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Group: Forum Members
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Tim,
Please don’t take this personally, it is NOT an attack on yourself, SkyDemon, or for that matter SkyEcho as I use that too. As you know, I am a long term SD user, beta tester, supporter and ‘champion’ and would dearly like to remain so.
As an experienced pilot and electronic conspicuity ‘developer’ (with PilotAware) however, I am extremely shocked, disappointed and worried by your statement above that ‘The display of plain Mode C and S data....is a useless feature....serving only to distract the pilot with a warning telling something they should already be assuming’. On the contrary, provided the pilot understands that these alerts are real and knows what (s)he as pilot needs to do in response, the provision of visual and particularly audible alerts (with relative altitude) for bearingless targets can be - and I can say from personal experience - often are, a life saver!
You must know as well as I do that despite our best efforts there are still far more Mode C and S transponders in use out there in GA aircraft than ADSB or other compatible 'known position' devices and given the obvious reticence within the GA community to upgrade from Mode C over the 30 years since Mode S was introduced, that situation is unlikely to change significantly in the near future unless adoption of ADSB is made mandatory. Taken together with the high number of aircraft - including drones and other remotely controlled devices - with no electronic conspicuity whatsoever and the proven ineffectiveness of the human eye as a reliable aircraft detector, reliance solely on visual scan represents a significant pilot workload and potential source of stress, which can be effectively reduced by supplementing visual scan with appropriate ‘electronic alerts’ - including those for ‘bearingless’ targets.
Rather than disrespecting the considerable work of others (myself included) to bring EFFECTIVE bearingless target alerts to the flying community, by rubbishing the benefits of bearingless target alerts, we should be working together to improve bearingless target alerting, by for example SkyDemon adding the climb and descent arrows for bearingless targets which you promised over a year ago after PilotAware was specifically adjusted at your request to supply the relevant climb / descent data.
I am extremely disappointed that SkyDemon now seems to be heading down a different path. Other Nav System developers appear prepared to consider the safety of ALL their customers - not just those adopting ADSB - and continue to provide and improve their bearingless target warnings to cope with multiple targets and climb/descent indicators. I would like to think SkyDemon would do the same - if not better! I'm sure PilotAware will continue to work with all those interested in achieving a similar end, or do we just abandon all those not prepared, or not able, to follow down the ADSB route to their inevitable fate. I for one certainly hope not!
This post represents my own personal views and opinion and should not be construed as in any way reflecting those of the rest of the PilotAware Development Team.
Best Regards as always
Peter
(exfirepro)
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