big boys. bet they wont like that.

[dave-mclaughlin]

The other thing was the lack of a portable enough transponder for some applications and that until such a thing exists there will be no mandate to use it (or be grounded). My worry is how much is it going to cost when it finally gets developed?

Companies will only go to the trouble of developing a lightweight portable transponder if there is a market for it. I suspect that the great majority of the potential market, i.e. hang/para glider pilots wouldn't buy one in the first place, so there may be no incentive to develop one.
Hang/para gliding XC may just carry on the same as before as you cannot be required to carry something that doesn't exist.

Or you may just get grounded permanently