Hi all,
It's not quite right to suggest that it is only glider pilots who need
training.
A recent radio exchange at Benalla went something like this:
"Cessna XXX 10 miles SE Benalla maintaining 4500 ft overflying for
Mangalore"
"Cessna XXX glider YYY, be aware there are approximately 6 gliders
operating in the vicinity of the airfield up to 6000ft"
"YYY this is XXX, please give locations of all gliders"
"XXX, gliders may be operating at any location within 10 miles of the
airfield and altitude up to cloudbase. Please keep a good lookout."
"YYY, there should be a NOTAM out for that"
"XXX, this is YYY, the ERSA entry for Benalla states that glider
operations may be carried out during daylight hours on any day"
As I have commented before on this forum, the operational
characteristics of gliders makes information provided by radio far less
useful in a predictive sense than the same information given by a
powered aircraft because gliders don't fly precise tracks or maintain
constant altitudes.
This is no one's fault, and it won't be fixed simply by more frequent,
more detailed or more "correct" transmissions.
I have a simple rule for the radio. I listen as much as possible and I
talk as little as I can get away with while still complying with all
reasonable rules.
Cheers
/Tim/
/tra dire e fare c'รจ mezzo il mare/
On 20/04/2012 10:17, Mark Newton wrote:
On Fri, Apr 20, 2012 at 09:31:21AM +1000, Christopher Mc Donnell wrote:
>
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2012/04/20/teenage-pilots-quick-response-avoids-collision/
The actual ATSB report referenced by the article is here:
http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/3548648/ab-2012-019.pdf#page=47
I'm sure there's a lot of room for interpretation here (i.e., concerning
whether a CAR166C broadcast is strictly required if the glider pilot
doesn't believe "it is necessary to do so to avoid a collision, or
the risk of a collision with another aircraft.") The differing guidance
between the competition rules, GFA rules and CASA rules about which
frequency should be used and when broadcasts should be made is also
up for discussion.
But one thing worth hilighting is that I think CASA and GFA have
diverged in their focus on radio of late.
My experience of GFA's training concerning radio is that it
emphasised minimizing radio chatter in favor of focussing on
flying the aeroplane and looking out. Meanwhile CASA's training
of GA pilots has emphasised more promiscuous use of the radio,
leading to glider pilots making snarky comments about GA pilots
spending all their time talking instead of looking where they're
going.
I think glider pilot radio training has probably varied quite
a bit from club to club too -- which is, itself, a problem.
Over the last couple of years, CASA has shifted from "see and avoid"
to "radio assisted see and avoid" to "see and avoid alerted by
mandatory radio calls." The CTAF rules published last year are
the latest step in that evolution.
I don't think a lot of glider pilots have kept up with those changes.
Moreover, glider pilots trained more than a few years ago who
haven't updated their skills are now probably using radio very
differently to other airspace users, even if it is consistent with
the way they were trained.
(have you read the latest version of the GFA radio operators
handbook? It's probably different from the one you were trained
against. I'd include a link, but GFA's website seems to be
down at the moment...)
- mark
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