>OK - and I trust you expressed in detail those opinions to the CAA consulation which finished in May? But please bear in mind you are criticising the glider community for something which solely contradicts your opinions, and which I believe is actually allowable by powered aircraft. What part of IMC training is relevant to collision avoidance? And would be applicable to the glider pilot over and above whatever training the BGA enforce?<
NigelOnDraft
I am not criticising the glider community one bit but I am critical of any situation which allows two aircraft to be in IMC conditions where they have no possible way of knowing whether they are both going to collide.
Normally there are rules to avoid such a conflict ie flying quadrantel levels so that if you have one aircraft going in a particular direction he / she has seperation from another aircraft going in another direction.
But no with gliders they cannot maintain a level whilst IMC so that safety rule is out of the window.
While in class G airspace we try to use a radar service so that again flying blind someone else can point out a possible conflict and avoid it for you.
Not so with gliders as they use some obscure glider frequency who no one else listens to.
As for training to flying in cloud it is not just about being able to scan instruments and manouver accurately in cloud but it is also about being situationally aware and being in a position to know where your aircraft is but communicating that to others. Others who are equally blind having the confidence that you are where you should be and to the tolerances as laid out in IFR flying.
Not so with gliders as they can be anywhere in cloud to no tolerances whatsoever. If you cannot see this arguement then I dont know what to say other than by exercising your rights to freedom you are not flying to the standards and tolerances expected in IMC flight and as such are endangering the lives of others.
I am only talking about flight in IMC conditions where the rule of SEE AND BE SEEN do not exist.
If you cannot be seen in other ways ie radar or flying to standards and levels that the rest of us are supposed to then you shouldnt be there.
I dont care if your a balloon, microlight, glider, twin or Jet.
And no IFR traffic often operates in other airspace other than ABC including 737s and A320s
Mid-Air Collision of Glider and Jet near Reno: ASG-29 vs. Hawker XP800 (by Jeremy Zawodny)
This accident wasnt even in IMC imagine the repercussions of a 737 in cloud and then we would all find controlled airspace almost everywhere.