Current situation:
The SE of Englands airspace is dangerously overcrowded. One day an airliner and a GA aircraft are going to have a collision which TCAS would have prevented.
In the aftermath we will see several things happen.
1) Public outrage. A mature simple technology costing only thousands of pounds was not fitted to the light aircraft.
2) Public demand for an enquiry by some Barrister or other which will be granted.
3) A series of recommendations that no Government will be able to ignore in case it happens again.
4) These will include a massive increase in CAS, mandatory ModeC + TCAS, 'improved' training for PPLs.
5) Don't worry about the cost of 4) as by the week after the mid-air the insurance industry reeling from a potential £750,000,000 claim will have withdrawn insurance on GA aircraft or if fitted with the kit still increased the premiums by 500%
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With this sword hanging above your heads don't you think the GA community ought to be doing something more proactive than insinuating they have better Mk1 eyeballs than us Autopilot junkies. Which you don't.
I still fly GA, was an instructor for over a decade and hope to buy a microlight and operate my own strip in the future.
I fly at 60tons 250kts in the open FIR from 10,000ft - 3,000ft most days of the week. 'Dodging' TCAS Mode A returns is a regular occurence. Just because its a world you don't know about doesn't mean it isn't happening.
Cheers
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