Personal flight computers
A comment or two on the "build your own system for cheap" versus
"buying a turnkey system".
Yes, the free software is pretty darned good these days. There are
PNA's that you can purchase for little cost. However, there are those
that don't want to fool with all that - even though it is relatively
easy to do. Analogy - I like to install/repair everything at my home
(except for roofs) but most people do not.
So there is a place for the Naviter and other fully turnkey systems.
Some just want to plunk down their money and have the finished product
in their hands. Basically paying someone else to build the system for
them.
There is a third choice - the system integrators. Wasn't there a
group that was selling complete PNA+FreeSoftware systems fully
configured? They seemed to have disappeared - I suppose because there
wasn't a large enough market?
No matter what there is still the issue of getting it installed in
your glider, mounting, power, etc. And even that is intimidating to
some.
So there is room for every flavor of glider driver.
- John "Techie" DeRosa
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