On 11/19/2010 9:17 AM, wrote:
On Nov 13, 9:14 am, Walt ConnellyWalt.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

--
Walt Connelly

You don't need any of that stuff to master most of the important
elements of soaring.
Learn to stay up reliably when weather is "reasonable'. Then start
some short cross countries
that you have laid out with a chart- Yes some people still use them.
If you are not flying with
sufficient margins to not nee glide computer stuff, you are too low.
Then, go do your Silver badge.
After that- think about adding extra stuff.
It is a huge confidence builder to know you can get home when all the
tools die.
FWIW
Good Luck
UH

"What UH said."

FWIW, 'everyone' who sticks with the sport to where you presently are - and
then a little beyond to where you seem to want to be going (great and fun
places, indeed!) - goes through the phase you seem at the moment (to me,
anyway) to be in. It's part of the game.

That (not condescendingly) noted, almost all the truly useful stuff to be
gained from participation in soaring flows from the simple - yeah right! -
ability to remain aloft more or less when you want to on UH's aforementioned
'reasonable days.' No PDA/PNA/GPS/flight-computer/software in the world can
help you in that regard in the absence of 'useful thermalling skills.' Just
like no purchasable L/D in the world will save your bacon in the absence of
basic landout skills and the ability to safely use 'em...

Donning my Great Karnak hat, here's what your future will likely look like if
you actively focus initially on the horse (i.e. thermalling skills) before the
cart (i.e. potentially useful whiz-bang accoutrements [once ensuring you've
the much-more-crucial decent vario/vario-plumbing, of course]):

- you either will or will not eventually decide to go the route of technical
complexity...but this time from a solidly useful personal perspective (as
distinct from [say] the perspective of merely trying to make your cockpit look
like that of those you presently perceive as being ahead of you on the XC
soaring curve).

IOW, one day you'll *know* when you are or aren't ready to go the complexity
route...and the complex route certainly isn't necessary in order to become a
competent, diamond-skill-worthy, XC pilot. You might even decide to save your
'complexity mad-money' for tows, a better sailplane, or ???

Don't fret at this stage about being 'technically challenged,' cuz that
condition won't be what holds you back or slows your ascent of gaining 'useful
XC' soaring skills.

Regards,
Bob W.