Is Glideplan still relevant?

Given the level of moving map sophistication in the cockpit these days I am wondering what use, if any, Glideplan is to the soaring pilot. If you use it, where does it add value for you? Safety? training? XC planning or in flight navigation? Competition? Any stories o share?

Thanks,

Matt Herron

On Tuesday, December 23, 2014 6:46:35 PM UTC-5, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
Given the level of moving map sophistication in the cockpit these days I am wondering what use, if any, Glideplan is to the soaring pilot. If you use it, where does it add value for you? Safety? training? XC planning or in flight navigation? Competition? Any stories o share?

Thanks,

Matt Herron

Works great if the electrons rebel... Also very useful for task-setting at contests. I used it to prepare a map of the authorized tow-out fields for aero retrieves for the tow pilots (length, freq, orientation, etc).

Dan
2D

On Tuesday, December 23, 2014 6:46:35 PM UTC-5, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
Given the level of moving map sophistication in the cockpit these days I am wondering what use, if any, Glideplan is to the soaring pilot. If you use it, where does it add value for you? Safety? training? XC planning or in flight navigation? Competition? Any stories o share?

Thanks,

Matt Herron

I like to use it to make maps for contests.
If I taught, I would use it to help students plan early cross country flights.
QT

Even with a ClearNav and a backup Oudie I still print out a copy of the map before flight.

Still use it, especially at contest.

Kevin
92

I need to figure out a way to reach out to beginner XC pilots. Perhaps those that have just completed their bronze or silver. Unfortunately SSA doesn't provide a way to do this. And print ads are really too expensive. If we can help hook newly minted pilots on XC, they will be much more likely to stick with the sport.

Matt

Same response as others. I use it for contests - both as CD and as Competitor. I figure it saves me a couple of hours before I fly at every new site. Instead of having to tape together a bunch of sectionals, draw distance rings (poortly) with the calipers I had in middle school, then find all of the turnpoints.... I just load a couple of fonts and print out a perfect, current map.

It's also a nice way to brief people new to a site (contest or otherwise).

P3

On Wednesday, December 24, 2014 1:59:03 PM UTC-8, Papa3 wrote:
Same response as others. I use it for contests - both as CD and as Competitor. I figure it saves me a couple of hours before I fly at every new site. Instead of having to tape together a bunch of sectionals, draw distance rings (poortly) with the calipers I had in middle school, then find all of the turnpoints.... I just load a couple of fonts and print out a perfect, current map.

It's also a nice way to brief people new to a site (contest or otherwise)..

P3

Agree. Even the large format moving-map displays are not as good for overall task area situational awareness at-a-glance. This is critical for MAT tasks and useful for AATs. It's not as helpful for ASTs, but no one calls those anymore (Yes, I'm trolling. Don't take the bait, it's Christmas!) ;-)

With the new tool for merging sectionals Lynn Alley put together GlidePlan is useful again. New XC pilots and OLC pilots should like the more cockpit-friendly size versus sectionals.

9B

There is no single item in the cockpit that provides the level of area awareness than a printed map especially in contests. The area, turn point orientations and task details are mostly lost on a tiny screen. Glideplan makes it easy to just print out the sectional with the turnpoints and landing points overlaid, slap on the clear shelf paper and your good to go. So my 2 cents are that Glideplan is relevant for all the XC, training, flight planning, inflight nav and competition.

Stories? When you are trying to figure out which side of the turn area to go or how deep and need how those cu up ahead sit in relation to the edge of the cylinder a printed map is by far the best.

One day in a nationals we are coming back late into the wind and its going blue. A single cu forms and sticks about 20 degrees off course. The lead bunch head off towards the cu but in looking at my Glideplan map I divine the cu is just past the edge of restricted airspace and go straight - and make it. Very, very handy.

John Seaborn

Matt,

I use Glideplan regularly when doing introductory cross-country training. We also used last year at Air Sailing's Thermal Camp and will be using it again this coming year. I consider it to be a great tool.

Larry