On Oct 10, 10:29*pm, "Matt Herron Jr." wrote:
On Oct 10, 8:36*pm, Andy wrote:

What exactly does a rental FLARM unit look like?
*http://www.butterfly.aero/powerflarm/fly/

How will it be safely installed in my cockpit?
Velcro on the glareshield most likely, though there will be other
options I think.

How will the antenna be routed/mounted? *
I think you can attach it directly to the back of the unit.

If it has a visual indicator, *where will it be mounted so I
can see it? *
They claim it's sunlight readable and on the glareshield it should be
easy to find.

Does it need to interface with any of my other equipment,
like power, gps, etc? *
Not if you don't want it to - it can run on internal batteries all
day. It's possible to do a more permanent installation and use
PowerFlarm as a GPS source for other instruments, but it would
impractical for a rental.

It's a transmitter. *Is there any chance it
will interfere with PCAS, radios, bluetooth, or other equipment in my
cockpit? *
IDK - I have not heard of issues in Europe.

Is the installation of the FLARM to avoid collision, or
figure out who is at fault in the event of a close call or collision?
The former - any IGC log can be used for the latter.

Will these logs be made available to the FAA in the event of a
reportable incident or accident? *
I think the same as for IGC logs today.

Will any information in the log be
used to determine an unsafe operations penalty, or is the requirement
just to have a valid log file, regardless of the content?
This is still being debated - one option is to penalize pilots for
deliberately operating in a mode that would permit spying on other
gliders' locations. I have heard that Flarms record the presence of
other gliders as part of the flight log but I have not confirmed this.



FLARM sounds like a good idea for dense glider activities like
contests, but lets think the details through before jumping to a rule
like this.

What if the rule read; *"For contests of more than 10 gliders, gliders
must be equipped with a functional FLARM unit that is in operation
during contest flight."
I some ways it's easier to administer in smaller groups. Contests are
mostly spread out enough that you can accommodate most or all with a
limited number of rental units - assuming that the SSA continues to
make it so as few contests as possible overlap.

9B