Most of the recreational flying community fly at weekends when VFR traffic, certainly in my area, are most unlikely to get granted a RIS outside controlled airspace. Result, this is of very little value in the real world.
Why not get RIS?
There are two issues here. If they fly low, they are much more likely to get hit, and presumably they accept that by flying low. Not having RIS is not really relevant - one needs to think of the other aircraft's safety too.
If they fly in a high density area and are non-transponding, ATC can't see them properly either and cannot provide a service to traffic flying higher up, where the traffic
can get a service.
Maybe I am missing something but this sounds like a "I don't benefit, why should I help other GA pilots?".
“Carrying a Mode C/S transponder also makes you visible to commercial traffic's” true, but how many commercial movements are there a less than 1000 ft in class g airspace? For that mater how many at less than 2000 ft. Again, this is a very small advantage in the real world.
That's true, until one busts CAS. There are a few hundred serious busts every year, and probably many more on top of that which did not get near enough CAT.
“Carrying a Mode C/S transponder also makes it easier to get CAS transits in many areas, especially abroad.”
Completely true, and the reason I have mode c, but most recreational flying stay in the uk and fly most of the time if not exclusively in class g. Again this is a minority advantage.
Unfortunately you will need to fit Mode
S fairly soon.
“And finally carrying a Mode C/S transponder makes you visible to GA traffic carrying some kind of traffic warning device, either one of the cheapo transponder receivers, or the full £20k system.”
Again completely true, but most flying machines do not have such a device.
That's a catch-22. Most people won't get one because most other traffic is non transponding. If most traffic was transponding, the value of a "traffic receiver" would go up massively. The argument would then be just down to money.
I did an estimate of the traffic in my local area following the recent collision (which was at 1400ft agl by the way) and came to the conclusion that 80 – 90% of the local flying machines did not have transponders. With this in mind I have modified my operating procedures and increased my lookout as much as possible.
Lookout can make one feel better, and I do plenty of it, but it doesn't actually work, because
a target on a genuine collision course will be a totally stationary point in the sky. Those which you do spot would not have hit you anyway.
However we must face the fact that most uk flying machines cannot fit one
Come on, that is hardly true!!! The vast majority of powered machines can fit one, but don't want to until forced, which I can sort of understand; this is GA after all....
, and unless the LASP finally arrives (which is very unlikely) they never will.
This affects only the cost situation. An existing Mode S can be easily battery powered if necessary, already.
Please feel free to use traffic alert systems, but still work on the lookout. I recently had a ride in a top end IFR single doing 140kn with all the kit, and the owner made no attempt to keep a good lookout, he just engaged the autopilot and monitored the systems. When I asked him he was of the opinion that his equipment would warn him if there was an issue. This is a very bad idea, please do not do this.
Which merely proves one can be a pilot and be an idiot at the same time. One can find loads of idiots in every walk of life. I don't know any pilot who has that attitude, and I know many pilots, face to face, not online. In fact owners of IFR planes tend to be very serious, compared to owners of "sports/ultralight" machines who on the whole tend to take life in a much more lighthearted manner
The only option in town for spotting most of the traffic which is flying around at the weekend is lookout. We all need to give it more effort.
This will make you feel better, but I don't think it affects the statistics, for the reason given above.
The best way to avoid a mid-air in the present Class G non-mandatory-transponder environment, is to fly well above 1000ft and in IMC (or better still above clouds). Being above clouds is the very best place - great view, sunshine, and virtually no traffic.