Pilots with weakening vision - please install Powerflarm

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:20:38 AM UTC-5, GC wrote:
On Saturday, July 6, 2013 6:48:32 PM UTC+1, son_of_flubber wrote:



I understand that you want to fly for a few more years.



Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can

turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.



I understand that you're more scared of dying than I am. I don't have

Flarm so keep a really good lookout.



In all age rugby, players over a certain age have patches on their

shorts so the 80-year-olds don't get tackled as hard. In the same

spirit, I've painted a small pirate-style eye patch below my cockpit to

give you fair warning. Watch out for it!



GC

That's really funny GC - until you are being warned by PFlarm of a target heading right at you that you had no idea was there. Your lookout is just not good enough and at your age (I honestly have no idea) you probably cannot turn your head far enough to see what's going on behind you.
I'm also really weary of people not afraid of dying...
Herb

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 8:00:49 AM UTC-7, wrote:
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:20:38 AM UTC-5, GC wrote:

On Saturday, July 6, 2013 6:48:32 PM UTC+1, son_of_flubber wrote:







I understand that you want to fly for a few more years.







Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can



turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.







I understand that you're more scared of dying than I am. I don't have



Flarm so keep a really good lookout.







In all age rugby, players over a certain age have patches on their



shorts so the 80-year-olds don't get tackled as hard. In the same



spirit, I've painted a small pirate-style eye patch below my cockpit to



give you fair warning. Watch out for it!







GC



That's really funny GC - until you are being warned by PFlarm of a target heading right at you that you had no idea was there. Your lookout is just not good enough and at your age (I honestly have no idea) you probably cannot turn your head far enough to see what's going on behind you.

I'm also really weary of people not afraid of dying...

Herb

Funny though, the risk averse society we have become.

Your risk of dying in a car accident on the drive to the airport is far greater than a glider-glider midair, and yes, you can do something about it: It has been proven that you are far more likely to survive an automobile accident wearing a crash helmet. And given that your hours of exposure in a car are many times greater than in a glider, wearing a crash helmet anytime you drive would have an even greater effect on your life expectancy.

And so my question is, how many PowerFlarm users bought a crash helmet for the car first? It is more effective and at the same time much cheaper and easier to use.

I think he should take up skate boarding with those young whipper-snappers,
get a few more body piercings and tattoos, and leave us old farts alone with
our old-fashioned airplanes without engines.


wrote in message
...
On Saturday, July 6, 2013 9:48:32 AM UTC-8, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that you want to fly for a few more years. Please install
Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down.
You don't have to learn how to use it.

I'm old and I got me one of those flarm things. I just can't figure out
the circles and pointy things. Perhaps you could teach us old guys how
this new fangled stuff works. You seem really smart.

PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.

Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.

-Evan Ludeman / T8

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:43:37 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
I think he should take up skate boarding with those young whipper-snappers,
get a few more body piercings and tattoos, and leave us old farts alone with
our old-fashioned airplanes without engines.

I meant no disrespect when I tried to raise this issue with humor.

My smart-ass remark was prompted by a gentleman who is in need of cataract surgery and who has on two occasions flown across my bow while I was circling in a thermal. Yes, I saw him coming. He should have seen me.

If you want to take this seriously, you could encourage your pals to get their eyes fixed. It's a simple procedure and it works. There are a number of people flying who could have their vision improved.

I'm not afraid of dying, but I would like the chance to enjoy our sport for a few more years, and I don't want to be grounded prematurely by an avoidable accident.

On 10/07/2013 01:00, wrote:
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:20:38 AM UTC-5, GC wrote:
On Saturday, July 6, 2013 6:48:32 PM UTC+1, son_of_flubber wrote:

I understand that you want to fly for a few more years. Please
install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can
turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.


I understand that you're more scared of dying than I am. I don't
have Flarm so keep a really good lookout.

In all age rugby, players over a certain age have patches on their
shorts so the 80-year-olds don't get tackled as hard. In the same
spirit, I've painted a small pirate-style eye patch below my
cockpit to give you fair warning. Watch out for it! GC


That's really funny GC - until you are being warned by PFlarm of a
target heading right at you that you had no idea was there. Your
lookout is just not good enough and at your age (I honestly have no
idea) you probably cannot turn your head far enough to see what's
going on behind you. I'm also really weary of people not afraid of
dying... Herb

You'll just have to toughen up, Herb ...or get a sense of humour.

If O'flubber (and you) intended it seriously, he needs to be called on
it's stupidity and arrogance and if it wasn't, I've just extended the
joke. Whichever way you like.

GC

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:06:07 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:
PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.



Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.



-Evan Ludeman / T8

In the last 20 years, there have been 2 fatalities reported to the NTSB in glider-to-glider collisions. One in competition, the other not (ridge flying). Most of this period is without the benefit of Flarm. In both cases had both gliders been Flarm equipped the accident probably would have been avoided. Nevertheless, it remains statistically a very rare event. If safety is your concern there is more fertile ground to plow.

Disclaimer: my glider is PFlarm equipped and I have 20/15 vision in both eyes.

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 1:28:13 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:06:07 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:

PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.







Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.







-Evan Ludeman / T8



In the last 20 years, there have been 2 fatalities reported to the NTSB in glider-to-glider collisions. One in competition, the other not (ridge flying). Most of this period is without the benefit of Flarm. In both cases had both gliders been Flarm equipped the accident probably would have been avoided. Nevertheless, it remains statistically a very rare event. If safety is your concern there is more fertile ground to plow.



Disclaimer: my glider is PFlarm equipped and I have 20/15 vision in both eyes.

Cast your excellent vision on this sometime, please. It's 20 years old, unfortunately still very relevant. Bruno speaks for me on the comparison of auto and glider safety.

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/safety-comes-first-e.html

FWIW, I agree (it's obvious to anyone that takes the time to look) that mid air risk is second order to launch phase, landing phase and terrain collision accidents.

Different types of risk respond to different risk management approaches and what works (training, judgement) for these other types of accidents just doesn't work as well for mid air avoidance. It's a sensory limitation. We don't have 4pi steradian vision and we aren't very good at picking up targets that are on a direct collision course. Happily, flarm does these things pretty well. Good on you for installing flarm.

regards,
Evan

My PF cost about as much as my AR-15, a dozen PMAGS and a locker of ammo.........I feel REALLY safe now.

Brad

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:27:09 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 1:28:13 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:06:07 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:



PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.















Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.















-Evan Ludeman / T8







In the last 20 years, there have been 2 fatalities reported to the NTSB in glider-to-glider collisions. One in competition, the other not (ridge flying). Most of this period is without the benefit of Flarm. In both cases had both gliders been Flarm equipped the accident probably would have been avoided. Nevertheless, it remains statistically a very rare event. If safety is your concern there is more fertile ground to plow.







Disclaimer: my glider is PFlarm equipped and I have 20/15 vision in both eyes.



Cast your excellent vision on this sometime, please. It's 20 years old, unfortunately still very relevant. Bruno speaks for me on the comparison of auto and glider safety.



http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/safety-comes-first-e.html



FWIW, I agree (it's obvious to anyone that takes the time to look) that mid air risk is second order to launch phase, landing phase and terrain collision accidents.



Different types of risk respond to different risk management approaches and what works (training, judgement) for these other types of accidents just doesn't work as well for mid air avoidance. It's a sensory limitation. We don't have 4pi steradian vision and we aren't very good at picking up targets that are on a direct collision course. Happily, flarm does these things pretty well. Good on you for installing flarm.



regards,

Evan

That is an interesting article, but only tangentially on point.

Soaring is (compared to automobile travel) statistically dangerous. Glider-to-glider mid air collisions are a negligible part of that danger. Concentrating on them distracts from the much larger dangers. However, your point about mid air collisions being intractable to training is valid. Here is a risk that - with the mere expenditure of $2000 by every glider owner - can be largely eliminated. Just don't fool yourself into thinking you are much safer as a result.

Look at the numbers. I believe we have around 10 - 15 fatalities a year in the US in soaring. Let me pick 12 as a average for the sake of discussion. That means that in 20 years, of 240 people that died, just 2 are from glider-to-glider mid air collisions. Eliminating those you still have 238 fatalities. You are reducing your risk by less than 1%. Now I am aware that a particular misfortune that befalls me is not made more bearable by its statistic rarity. Nevertheless, those are the numbers.

I installed the PFlarm mainly for two reasons: peer pressure and as an in-flight entertainment system. Safety concerns were a distant third. I will though, turn hard right if I see you coming on my entertainment system!