Best Glide computer and why

Roger wrote:

What about the European computers, anyone using those?

I have an SDI C4 and really like it.

Its big strength is that, unlike the Cambridge, it has only the one
display 'page' and you can configure it to show what you want to see
during each phase of the flight. Once you've set it up the way you want
it, you have to confirm the day's baro reading and input ballast before
launch. During the flight you only have to change MC, bugs and ballast
(as you dump it). All other display changes, etc are done automatically.

The climb and cruise tones and display symbols are different enough that
you're unlikely to be confused. The display always shows instant climb
rate, average rate and trend (if the climb rate is increasing or
decreasing). It calculates wind strength and direction during thermal
climbs and will also recalculate it during cruise. The cruise
calculation nails the wind strength though the direction is not very
accurate. It works as a normal TE vario in climb and a Netto during cruise.

Climb/cruise switching can be on airspeed, manually or from the GPS.

Tasks and turn points are entered on the GPS and sent to the C4 so it
can calculate final glide, so there's no double entry. Almost any GPS
can be used: I use a Garmin GPS II+ with it.

The C4 occupies a single 80mm hole in the panel. There is an option to
fit an extra analogue vario display, which I don't have or need. You can
also fit a slave display for a two seat glider.

There are currently no dealers outside Europe. The website is
http://www.sdi-variometer.de/ and is only in German. I think that SDI
owns Zander - they certainly sell the ZS1 alongside the C4 but somebody
with better German than I should confirm that.


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martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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