Thanks Chris,
To be fair I have seen a fair few TCAS returns from gliders while flying in the vicinity of gliding sites - all mode A though - none seem to have altitude encoding for some reason.
Are any figures available re: number of gliders with transponders fitted already?
So, could I request that while you're fitting the rest of the UK gliding fleet with mode-C transponders you also have every glider painted in dyno-rod dayglo orange please?
I agree that a degree of natural separation may be provided by most power pilots intentionally dodging the buildups of fair weather cumulus on a good gliding day (you glider guys are welcome to the bumps!)
"Gliders that cloud fly normally call out on 130.4. I recommend listening out on 130.4 before entering such cumulus clouds. Of course, you don't have to do, but in my view it would be advisable in those circumstances.”
Listening out on box 2 would be pretty impracticable. I know this would give a general alert (provided they were transmitting) but how would we know which cloud to avoid? - "I'm in the anvil shaped one 2 miles west of Stoke Poges" wouldn't be a great deal of use.
The sky is there for all of us to enjoy - not being visible to others is a bit like driving fast down a country lane at night with no lights on, if you wipe yourself out then that was down to a choice you made - if you have a head-on collision with somebody who had their headlights switched on and wipe them out then that is "causing death by dangerous driving".
Looking at the cases you cited the gliding fraternity usually come off worse from the various minglings of aluminium and fibreglass - so there is definitely an incentive there for you guys.
I am of the opinion that the more one flies in lower airspace, the more likely that the risk of a midair becomes. Having been up to London a couple of times in the last month the airspace under the LTMA seems to have become significantly busier all of a sudden. It is amazing how quickly the traffic density decreases once you are 30-40 miles out.
Q. how do you know which cloud (or bit of sky) is "hot" and which is not?
A. TCAS and a transponder (imperfect but the best we have at present)
SB