Shameless update from Dale Kramer

Some of you know who I am and that I have not had a real sailplane since I sold my Ventus2CX a few years ago. I am still waiting for Flarms to be mandatory in all contests before I try to find a way back into competition.

What I have been doing is flying my electric Lazair and RV8.

A lot of you know I designed the Lazair ultralight aircraft and now I have come up with a new aircraft design that some of you may be interested in (and I have started a Kickstarter campaign to try to fund it).

I hope you'll at least look at my design and who knows, someday I may visit a contest in a vLazair.

Here is a link for more information:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ertical-takeof

Or just go to Kickstarter and search for vLazair (don't forget the 'v').

Mandatory Flarms? Maybe if folks arent so busy playing with all their cockpit electronics they can keep their eyes outside where they belong. Flarms are not the answer, decent airmanship is. And heaven forbid any more dang things become mandatory. We cant legislate away idiocy.

On Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 2:04:29 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Mandatory Flarms? Maybe if folks arent so busy playing with all their cockpit electronics they can keep their eyes outside where they belong. Flarms are not the answer, decent airmanship is. And heaven forbid any more dang things become mandatory. We cant legislate away idiocy.

Why not? We mandate parachutes, at about the same cost, and for the same reason: "See and Avoid" is really the "Big Sky Theory" and even the best lookout can't always detect a threat in time to prevent a collision.

Flarm is a valuable tool to help prevent a mid-air. When it fails (perhaps because the other guy doesn't believe in Flarm), your parachute is the next tool to use to save your life.

To me, idiocy is ignoring actual threats and practical solutions.

Kirk
66

On Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 9:02:45 AM UTC-7, kirk.stant wrote:
On Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 2:04:29 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Mandatory Flarms? Maybe if folks arent so busy playing with all their cockpit electronics they can keep their eyes outside where they belong. Flarms are not the answer, decent airmanship is. And heaven forbid any more dang things become mandatory. We cant legislate away idiocy.

Why not? We mandate parachutes, at about the same cost, and for the same reason: "See and Avoid" is really the "Big Sky Theory" and even the best lookout can't always detect a threat in time to prevent a collision.

Flarm is a valuable tool to help prevent a mid-air. When it fails (perhaps because the other guy doesn't believe in Flarm), your parachute is the next tool to use to save your life.

To me, idiocy is ignoring actual threats and practical solutions.

Kirk
66

Hi Kirk,

I'm totally with you on Flarm, but I was marveling this morning about how we were having a great technical discussion about relatively high level stuff with Dale & how brave he was to start it here. I know Dale is the one that threw out the Flarm bait and I bit too, but we've got so many other threads to beat each other up about Flarm that it would be a shame to derail this nice discussion.

Cheers,
Craig

Craig, if it keeps people reading this thread and sends a few people to Kickstarter to buy a $10 signed vLazair print then I'm OK with it

Dale

On Thursday, March 17, 2016 at 9:20:36 AM UTC-7, DaleKramer wrote:
Craig, if it keeps people reading this thread and sends a few people to Kickstarter to buy a $10 signed vLazair print then I'm OK with it

Dale

Dale:
A second engine is listed for battery charging. Isn't it possible to charge the batteries from the Rotax?
Jim

I sure appreciate all the comments here and definitely dont want hijack this thread, dale your concept is definitly interesting, and at the very least the engineering study regarding the vstol portion of this project is a helpfull excercise and I am sure will be coming our way from other developers in the future.
As to flarm and other anti collision systems, my point has been that these systems create a detrimental false sense of security. I have experience flying gliders in three very conjested airspace areas, las vegas nv, minden/reno and pensacola. The key to each of these areas was EYEBALL awareness. As a commercial pilot, I never fully trust air traffic control or anti collision hardware, i trust situational awareness period.
The second aspect has to do with freedom. If you want a european type air traffic control system, then keep laying down when federal or association dictated mandates are being proposed, always under the unbrella of "safety". Your freedom to fly will dissapear or be economically handicapped. Reality is, the skies are no more crowded today than they were 10 years ago. That is a myth being propogated by the faa. The exact situation was encountered by derick piggot years ago in UK when their fed agency was expanding airspace restrictions and shutting down gliderports. Thank God he and others stood up and didnt take the governmental over reach laying down.

Sounds to me like this 'Radar' feature is what may be promoting more heads down use of Flarm. I don't think I am in favor of 'Radar' use.
Thanks Kirk!

Dale

On Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 7:07:51 AM UTC-7, DaleKramer wrote:
Some of you know who I am and that I have not had a real sailplane since I sold my Ventus2CX a few years ago. I am still waiting for Flarms to be mandatory in all contests before I try to find a way back into competition.

What I have been doing is flying my electric Lazair and RV8.

A lot of you know I designed the Lazair ultralight aircraft and now I have come up with a new aircraft design that some of you may be interested in (and I have started a Kickstarter campaign to try to fund it).

I hope you'll at least look at my design and who knows, someday I may visit a contest in a vLazair.

Here is a link for more information:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects...ertical-takeof

Or just go to Kickstarter and search for vLazair (don't forget the 'v').

Very cool stuff Dale. Looking forward to seeing your progress. I really enjoyed seeing your build blog on the eLazair several years ago. Will you be be blogging this one as well?

Oh, and thanks for the FLARM plug too :-)

Craig Funston
7Q

Craig,

Thanks, right now I plan to have sort of a log on its Kickstarter page, at least for the 1/4 scale vLazair.

Dale