Tom BravoMike wrote on 11/21/2019 9:45 AM:
On Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 9:31:50 PM UTC-6, wrote:
(...)

I refuse to install flarm, because I consider that company to be actively
obstructing the adoption of adsb in gliders, by diverting money better spent
on adsb, and by not allowing flarm traffic displays to accept
non-flarm-format inputs. My glider has a Trig 22 and TN72 and a scout
adsb-in sending data to the foreflight on my kneepad iphone.

I refuse to install FLARM because it doesn't make sense to me that I actually
need BOTH the FLARM and a transponder/ADSB to see and be seen by others in the
air. I know and understand the point about 'collision avoidance' vs.
'situational awareness'. I accept the fact that competition pilots flying in
gaggles feel and are safer with the additional warnings from FLARM. ADDITIONAL
to your eyes, because if you are flying that close to other aircraft(s) you
should be looking out and not at the instruments. All my clubs' gliders are
equipped with FLARM, but I heard several skeptical opinions from fellow
members. My recent experience was: beep-beep-beep... Where is he? Oh gosh, so
close cutting in behind me at the same altitude. I'd rather be warned in
advance about him approaching to be able to control his position all the time.
Also, very discouraging to me are the endless discussions about antennas,
range issues and software updates. So I'm looking forward to seeing a device
integrating and combining the advantages of gliding-specific FLARMs with GA
universal transponders/ADS-B.

Your beep-beep-beep... analysis missed half of what Flarm does for you: the OTHER
glider was also alerted to the potential conflict. And before the beep beep beep,
Flarm will alert you to the other glider coming into range, and you can track it's
progress on the screen well before the collision warning.

I have a glider with a Mode C transponder and Flarm: the transponder alerts most
airplanes to my presence; the FLARM alerts most gliders to my presence; Flarm
shows me the gliders and airplanes with transponders. To add ADS-B would cost me
about $3000 (Mode S transponder + TN72), and would only slightly increase the
number of airplanes that sense me, and would not change the number of airplanes
and gliders I can sense.

I do have a full ADS-B system (Dynon Skyview) in my Phoenix touring motorglider,
and it's great system for detecting airplanes, but not gliders. When I've flown it
at glider camps or contests, I also use a portable Flarm.

Most pilots that have Flarm installed do not engage in "endless discussions about
antennas, range issues and software updates" - we just turn it on and use it. Some
pilot will have problems, but once the installation is done correctly, it's just
the yearly updates that confuse some pilots. Some are also confused by updating
their flight computer or vario software and the databases, but they get some help
with those, too, and then go fly for another year.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1