On Jan 31, 9:29*am, Bill D wrote:
This is in response to threads on FLARM and Mirasol displays which I
think relate in a general way.

If you back up 100 meters and think outside the box, we've been facing
restricted panel space for a long time. *FLARM is just the latest
gadget but it may be the proverbial "straw".

A solution has been found in the airplane community - glass cockpits.
Old "steam gauges" display information very inefficiently. *You just
don't need an 80mm dial to display altitude when a simple 5 digit
numeric display and/or tape can do it much better in a quarter the
space.

Imagine a panel-sized tablet computer with a Mirasol display running
glider-specific "glass cockpit" software. *Mount the tablet in a
hinged frame so it can be raised and pushed forward to reveal a few
standby "steam gauges" for use if the electronics go belly-up. *Since
the glass cockpit is merely software, it can be updated and tailored
to any pilots desires. Instead of new gadgets, you add new software
features. *The display can change with a push of a stick mounted
button to emphasize moving maps or whatever is important at the
moment. *Fortunately, the requisite "air-data" sensors are available
to feed the computer.

Of course, there will be strenuous objections but they'll be
essentially the same ones heard in the airplane community before glass
took over.

Amen to that. I would like to have an integrated EFIS display with
vario, speed, altimeter and a radio with transponder, etc. The
installation process would be simplified. Do you supposed that if
someone would approach Garmin would they create G500/600 Sailplane
Edition?

Jacek