Mr Smith,
Firstly, thanks for your participation in all this. Hopefully it can prove educational and constructive for everyone in the industry. My obvious concern is the effectiveness of 'alerting' for alerted see-and-avoid.
You stated: "[you] have always supported mandatory radio requirements where there is a third party to ensure that the radio is working"
Exactly what third party ensures that a transponder is working on a VFR aircraft in Class E airpace?
Additionally, you said: "Now I know that it is always stated that ICAO will not allow a transponder and TCAS to be used as a safety mitigator."
How can you apparently dismiss the radio as an alerting tool on the basis of an ICAO recommendation, and then say 'use your transponders' contrary to an ICAO requirement? Does that not put you in the same group as "the objectors to this modern airspace system [by] accepting ICAO recommendations or requirements as compulsory in some cases, but then totally rejected in others"?
Lancer