Crash one wrote:It strikes me that pilots do not understand the function of each switch position.
On, means on, but only basic.
Alt means everything else that the thing does whether it's alt only or alt plus dress size etc.
A bit like this iPad. If I switch it on it comes up with the home screen, nothing else. I have to select something else to get any sense out of it.
It beats me why transponder manufacturers don't just fit a switch marked Off--On (A)--On (C alt)--On (S alt).
There would still be the choice but perhaps understandable what is being delivered.
Except, of course, that Mode S comes BEFORE Mode A in the switch sequence and doesn't include altitude information, while Mode C and Alt are the same thing. I think this would make the sequence "Off - Standby - On (S) - On (S+A) - On (S+A+C)", or, as they actually label it, "Off - Standby - Gnd - On - Alt". I suspect that the confusing terminology comes from the days when there was only Mode A available, thus the switch was labelled "Off - Standby - On". When Mode C was added, "Alt" appeared, and when Mode S arrived, we added "Gnd".
Crash one wrote:The amount of ambiguity and mis information on rules in this business is mind boggling.
The whole thing needs a complete rewrite.
I couldn't agree more - however we have over a hundred years of unpicking to to, which will (in this specific case) include replacing avionics across the entire fleet of aircraft just to change the labelling on a switch and therefore isn't going to happen in the real world. Instead we will simply layer another complexity over the top of the mess we already have in the hope that making things more complex will make things simpler... For example, have you ever considered how many "types" of fixed wing aircraft now exist in the light aircraft world? I can count (not necessarily mutually exclusive) SSDR, Ultralight, Microlight, Light Sport, SLMG, TMG, SSEA, SEP, VLA, LAA Permit, Non-EASA CofA, EASA CofA, EASA Permit - and that's just in the sub-two-tonne bracket! To most intents and purposes, if you can fly any one you should only need familiarisation/differences training to fly any of them - but we have different organisations managing them, different licences for some of them, different medical requirements, different maintenance, hugely different costs because of the different rules and regulations, and different ways of getting it wrong.
P.S. We tried to simplify the regulations and have a common set for everyone. It was called "EASA". Nuff said?