I’ve been out of it for two years and intend to be flying again this spring in my ASW 24. Practice and FAI and/or Sports Class competition.

Currently I have an LNAV and GPS 20 with a Compaq 1550 (in the original Cambridge mounting cradle) running GN II, a Winter mechanical backup vario, and a Garmin handheld that made a fine backup flight recorder until outlawed and still works well for tracking in a thermal (poor man's thermal assistant). I also have several backup Compaq 1500s.

My primary goal is contest flying. My primary constraint is two daughters in expensive colleges. So my question is: what combination of new vario(s), flight computer(s), PDA/PNA and software should I look at considering performance, ease of us (I set up SYM years ago but wasn’t impressed with user friendliness compared with GNII), price, the need for two flight recorders, reliability, and what my current stuff is worth?

I realize this is a complicated question so I’m looking for complicated answers: i.e., no “the Butterfly is the best vario plus whatever else you want to add” or “ClearNav is worth whatever you have to pay for it”. I’m 61. Things I buy for soaring are no longer “investments”. And although I love competition soaring, I have to consider price/performance the way I do when buying a car or a new PC. Sorry, it’s the real world.

I have a preference for made in America only because getting something serviced quickly is important--especially when an expensive system craps out during a contest (been there multiple times).

I’d also like to split the two varios so they’re not both dependent on a common TE source in the multi-probe. But I’ve flown for decades without spearing a bird with it so electronic TE is a “nice to have” only.

Frankly, I’m not sure I need to do anything. The LNAV and Winter work fine, I’ve never felt constrained by GNII, and I can probably borrow a backup flight recorder for contests. But as long as it’s winter, I just thought I’d ask.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 “JB”
U.S.A.