Firstly, again I point out that I posted about the decreasing availablity of LARS services in UK.
Do you have a portable FLARM?
Rod1,
No. I would need to get it certified for use in our IFR aircraft which complies with CAA regulations for Public Transport. ChrisN has convinced me that I don't need one because hardly any gliders fly in cloud. Many other aircraft do
and IFR certified aircraft carry the minimum equipment, which includes a transponder with Mode C.
Shortstripper,
You also seem to seek to elevate professional pilots to a status of immunity over the most common causes of "death by flying" that we humble amatuers succumb too ... ???? I think statistics would prove you wrong!
I disagree, none of us is immune (but where are those statistics?). Rather than trying "elevate" professional pilots doing my type of operation, I pointed out facts.
I fly IFR helicopters for a living. Therefore:
I cannot have an accident due to aerobatics or low flying because I don't do aerobatics, or fly at low level. A few years ago risks affecting myself were different because I was required to do SEP (and Jet) aeros myself and also to teach them to others. I also used to be required to fly at very low level and again to teach others to do that, also at night (during my earlier years as a military pilot and instructor).
I cannot have an accident because of a runway that is too short because my aircraft doesn't need a runway for takeoff and landing.
I'm unlikely to stall / spin my aircraft because helicopters don't do either.
I'm unlikely to lose control of my aircraft just because I fly in bad weather and enter cloud - it's a requirement of my job to be competent in that respect and the aircraft is fully equipped for IFR /IMC operations.
I do encounter other risks not mentioned in this thread but irrelevant to the discussion. I do my best to quantify and minimise those risks, too.
The spread of opinions here goes to show that pilots are stubborn, self opinionated buggers (myself included) and some issues can probably only be resolved by CAA action.