On Wednesday, May 29, 2013 4:59:27 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
"kirk.stant" wrote in message

...

snip



We can't get our club to agree that radios are a good thing! "Too

complicated, confuses the student, they can't learn to fly and talk at the

same time yadda yadda yadda".



Pathetic, really.



Kirk

66



Yeah, but I'll bet they can send a text message at 40 words/minute...

I think the ideal is an audio Vario that can run on a standard 9V battery. No charging required, easy to replace. Our clubs Ka-6 has a Ball vario set up to run on a 9V. More modern options include the B-40 which I fly with in 2 of my gliders and enjoy the 9V option (one of those gliders has no other electrical system)

I generally like radios, but they aren't a show stopper. Inability to communicate has surely led to the loss of a few good soaring pilots over the years, and so has the ability to communicate.