"TXBill" wrote in message
. ..


Wouldn't a glass-cockpit soaring instrument, say something like the new
ClearNav from NK, provide even better situational awareness if it had an
airspeed strip down the right edge and an altitude strip down the left
edge? How about adding "altitude required for next waypoint" and "speed to
fly" indicators to those strips?

I'd sure like to have them....but, then, I'd like to have a horizon, too.
And a G-meter strip next to the airspeed strip. Oh, and how about a vario
strip next to the altitude strip? With real-time and average indicators?
Maybe a voltmeter? A compass? Synthetic 3D terrain view? Thermal markers?
What else do y'all think might be useful?

Sounds like a whole new class of instrument, an "ESIS" or "Electronic
Soaring Information System". Put all that on a 12inch-diagonal daylight
visible screen and the only "steam guages" I'd have in the cockpit would
be a compass and 57mm airspeed indicator. Just in case.

Hmm, sounds like an idea for a future "Soaring Tech" article.....

See you on the porch,

- Bill


All well an' good, but to gain wide acceptance it needs to be energy
efficient with battery back-up for at least 5 hours on two AA cells.

bumper
zz
Minden