Chip Bearden wrote:
(snip)

Speaking of simplicity, I flew for a long time with a pure netto
vario. In still air, the needle pointed to zero. You needed at least a
couple of knots "up" to achieve zero sink, which is something that
quickly became automatic. The nice thing was that when you flew into
sink, the needle of the vario immediately pointed to the proper speed
to fly on the speed ring. There was no "chasing the needle" caused by
the sink rate of the glider increasing as you speeded up and the
needle moving a little more causing you to have to speed up a little
more until everything stabilized...by which time you were long past
the sink. In some respects the "relative netto" I use today on my
fancy vario/flight computer with the push/pull bars requires a little
more attention. Progress, progress.

My primary vario for 26 years was/is a Sage connected to a Schuemann B
box, which does exactly what Chip describes. Everyone in this
silly/wonderful sport gets to define their own "ideal setup"; this is
mine. IMHO one of the Great Mysteries of Life is why so few choose this
particular set-up. Even Reichmann dissed it in favor of something
genuinely more arcane in my view. Imagine you're a hawk, with a hawk's
sensors, skill set and hunger. Seems to me the One Thing you'd want to
know is how fast you *could* be climbing should you decide to, AND what
your...seems to me the TWO Things you'd want to know are how fast you
*could* be climbing should you decide to, AND what your speed to fly
should be should you choose not to climb. Compensated netto immediately
shows you both at a single glance. (Mirabile dictu!!!)


(More snips...)
Fortunately I'm computer savvy, work in the IT industry, and so can
generally get the latest hardware and software to do what it's
supposed to do most of the time. But I do wonder how much more
difficult it has become for someone coming into our sport to afford
all this technology, to learn how to configure it and use it, and to
become familiar with our complex competition rules. The latest gadgets
make it easier for experienced hands to go faster with less attention
devoted to mundane chores but I think they also sometimes raise the
bar for newer pilots in several ways. Not the direction we want to go
in our shrinking sport. Just my opinion.

Chip touches above ("but I think they also sometimes raise the bar for
newer pilots in several ways. Not the direction we want to go
in our shrinking sport.") on an aspect of soaring I suspect has more
than just a hint of truth to it. Like Chip, I'm reasonably computer
savvy, comfortable with working with hardware and software, etc., but
the soaring pilot in me has essentially zero desire to get onboard this
particular technological rat-race. Give me some basic information in an
easily-absorbed and useful presentation, and no further punching of my
soaring ticket need be done. Officially, I have 2/3 of my Silver Badge
(both achieved in a 1-26), while my mind notes the remaining legs
claimed (in a minimally-outfitted, dry, 1st-generation 15-meter ship).
I still figure if I get outflown in that ship, it's because of better
pilotage, not better instrumentation or a better ship. Regrettably,
with the passage of time, it seems to me that fewer and fewer newbies
and XC-wannabes lend much credence to my claims.

Personally, I think the Gospel of Simplicity ought to be preached more,
because so much of soaring does not REQUIRE the latest in bells and
whistles be present in order for fledglings to begin spreading their
wings in personally gratifying and safe ways. Flight (in any form)
costs more than remaining groundbound. Soaring flight as a niche
certainly isn't cheap (in time or money or mental effort required), and
any barriers (real or imagined) to achieving it are precisely that:
barriers. I don't think soaring participants should be promoting Mark
CXXIV widgets as a universal good, or worse, as necessary, to everyone
getting into the sport. Sell the sport first...the widgets will tag
along in their own good time as newbies begin to better define which
aspect(s) of soaring they wish to pursue.

Regards,
Bob - JMHO - W.