Quite.
There is still a section of the CAA Mode S lobby that continues to ignore the growing evidence that transponders are not the answer to the problems being addressed, but a more rational approach is slowly filtering through.
Fitter2 with all respect what is the growing evidence and what would you replace Mode S with?
Mode S for good or bad is a universal standard.
Whatever we have has to be universal and to a standard. We cannot have half a million devices for seperation in cloud to suit every taste even when those devices are flawed.
At huge cost people fit TICAS as a standard for cloud work. If you know something better great but it has to be universal and not flawed.
One very kind glider pilot here has offered to take me gliding. My fear is I will take to it and knowing me would want to fly high.
I also Scuba dive. Dive deep and you have to use special gas mixes and have special training.
Do it on compressed air and you are asking for trouble.
20 years back before we knew any better I dived to over 70 metres on compressed air. Shear madness and risk! but things move on technology changes and you cannot take the attitude of "thats the way its always been so thats the way it should always be".
In the same way cloud fly and you need to have the right kit and training,no kit or training then in my opinion keep out.
I know that if I was a high flying glider pilot I would be looking over the next couple of years carefully at kitting my glider to cloud fly with relative safety not just for myself but others who I share the clouds with. Some gliders fly with mode S. Others are not capable! there could be an arguement that if they are not capable they should not fly IMC any more than a homebuilt powered aircraft which is not allowed to fly IMC?
Its easy to moan and shout "my rights" not so easy to come forth with a universal working solution so what is yours? If its Flarm then suggest to the CAA that they abandon Mode S and fit flarm as the standard to the likes of Easyjet etc.
Pace