FabianB wrote:
Exemptions exist for aircraft “without sufficient electrical power supply”.
I think you are confusing two distinct things.
One is the general requirement to operate the transponder if you have one and it is serviceable. That is not a requirement to carry a transponder and if you don’t have one, you don’t need any exemption — sufficient power supply or not.
The other is the requirement in class B-D (for VFR) and in TMZ to have an operating transponder. That requirement may be waived for aircraft without electrical system.
I think you are confusing two distinct things.
That is possible of course, but let me clarify my interpretation. An aircraft without sufficient electrical power supply (for example gliders) may want to carry a transponder to be able to use airspaces where a transponder is mandatory. But at the same time it would want to turn off the transponder whenever possible to save battery power. I think that is what the exemption in SERA is meant for.
Here is the full text:
[posts edited to use ‘aside’ instead of ‘pre’ for the quotes, because ‘pre’ produces non-wrapping text which cuts off on the right]
Austria has a transponder mandate for class E. At least that’s what’s in the AIP. Don’t have enough time to dig for a legal source now.
FabianB wrote:
I think that is what the exemption in SERA is meant for.
I agree. I didn’t read the whole text of SERA.13001.
For Denmark, I think transponder density is somewhat dependent of the distance of the home field from Copenhagen Area and other class C airspaces but of course it is difficult to know. If you can judge from the very low number of reported unidentified primary targets from Flight Information, not many metal aircraft are flying without transponders here. Fabric ultralights and fibreglass UL’s and gliders do not reliably show as primary targets, I am told.
huv wrote:
but can otherwise do as they please in class E, including leaving their radio turned off and flying without a transponder
That is for sure different in Germany –
@malibuflyer and @fabianB
I think you may be missing my point a little bit here: There is absolutely no difference between class E and class G airspace in VFR concerning the rules for either transponder carriage (you don’t need one) or transponder use (you have to turn it on if you have one – that rule was in ICAO Doc8168 long before it elevated to SERA status).
TMZ’s an be established in either airspace, as it is in Denmark above FL95, and in Germany somewhat lower.
