In response to an accident that killed a young student glider pilot and his instructor in 2019, an Alberta MP has introduced a Private Member’s Bill that would require most gliders and all tow aircraft to “be equipped with a GPS-based collision avoidance system.” Although the bill doesn’t go into more detail about the type of avionics that might be installed, it does exempt hang gliders by specifying the glider have an enclosed cockpit and weigh more than 200 kg. The bill would add a subsection to Section 4.71 of the Aeronautics Act.
The bill grew out of a midair collision at the Cu Nim Gliding Club south of Calgary. The collision occurred shortly after rope drop killing student Adam Leinweber and longtime instructor Allan Wood, 68. Both aircraft had collision avoidance systems but the one in the Cessna 182 towplane wasn’t working. The flight would not have been able to proceed if the proposed rule had been in force.