On May 28, 2008, at 7:46 PM, Jinx wrote:

>> I'm a private pilot
>> Nate
>
> Nate, do you have any experience with TLS ? A flying acquaintance
> asked recently if I could help him put one together at a rural  
> airport /
> airstrip for both landings and pilot training
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transponder_Landing_System


Sorry, no.

I got to ride along in an aircraft that used MLS (Microwave Landing  
System) once, and flew in a number of LORAN-C equipped aircraft and  
used that in the early 90's, but GPS has long-eclipsed most of these  
technologies... especially when augmented here in the States by WAAS.   
(And I assume similar augmentation signals exist in some other  
countries?  Hmm... never looked into that.)

Most of my recent instrument training has been in aircraft with IFR- 
certified GPS systems on-board, which is "nice", but of course you  
learn whatever you can get your hands on, and if it's in the aircraft  
during an FAA check-ride, they can expect you to fly with it.  (Thus  
for the timid, it's becoming common to schedule checkrides in aircraft  
not equipped with ADF receivers, for example.)

I wonder what your friend is planning on using to receive the TLS  
signals in the aircraft.  Be cautious if he asks you to build  
something to do that... aviation attorneys LOVE finding equipment in  
an accident aircraft that wasn't properly certified by whatever the  
local aviation authority is for use on-board aircraft...

Unfortunately, the instrument training is back "on-hold"... there was  
a short window there where I thought I could afford to spend serious  
time at the airport buzzing holes in the sky and then fuel prices  
soared, and along with it, rental rates... and I've "grounded myself"  
again...

I figure if I can't fly at least twice a month, I'm not really all  
that "safe"... and shouldn't be even thinking about carrying  
passengers, etc... even though the regulations over here (as well as  
most insurance companies) allow me 90 days of inactivity before I'm  
not "current" in rental aircraft.   (There are other rules for  
"currency" in night flight, instrument flight, etc... etc... etc...).

So I've focused back on my "other expensive hobby"... ham radio, and  
have been playing with digital radio... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-STAR 
) and helping put up a system... (http://www.coloradodstar.org)...  
it's fun, but not as much fun as flying around in the sky for no  
reason at all!

:-)

--
Nate Duehr
nate@natetech.com



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