Wayne Paul wrote:
Eric,

Most soaring software that I have seen simply evaluates whether you will
clear obstacles along the flight path from your current position to the
selected destination. If the route is over Pikes Peak, it doesn't consider
going around it. Is there any software that identifies and calculates the
altitude require for the best route to a field?

I don't know of any that does it automatically or even manually in an
easy way. I've encouraged SeeYou to add a feature that lets the pilot
"drag" the middle of the flight path to a new location, so you have an
adjustable two leg flight path around an obstacle. No feature yet.

I think the feature would very useful, and not just for mountains, but
for avoiding airspace, bad landing areas, and poor soaring areas
(wlakes, wet fields, wave or ridge downdrafts). You could also align the
path for good soaring areas.

All of them will let you set up a task to do it, but that's usually a
lot of picking and clicking at an inconvenient time. For repeating
situations, you can add waypoints in passes and valleys to your
database, so it's easier to set up a task in flight.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
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