Tales of soaring software + device crashes, wrong or misleadinginformation presented, and user errors?

I agree with regular sense checking what any computer tells you. My first example is that I always check when I enter the task that the distance is what I expect (from planning it on the PC), and that the climb distance required for the whole task makes some sort of sense. Then I check the arrival height at the base airport so I know the arrival safety height is set as I expect, and my personal preference is to enter a bug setting - cause I prefer my final glide calculations to be slightly pessimistic. I sense check the wind by comparing ground speed to airspeed.

Long before final glide, I review how the remaining climb required is changing over time, to see whether I am very broadly under or over achieving. I also do a sense check of 100 foot per k, and see how actual performance compares with that.

Recently, in my own glider I have been using an LX 9000 - absolutely superb, no issues, among the biggest benefits are the absolute absence of lag either when turning in a thermal or when zooming the display, and the excellent wind calculation - and in other gliders I have been using a GliderGuider (same as Vertica V2 and Avier) running SeeYou Mobile and using only the internal GPS, with a Socket Mobile power pack bought from Paul Remde for power.. This has also been excellent with no issues. On a recent flight in our club Duo, I had the GliderGuider and my co-pilot had an Oudie 2, both running SYM with the same setup. Screen brightnesses were the same - entirely clear even with the brightest sunlight from every direction. The extra brightness of these devices makes a real difference by comparison with devices I have had before - iPaqs 3850/3950/4700, Oudie 1 - you can take in the info so much more quickly and you don't have to bother about whether the screen is pointed in just the right direction.

The Oudie occasionally gave random wind readings presumably because of the known 'track smoothing' issue affecting its internal GPS, but also predictably the Oudie gave slightly quicker screen redraw after some actions.

I have XC Soar on a Nexus 7 and IGlide Light on my iPhone. Neither has a bright enough screen by comparison with the GG/Oudie 2 etc.

This is all slightly away from the question of errors made - for which I would offer a couple of examples of my own error in earlier years. Once I started a comp with the previous year's turnpoint file in my devices - very stupid, sure enough a new turnpoint was set on the first day, I did not have time to enter it, thought I could do it by eye and got a penalty for turning just outside the sector. And on another occasion, having taken off without adequate flight planning, I got an airspace warning while in a strong climb, cancelled it thinking that it was for something which did not affect me, and then a minute later realised that it did affect me - when I had already climbed into forbidden airspace. Both examples of **** Poor Preparation.

Hope someone finds this interesting.

Mark Burton, London Gliding Club, UK

On Thursday, 30 May 2013 17:03:40 UTC+1, son_of_flubber wrote:
It would be useful to hear your tales of soaring software crashing and/or providing misleading or inaccurate information. Please be specific.



It would also be good to hear about cases of "user error" where you made a mistake in either setting up the device, misinterpreting the information displayed, or you found yourself confused or mislead by the way the information was presented. Of particular interest would be pitfalls that you stumbled upon in flight and how you resolved the difficulty.



I'd also like to hear about any cases of two devices running in parallel and presenting conflicting or diverging information (for example different indications of wind direction/speed or final glide arrival height).