This is really two questions: how to see electronically, and how to be seen.
The answer to the latter is straightforward – a mode S transponder with ES (ADSB-out) makes you electronically conspicuous to anyone who wants to see.
How to detect other relevant traffic electronically depends on where, what and how you fly, and how much you want to spend on imperfect gizmos. Generally, the technology is so immature that one could argue for a zero- or low-cost solution which can be replaced when something better evolves.
Statistically, north of Manchester in the UK, there’s little point in spending anything at all – the northern Brits have too much air 
and too few aircraft. Elsewhere, PAW detects modes C and S (after a fashion), and 1090ES, and it costs less than half a tankful of fuel. If you throw away the useless(?) PAW dipole and spend 30 minutes with a few tie-wraps, you can stash all but the little 1090 antenna out of sight. For the price of another tankful and a half of 100LL, you can add a “FLARM mouse”.
On the other hand, if you fly regularly in sailplane-infested airspace, it may already be worth coughing up one or two Aviation Monetary Units for PowerFLARM or the equivalent from Air Avionics – which can allegedly feed Mode S, ES and FLARM data to a GTN650 by ARINC.
However, none of these gizmos beats Peter’s simple strategy of choosing to fly in the middle of the air, where other people don’t.
jgmusic wrote:
Presumably PowerFLARM is a good place to start as it picks up FLARM, ADS-B, Mode S and Mode C?
Yes, it is the only one I know which can do all of that.
IMC is a very different debate.
Traffic density is orders of magnitude lower, except in CAS in circumstances where radar separation is provided.
The UK gets roughly one midair a year but the last IMC one was in WW2 or thereabouts.
jgmusic wrote:
I’m just keen to find something that makes flying into IMC a slightly less “what if” affairIt’s not flight in IMC that you should worry about. It’s flight in VMC, or at least clear of cloud.
Really? So it’s ok to plough through cloud in zero-vis waiting for a Traffic Service, but more dangerous to fly VFR? Come on…
As much as I am enjoying the humorous banter on this subject, in my relatively limited experience I have often found myself in the soup, coping perfectly well but worried nonetheless about what else lurks within, or close by, while I wait for ATC guidance. Surely this is worth some consideration…? I find it amazing that in such a highly regulated business as aviation, there is scant concern or advice on this matter. Maybe mid-airs are too rare, but it doesn’t seem that way…
jgmusic wrote:
Really? So it’s ok to plough through cloud in zero-vis waiting for a Traffic Service, but more dangerous to fly VFR? Come on…
Yes, I’m totally serious. There is much, much less traffic in IMC OCAS. According to Timothy there has been zero collisions in IMC in uncontrolled airspace in Britain since the second world war. How many collisions in VMC…?
As much as I am enjoying the humorous banter on this subject, in my relatively limited experience I have often found myself in the soup, coping perfectly well but worried nonetheless about what else lurks within, or close by, while I wait for ATC guidance.
I don’t want to belittle your worry, but the things we worry about in light GA are not always the things that actually kill us. And the other way around.
Really? So it’s ok to plough through cloud in zero-vis waiting for a Traffic Service, but more dangerous to fly VFR? Come on…
Absolutely yes. Emotionally this is a problem for some pilot cultures which like positive control.
The reason is simply that on nice days 99% of traffic is VFR.
They also tend to fly low.
Instrument traffic is also more likely to transpond. I believe a traffic system which covers most traffic (mode C) is the way to go now. Over time an ADS-B system will be even better.
But for example, flying in the UK VMC from 2000ft or below is the most dangerous place to be.
Especially in choke points like the corridors between Heathrow and Farnborough, Biggin and Gatwick etc.
The most dangerous place is breaking out of the cloud from above and you have a VFR traffic travelling under the ceiling right in front of you…..
