Over the next few years all aircraft must be fitted, at considerable cost, with a Mode S transponder. This will apply to visual flight rules (VFR) aircraft as well as those certificated for instrument flight rules (IFR).
Are UK and European pilots going to benefit from a European version of the US Federal Aviation Administration's traffic information services (TIS), which enables information including location, direction, altitude, and climb/ descent of nearby aircraft to be displayed on multifunctional displays such as the Garmin 430/530? The result in the USA is improved communication between aircraft and air traffic control, providing pilots with greater traffic awareness in busy terminal areas.
If we are being forced to pay for a system that helps ATC do its job, can the UK's National Air Traffic Services and the Civil Aviation Authority's Directorate of Airspace Policy provide a benefit like TIS in return?
T J Rawlins Camberley, Surrey, UK
Source: Flight International
