Is FLARM helpful?

On Friday, November 27, 2015 at 6:43:55 PM UTC-8, XC wrote:
The case that folks are making regarding high converging speeds are in clouds streets, wave and ridge lift. Theses are predictable situations that are easily handled by the FLARM algorithm. In the worse case scenario, 10-15 seconds is plenty of time to alter course to avoid a mid-air

Disagree - totally - this is inconsistent with experience.

The argument that a radio call to a known ID is the best course of action is false. The best way to avoid a mid-air is to turn to avoid the danger using predetermined right-of-way rules, not to establish radio communication and coordinate a plan.

Ask anyone who it has happened to. "XC please turn right" beats guessing which way you are going to go and even the Flarm guys recommend strongly agains making an impulsive turn because even if both glider guess to turn away from each other it turns their wings into a perfect "X". Not good.


Lastly, good glider pilots don't stumble into saves. They know where the lift is likely to be. They manage risk to get there with altitude to use it and have a back up plan. Some people are good at this and others are not as good. The score sheet should reflect this fact. The rules should ensure the integrity of the sport and keep it the adventure it was always supposed to be - not water it down. You'd attract a lot more people to the sport by having soaring heroes like we used to have rather than trying to placate everyone's desire to make it home for dinner.

This is folklore - if you really believed that we should devalue speed days and not devalue days where one "hero" gets around and everyone else lands out - yet we do the opposite. Look at Elmira - many of the top PRL guys got knocked out on the landout days. I'd say bunk to the contention that superior skill has very much to do with it above a certain level of experience.

9B