On Friday, November 20, 2015 at 8:35:10 PM UTC-5, Casey Cox wrote:
Has anyone been thankful that they have had FLARM?

And do the same people have a transponder?

How many people fly with FLARM or Transponder?

Let's hear about the close calls, or potential close calls, or even the peace of mind of awareness.

FWIW, I have had at least 2 very close calls in which I would have been very, very close to a collision without FLARM. Equally important, I have had numerous FLARM warnings in which I was not aware of the glider nearby until the warning. These warnings (quite common) are invaluable and their situation awareess safety value is incalcuable.

The first close call was actually during the very first week that the flarm was released in the USA during the 2011 Uvulde glide. Two open class gliders flew right across my nose (45 degrees off head on). Less than 50 meters at the exact altitude. I saw the first at the last second (no flarm). I never would have seen the second glider (in trail of the first) without the flarm warning. Terrifying but I was able to get a visual on the second and dive below. We would have hit nose to nose without the dive. The collision was maybe 5 seocnds away. I was shaking for the next hour. Im not sure if they ever saw me.

From that moment on, I felt failry exposed flying without FLARM...and feel that gliders flying contrsts or busy enviornments without FLARM are failry dangerous. The other close call would have almost certainly been a head on collision in a pre-start situation. I am a "scan freak" and am always moving my head and my eyes, and try not to rely on FLARM at all as there are always at least a few non-flarm gliders in any group. Regardless of that flaw, FLARM warnings are almost always useful and highly acurate.

A good example of a FLARM warning is at the 9:10 point of this video: https://vimeo.com/52396659

So the short answer is yes, I am thankful of Flarm and thankful to the fellow pilots (and towpilots) who have invested in it.

7T