On 11/13/2010 7:14 AM, Walt Connelly wrote:
Okay folks, I am a rather new glider pilot, about 120 flights within the
last year and maybe close to 100 hours aloft. (I have mastered sink)
I am beginning to acquire the gadgets necessary to proceed with this
sport and was looking for some input on those little PDA type devices I
see people poking with a stylus before take off.

Any recommendations on the best one to have? Software? What can it do?
The best device for those of us technically challenged?

Walt

Welcome to a life-changingly wonderful activity, Walt...and to RAS too! :-)

Have fun, too, researching your above-posed question(s); such self-education
truly is yet another fun part of immersion in soaring.

That said, do be aware your 'necessary' (above) may be a tad strong. My ship's
'electrical system' consists anymore of a handheld radio and a
hat-brim-mounted Malletec audio-only, uncompensated vario. At its finest, the
ship's electrical system substituted a panel-mounted Ball electric
analog/audio/uncompensated vario for the Malletec (an inherited panel mounted
radio never worked). Once, I considered flying with a loaned flight logger,
but personal laziness won over messing with an 'installation.' Yet, somehow,
(after mastering sink) sufficient mastery of sink's 'light-side' brother and
off-field landing basics led to an adult lifetime of crewless (in the
pre-arranged sense) XC, almost exclusively of the O&R sort. Landed out a few
times, had/made some really fun retrieves, never been lost, never even
experienced an overnighter. I've no doubt many of my contemporaries'
experiences would be similar.

Point being, do keep in mind during your research that simplification has its
own virtues!

May your soaring experiences be long and wondrous...

Dinosaurically,
Bob W.