Rustle
>>>>The benefit of Mode C or S OCAS is not just from an ATC perspective, but from a TCAS perspective as well.<<<
For aircraft so equipped. It gives no benefit to gliders, microlights of simply-equipped aircraft, unless there is TCAS is carried or a radio is fitted.
>>>>Old people on here like to bleat on about class G airspace grabbing, "chav air" lo-co class G 'abuse' etc., etc., but people from my generation and younger realise that air traffic density has increased since 1945 so the technology to maintain separation needs to keep up with that growth and not be stymied by 1940's see-and-avoid advocates.<<<<
Some not so old people also bleat on about this as well. We are also aware that there is a growth in traffic, but the density of air traffic in Class G hasn't grown that much over recent years. There are the notorious 'honeypots' and Mig-Alleys where VFR is getting more risky - but this is due to a snatching of airspace, increasing separation of CAT but squeezing GA into narrow areas.
I have no real issue with ensuring airspace becomes known, and there are arguments for creating 'veils' near regional airports. What is unacceptable is the grabbing of huge areas of airspace, such as proposed for Coventry, which is a far greater area than exists for Gatwick, for many fewer movements.
As the Blessed David Gunston said, the odds of two aircraft being in the same bit of airspace is so remote as to be irrelevant. So we create airways (and other bits of airspace) to force aircraft into close proximity, thus creating the need for air traffic controllers to keep them apart
