Winpilot for contest use?

Frank wrote:
Hi,

After happily flying with my SN-10 for the last 5 or 6 years, I find
myself with a CAI 302/PDA system in my new glider. In preparation for
the upcoming racing season, I have been investigating PDA Nav software,
including GNII, SoarPilot, XCSoar, and just lately, WinPilot. I have
downloaded the WinPilot PC sim program & manual and am impressed so far
with what I see.

Anyone have positive or negative opinions regarding WinPilot for
serious racing use? Are the extra features of WinPilot Pro worth the
extra dollars?

TIA,

Frank

Frank,

If you are using the CAI 302 and a GPS there is no reason not to go
with the Pro version. In general I have flown with WinPilot Pro for
the last two years. The more I use it the more I like it. The Pro
version is much better because of the interface with the flight
computer. During contests I find the thermal average and total average
thermal for the day to be very useful. Most of the wind information is
only available in the Pro version. I don't want to get into the SN10
vs. PDA war, but I think WinPilot gives as good or better information
and flexibility in flight. An interesting point last season at the 15M
nationals was the fact that the SN10 could not handle the number of
turnpoints assigned on some days. As with any system it is more
important to be very comfortable with the system under the pressures of
contest flying.

I like the ability to change what I see on the screen of WinPilot very
quickly. Depending on the task and conditions I often put different
information on the screen during the flight. I wish they would add
several main screens that could be toggled between so I could define
several different sets of information.

Talking with others helps to see what tricks they use. Most pilots do
not use the terrain function 99% of the time. For extra visibility
many pilots turn the back light on during the entire flight. What you
put on your screen is the personalizing part that is nice about
WinPilot. The hard part is deciding what to put on and what to leave
off.

Tim