FLARM in Stealth Mode at US 15M/Standard Nationals - Loved It!

Interesting discussion,

IMO, the tactical advantage FLARM provides contest pilots during competition is being highly over-rated here. The "problem" is (and always has been) that A) not everyone has one, B) wants to buy one or c) is able to efficiently process the information available. I see FLARM (tactically) as just another small variable in the equation of flying performance.

It can easily hurt as much (or more) than it can help. Nobody seems to mention this possibility. Hint, hint...maybe you want people to try and leech with FLARM and fail or at least degrade. Hmm.

I currently have an "economy" contest set up...Brick-SN10-Oudie with a separate FLARM view display. A "funny guy" (he knows who he is) recently referred to my panel as a beat up WWII fighter. He's right! My panel is clearly not a great combination for efficiently tracking FLARM targets, analysing climb rates, etc. I don't know the full capabilities of the LX9000 or ClearNav. I do understand that their presentations are more (FLARM) information "rich." One good thing I see about a potential U.S. stealth mode rule is that the real or perceived advantage of these advanced soaring computers (in terms of FLARM based situation awareness) would be reduced or eliminated.

The real advantages of FLARM tracking (as I see it) is not climb rates. I would not trust the number anyway. I want to see the other potential gliders climbing and see the actual cloud they are under, etc. It's just not as simple as that pack has 3 knots and the other has 5...lets go to the 5!

For me, the ability to identify individual "key" pilots in the pack ahead (or behind) and "bonus" identification of gliders that I would have otherwise missed if I had not seen a FLARM "blip" and started searching in the exact right spot are the practical advantages that FLARM provides. It is very hard to calculate the value of these capabilities.

My actual FLARM reception range has been 1-3 miles (3 at absolute most). My antennas are well installed, blah, blah, blah. I therefore leave my FLARMview range at 1 mile so that I have a good resolution for "close in" gliders. In other words, the long range value is so consistently low that a greater range setting almost always pointless. Apparently others are seeing more as in my opinion 1 mile is fairly low value tactically. I usually see these gliders far earlier than I see them on FLARM.

While managing the available FLARM information well can provide value, my experience is that this is rarely a "great" value. In fact, it is usually a distraction to put effort into trying.

With that (my belief that others are likely gaining more from the available FLARM information than I am) I would (selfishly) be happy to see the requirement of a stealth mode at future US (or FAI) contests. But overall I have concluded that the value FLARM provides is highly, highly over-rated.

Finally, for whomever said (last few posts) the FAI World Championship Level requires FLARM leeching proficiency to be successful...please expound with specific information on how you reached these conclusions. Do you have a list of specifics? Who gave you this list? What experience do you have?

Sean
7T