It boggles the mind how the beaurocratic mind works. I sent a long email to
one of the "powers that be" a while back (a name well known on this
Usegroup) who didn't even have the courtesy to respond. I suggested that
for all badge flights and for records below national or world level, a
commercial, off the shelf (aka COTS) solution be allowed. This would bring
the price of an acceptable GPS log down from nearly $1000 to something on
the order of a couple hundred bucks.

My argumaent basically goes like this. A COTS unit is certainly no less
secure than the existing alternative (ie. a camera and barograph). We have
documented evidence of world-caliber pilots trying to fudge barograph or
camera results from years past. Yet, we get up in arms that someone may try
to programmatically alter their flight log from a COTS unit. Hell, if we
simply adhered to the rules of the OO, the file would be taken over by the
OO immediately upon landing. If someone wants to go to the trouble of
building an application to fudge this data in-flight or during the initial
download just to prove they made their silver distance, I say "who really
cares."

I notice in the preliminary minutes from the 2004 IGC meeting that the
proposal to allows COTS units was again rejected. I'll be on a crusade to
find out exactly why...

"Wojciech Scigala" wrote in message
...
Dnia 5/23/04 1:17 AM, U¿ytkownik f.blair napisa³:

What is the least expensive hand held that can be used for certifying
badge
claims?
Only FAI-certified loggers can be used for badge flights, and countries'
regulations can't change that.

You can still use a barograph and a camera for documenting flight
progress.

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