“Transponders are already so well established there is no possibility of FLARM becoming a widespread alternative.”
Do you think so? In aircraft which typically fly around below 5000ft VFR? I would have thought Transponders the exception.
No way. Transponders are the norm in VFR under 5000', not the exception. You do tend to mythologise sport aircraft (gliders, micros etc) as dominating private aviation and I think this simply isn't true. Whatever the number of aircraft is by category, the sporty ones must simply fly less. I don't ever recall a flight in which the majority of other movements I encountered were non-transponder. I am sure there are bubbles of airspace around in which this is the case, but no way are transponders an "exception".
I understand the issue with gliders, but I am confused about micros and LAA. You are always extolling the virtues of these aircraft compared to "spamcans" that will be resigned to history's dustbin. Suddenly a "spamcan" able to carry a transponder and supply it with power becomes a "wonder-ship". Which is it? Are Micros and LAA types able to carry sensible loads and useful avionics, or not?
The CAA was wrong to over gold-plate the transponder requirement with mandatory Mode S for everything. FLARM sounds useful for the hot spots of sport aviation, but a certified technology is the only universal solution. Just squawking Mode C is massively useful to all the TCAS, TAS, PCAS fitted aircraft and ATC SSR and should be encouraged for anyone who can fit one.
brgds
421C