NATS Transponder Use Survey

[NATS General Aviation Lead]

As part of our re-invigorated relationship with the General Aviation community, NATS have decided to participate in the debate and discussion on the General Aviation forums by joining as a named position, in this case Jonathan Smith, NATS Infringements Lead. We hope that our occasional contribution to relevant threads will be both informative and constructive. In exchange, our participation allows us to formally understand, gauge and learn from the views of the many members of the GA community that contribute to the forums and may otherwise be difficult to communicate with.

One area of interest, which has proven very difficult to gather reliable data, is related to transponder use by the GA community. NATS have discussed recently at the Airspace Infringement Working Group and as a member of the General Aviation Safety Council why transponder equipped aircraft continue to operate without switching the transponder on or without selecting the altitude (Mode C) function when fitted. We know from infringement investigation reports that a percentage of infringing pilots have chosen either deliberately or mistakenly to not fully utilise the transponder fitted to their aircraft. Trying to understand and measure the actual scale of this issue and the reasons behind it, has proven hard to achieve from traditional sources of data.

Please would you consider spending a few minutes (There are maximum of 9 questions - dependant on answers given) contributing to the following electronic questionnaire to help us to better understand the issue? http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GA_PILOT_SURVEY

If you choose to help us in gathering this data, you should also be aware of the following;

The survey will close at 23:45pm on the 4th Feb 2010 or when 1,000 responses have been received if before the deadline date.

The survey won’t accept more than one response from the same computer.

Please be as honest as possible and note that there is an opportunity for you to provide reasons for your answers.

You should answer all questions based on the GA aircraft that you fly most frequently.

It is an informal survey by NATS and the responses will be treated anonymously. This is our first attempt at conducting a survey amongst the GA community in this way, so if we haven't got our questioning or methodology perfect, we are more than happy to hear from you.

Providing our first attempt runs smoothly we will, of course, share our findings via the forums.

Finally, we welcome your contribution and look forward to hearing your point of view.

[John Brady]

Jonathan,

although the BB is popular it only reaches a small proportion of our members and other means may be necessary to get a useful result. If you want I can link this from a banner on the homepage (or rather Penny can) and I can reach more than 1000 active members through a mailing list.

Let me know if I should copy this post to either of those.

John

[NATS General Aviation Lead]

John

I have already been 'told off' by Geoff for not taking advantage of other communications channels within the BMAA! We are really grateful for any help the LAA and any other GA orgainsation can provide in getting the widest possible participation in the survey.

Please feel free to disseminate the link to the survey as you see fit.

We are participating on five separate GA forums and the value of the associated debate as well as the raw data is immeasurable.

I really look forward to sharing all our findings and continuing the debate with you and other LAA members.

Thank you so much for your support.

[Alan Kilbride]

I see this as a progressive step and hope that the stated intentions are indeed to the advantage of the wider GA community. If not, then ..........

[mike hurn]

more like useing it as a stick to beat you with at a later date

Mike

[John Brady]

What a negative lot (sorry few) we are this afternoon. It seems nutty to me to own a mode C or S transponder and not switch it on in case someone finds out what you are doing. Perhaps the survey will show that these people are indeed nutters.

[Nigel Hitchman]

John,
it might be nutty sometimes but not others. If I was planning a cross-country flight, going near or under controlled airspace, then Id turn the transponder on and the radio and the GPS. But just for a local bimble about on a sunny evening none of these things are required, so I probably wont turn them on, maybe the radio if I was flying somewhere where they liked it.
I fly quite a lot aircraft that dont have any of these devices fitted, they seem to fly just fine without them, so why add the complication when its not necessary, after all we do fly for fun!

[Bob F]

Mode C or S: If you've got it - why not flaunt it! Seems pretty logical. I've done the survey - simple, easy answerable questions that don't challenge the grey matter.

[John Brady]

Hi Nigel,

please do the survey then and say you do not switch your transponder on in circumstances where you don't think it is necessary.

Personally I don't subscribe to that view. It is a bit like driving your car but not signalling at turns where there is nobody there to see the indicators. But just as you turn, someone pulls out that you did not see. You never know, there may be another aircraft in your area unknown to you but getting a radar service for a perfectly good reason. I have often flown into places like Norwich or Humberside on a summer's evening with 180 happy holidaymakers back from the mediterranean and I always took the best available radar service after leaving controlled airspace so I would not conflict with the GA aircraft that were having a bimble about on that same summer's evening. It is not just distant regional airports either - I have been on routings outside CAS at Birmingham and Luton as well as Bristol, Cardiff and Teeside. You could help people like me by squawking if you can and you will never know when I am there unless I come close to hitting you. Every little helps.

John

[Rod1]

I have a £400 collision avoidance device. It is much better at spotting you than see and avoid. You have your transponder switched on, we both win! Most mid air collisions happen in good VMC when the aircraft think there is no one around.

Rod1