what_next wrote:
They will scramble the fighters anyway.
What’s the point? Anyone wanting to do unpleasant things with the aircraft will of course keep the radio on until deviating from the flight plan — and even then they would try to dupe ATC as far as possible. Anyone with an actual COM failure will be very careful to adhere to the flight plan.
This looks to me like another case of security theater.
Airborne_Again wrote:
What’s the point?
I don’t know what the point might be. But since 9/11 this is the reaction (worldwide!) to aircraft not responding to radio calls for more than a few minutes. If you follow the “Rumours & News” section of PPRuNe you will see that not a week passes without some airliner getting a fighter escort somewhere.
There is also an unofficial 8.33 mod for a KX155 radio 
Posted here previously, I believe.
what_next wrote:
If you follow the “Rumours & News” section of PPRuNe you will see that not a week passes without some airliner getting a fighter escort somewhere
They might do that for an airliner, but I doubt they would for a Cessna 172, especially if it’s squawking lost comm and flying its filed route.
Also, Vs of an F16 or similar is about 160kt depending on config.
So I don’t think they would do an interception on a C172 with a jet.
A helicopter is much more likely, unless there is a particular hurry… During the UK 2012 Olympics they used helicopter patrols, with snipers in them.
I am all for lightening regulation, but it is ironic that I have just specified three radios and three altimeters on my aircraft!
Minimum equipment is all very well, but people might think that it is in their interest to have more than the minimum.
I can just about see how someone can fly IFR with one radio if it has a monitoring function, like the GTNs (though even then, you can sometimes never hear the ATIS or VOLMET because the main frequency is constantly in use) but I honestly can’t see how you can be on a IFR frequency and also be able listen to ATIS, and may talk to Handling, on one box.
Similarly, how do you know whether you are above MSA when on 1013?
Timothy wrote:
Similarly, how do you know whether you are above MSA when on 1013?
Timothy, I think you may have missed this discussion. 
I would say, when you are above transition altitude (i.e. flying a flight level), then by definition of the TA you are above terrain. Or not? I now remember to have seen in the UK that you can have different TAs more or less for the same geographic location in some circumstances, where airspace overlaps.
Timothy wrote:
I can just about see how someone can fly IFR with one radio if it has a monitoring function, like the GTNs (though even then, you can sometimes never hear the ATIS or VOLMET because the main frequency is constantly in use) but I honestly can’t see how you can be on a IFR frequency and also be able listen to ATIS, and may talk to Handling, on one box.
I’m not advocating flying IFR with just a single COM unit, but even if you had infinite radios, if your main IFR frequency is going constantly you’re still not going to be able to hear ATIS unless you turn its volume down (and the equivalent effect is gained on a single radio by swapping monitor/active). Single crew, you’re not going to be on IFR frequency, listening to ATIS and talking to handling even with infinite radios, because you have only one mouth and one pair of ears!
Personally, I find two radios really handy in a busy environment. Two altimeters… well the 2nd one can be a “cheap” one (United Instruments or some such) which is well below 1k.
Also non-radio flight really complicates things massively because you will be facing an arrival in a potentially busy circuit, or worse having to fly an IAP in IMC with maybe somebody else there. That’s why I carry the handheld (also does ILS)
There is also a case to be made (by some) for two transponders because you will (reportedly) not be initially allowed into CAS (IFR) without a transponder. But two transponders are rare in light GA.
@Peter, depending on how much fuel you want to spend you can fly a F16 pretty slow ^^
