n any of the gliding
frequencies on a
typical day, you can
hear numerous
radio calls between
glider pilots for
glider-to-glider traffic
awareness. Close to
the aerodrome you will
hear calls made when departing,
changing frequency to the CTAF,
inbound circuit joining and for traffic
separation from other gliders and
powered aircraft. Away from home,
glider pilots are often flying similar
routes to each other and of course, are
always watching, listening and calling
to make sure they know where any
other gliders are in the sky.
Some pilots may wish to highlight
our freedom to fly without radio. Yes,
given the lack of power generation
capability in most gliders, it is possible to
fly a glider in Class G airspace, from an
uncontrolled, non-towered aerodrome
or paddock, without using radio.
Yet despite this, nearly all gliders
have modern radios installed, or at
the very least the pilot will carry
and use a portable VHF radio. We
have an exemption that allows us to
use portable radios. Space, weight,
CofG, power or airworthiness
limitations might apply to some
gliders. We do this to meet
either club minimum equipment
requirements or our own personal
minimum safety requirements.
In early days of gliding, there were
few radio frequencies, and some of
the radios in use at that time had
plug-in tuned crystals! For many
years, single channel radios sufficed,
but now we see growing use of dual
channel radios and radios capable of
tuning to .005MHz steps.
There are increasing requirements
for gliders to operate and monitor
multiple frequencies in normal cross-country flying and
in CTAF areas. The
Gliding Federation
of Australia (GFA)
has introduced
minimum equipment
requirements, even in
uncontrolled airspace,
for gliding competitions, where
radios and FLARM [a collision
warning system] are mandatory.
This is driven by our safety
interests, and the need to manage
higher competition flying risks
appropriately. Some clubs mandate
FLARM for all of their gliders.
Apart from radio equipment, there
is a range of surveillance equipment
options, including FLARM, ADS-B
and Light Aircraft Surveillance
Equipment (under development),
which the gliding movement is
evaluating. FLARM is widely used
both in Australia and worldwide for
glider-to-glider separation awareness.
A primary role of the GFA is to
promote and protect gliders’ freedom
to fly safely and in compliance with
Civil Aviation Regulations. The
ability of glider pilots to access
airspace and safely conduct soaring
operations is important to us all.
Our access to airspace depends, in
some cases, on the equipment that
we carry and operate. For example, at
controlled towered aerodromes and
CTAF aerodromes, the use of radio
in gliders is mandatory.
Increasing pressure is coming from
some elements of industry to change
airspace designations and controlled
airspace zones. CASA is introducing
new minimum equipment
requirements for some airspace. For
example, some high-altitude soaring
clubs are now constrained by new
requirements for carriage of ADS-B
equipment above FL280. Another
example is the expansion of controlledairspace in SE Queensland due to
mining developments.
Other airspace users and some air
traffic controllers may also wish to
see changes in minimum equipment
levels. Guaranteed ground-based and
air-to-air surveillance and mutual
separation is seen by some as necessary.
Some would like to see aircraft without
requisite technology excluded from
much larger tracts of airspace.Which is the best
system?
FLARM units now exist in many
variants, many with inbuilt loggers
and more sophisticated display and
interface capabilities. Increasing
numbers of pilots now have ADS-B
transponder units, but these require
TSO-compliant GPS systems to
drive them. Some pilots are very
quick to take up this technology.
Others wish to wait until more
universally used systems are adopted
across gliding and sporting aviation.
This has led to efforts overseas to
develop Traffic Alerting Beacon
System (TABS), which might
provide ADS-B–like capability
without the need for expensive TSO
compliant GPS/GNSS systems.
The FAA TABS initiative is
encouraging the development of a low-
cost, compact, easy to install device that
will make equipped aircraft visible to
other aircraft equipped with collision
avoidance and traffic advisory systems.
FAA documentation states thatTABS devices are distinctly different
from other transponders. Specifically,
TABS devices are intended to be used
on aircraft that are exempted from
carrying a transponder or ADS-B, such
as gliders, balloons and aircraft without
electrical systems. Specifically, TABS
will enable an aircraft to be visible to
other aircraft equipped with Traffic
Advisory System (TAS) and Traffic
Alert and Collision Avoidance System
(TCAS) and ADS.
GFA is working with industry
and other agencies to explore better
options on this topic. TABS is a very
promising technology that could make
a universal system of in-air traffic
advisory available to most aircraft.
Technology has radically
changed gliding over the decades,
just as it has all other forms
of aviation. Recently, two of
Australia’s greatest glider pilots,
three-times World Champion and
inductee to the Australian Aviation
Hall of Fame, Ingo Renner, and
World Champion Brad Edwards,
gave a Masterclass organised by
the GFA. They marvelled on how
technology had improved the
design and performance of gliders,
safety and navigation. However,
they both agreed on one thing.
Both feel that the essence
of gliding–pilot and machine
skilfully working the weather
to traverse in three dimensions
through the air, the magic of free
flight–still makes gliding the
greatest sport in the world.Avoidance
in the Air
Gliders can operate in uncontrolled
environments without radios, but many
clubs mandate them anyway.Sean Young outlines how the
Gliding Federation of Australia
and the glider pilots are using
technology to fly safer.AUSTRALIAN FLYING January - February 2015(^7878) Soaring Heights australianflying.com.au
STEVE HITCHEN
GLIDING FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA