ContestID67 wrote:

4) Equipment - Take you mind off navigation by flying with GPS. That
frees you to find that lift!!

An addition to that.

This applies if you carry a GPS and GPS-aware vario (one that can
compute final glides to a GPS way point. When you're local soaring make
sure both are running and that the GPS has your home field set as its
current way point. You can use the information these provide to push out
toward the glide angle limit and get a good feeling for being well away
from your home field, gain familiarity with the instruments and get to
know the wider local area. You'll also get a good feeling for how far
your glider can go from various heights. Just make sure you have a
conservative safety height set in the vario and have taken the trouble
to match its settings to your glider's polar.

I have an SDI C4 and a GPS II+ in my Std Libelle. If I'm soaring locally
rather than going XC this is the way I operate. Besides, doing this is a
lot more interesting that flapping round just outside the circuit.


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |