Actually, Mode C are well sought after, even when the aircraft itself is a death trap…it’s like Bitcoins, it’s difficult to make new ones: no new ModeC installs 
That point was not lost on certain CAA/NATS officials, too. Amazing how many instrument panel pics (of planes some of them have shares in) could be found on google, and most had Mode C only
Peter wrote:
Amazing how many instrument panel pics could be found on google, and most had Mode C only
When you look at buying one of these aircraft, you ask if it’s GASCO? or EFATO?
I will go for EFATO !
One way to reduce infringements would be to staff ATC info services properly and give out advisories.
eurogaguest1980 wrote:
One way to reduce infringements would be to staff ATC info services properly and give out advisories.
But that would mean linked up, radar backed, FIS across UK – and I’m sure many will agree that we can’t be having Wayne & Waynetta seeing their taxes – if they pay any at all – splurged out on the likes of us, out and about with our money to noise converters….. 
The real problem is that, in the UK, a decision was made to smash this with a hammer. ZERO BUSTS is the target. One bust a year is too many.
Elsewhere, there is an acceptance that busts will happen. As posted before, the Prague LKPR TMA gets 4k busts a year which is about 3x of the whole UK. Go figure… Clearly Czech ATC is able to perform their (very well paid) job but the assumption is made that UK CAS ATCOs (who these days are on ~150k) cannot; something I am sure they would dispute!
Nobody knows who is behind the UK policy. Not a clue. It has the looks of somebody trying to look like the sun shines of their ar*se and then going to prove it (and big organisations are full of that) but who was supposed to be impressed?
ATC funding is hot-political and will never change in the UK.
A disturbing fact is that UK ATC might warn you of conflicting traffic when using Basic Service, but will not warn you if you’re about to infringe CAS…
Having a look at the UK Flight Information Services shows the 4 type of services available:
What I can’t make out is, will ATC warn you of an upcoming infringement under Traffic service?
will ATC warn you of an upcoming infringement under Traffic service?
Nope even if you are talking to the actual unit who manages that bit of airspace, you need an actual clearance or it’s a bust (Radar Traffic Service is not enough)
Under Deconfliction Service: you are vectored OCAS (info service), it’s hard to beleive ATC don’t warn for those infringements (you are still the sole owner of separation from traffic, terrain, clouds and airspace)
Dan, there is no mention of that in the CAA publications. Understandably. In practice, a helpful radar controller might do so when it is clear to him that you will bust an airspace ahead. This is actually tricky to be sure of, with the complexity of today’s CTRs, CTAs and TMAs. Assume you are flying along some 200-300 feet below some low CTA (which one often does to maximize terrain clearance). If the pilot somehow forgets about the CAS above and starts a normal climb, it takes just 20-30 seconds before he is in.
And this is just not their priority. They will be 90-% focused on big IFR traffic in CAS, i.e. te paying customer. UK ATC is privatized.
UK ATC might warn you of conflicting traffic when using Basic Service
They might if it is a Radar unit but the most common BS in the UK is London Info and they are FISOs, not ATCOs (done to save money) so while they do have radar screens they are not allowed to say anything on the radio to indicate that they can see you. The ATC unions would go ballistic. Even if a bust is imminent and serious they will not say anything. The procedure is to ask you to call say Farnborough or whatever Radar unit and that unit can then tell you officially. By which time you will have of course busted…
That is why there is basically no point in calling anybody in the UK (for an enroute service) unless it is a Radar unit. In the south there is a number of these e.g. Culdrose, Newquay, Exeter, Bournemouth, Solent (nowadays, a reluctant unit which hates Bournemouth next door, perhaps because they are NATS while BH is private, so even though their CAS is joined, you can get a clearance into BH’s and then Solent refuses theirs, which is contrary to ICAO), Farnborough (does a large area), and that’s it. Gatwick can sometimes offer too.
Deconfliction is useless. Available only in Class G and only when you don’t need it (nobody else flying). Provided to commercial ops because their AOC manual stipulates it.
To avoid most traffic, fly as high as you can, never at 2000ft, and fly at funny numbers like 3300, 3700, 4300, 4700, etc. If you have TCAS, most non-TXP (or Mode A set deliberately) traffic is low level; below 2000ft.
