Would they have to be switched off - the truth?
Can any of the ATCO’s please advise what is the truth behind suggestions that (a) Mode S would be required to be on at all times and (b) people who say that ATC will tell people to switch them off when the screens become too cluttered and/or TCAS’s trigger too many false alarms.
Two things prompt my enquiry. 1st – a visit to a UK Tower ATC last week – the ATCO said if he saw too many glider responses on the screen, they would suppress the labels because they would garble (I think that is the correct phrase). 2nd: A posting on u.r.a.s. (a UK gliding web site) today includes:
Author : Gavin Short [snip]
I am concerned at ATC overload. My experience is of flying in NE Belgium/Netherlands; Last summer a TMZ was introduced on the southern edge of the Eindhoven CTR which cut off the route east into Germany for clearer airspace and better soaring weather.
The first day of decent soaring weather caused a rush of those gliders who were transponder equiped into the TMZ to head east. Perhaps in excess of 10 gliders which promptly triggered a call from the ATC for 'all gliders in the Eindhoven TMZ to switch of their transponders because ATC could not cope with the multiple contacts' - an interesting legal point - who can authorise aircraft in a TMZ to switch off their transponders?
[snip]
Chris N.