On Wednesday, October 22, 2014 2:04:06 PM UTC-5, JS wrote:
After complaints from those who normally fly without much of a panel, in July 2013 I came up with a contest that ran for 9 days (2 weekends plus M-F) and only allowed one electronic instrument: a digital turnpoint camera.
The turnpoint photographs would be evaluated and I'd use SeeYou to decide the winner, handicapping the gliders.
NO radio, electric vario, moving map, transponder, FLARM, SPOT (etc) or even cell phone use until the pilot and crew were reunited. Batteries were allowed to be carried as ballast only. Communication for a landout had to be by land line phones, both pilot and crew.
There was a prize, worth about $500.00.
Nobody entered.
I invite others to try the same.
Jim

So your suggestion is to throw away all the modern safety improvements? I wouldn't enter either - it's a stupid - and dangerous - idea!

There is really only a limited set of information that a glider pilot needs - the trick is to display it in the most effective way, and have it available when needed. Having a bunch of fancy displays doesn't mean you have to look at them or use them all the time, but when you do need the info, it should be readily available.

Kirk
66