On Thursday, April 4, 2013 10:15:33 AM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
I flew XC for years before getting a cell phone. When I landed out, I just knocked on the farmer's door and asked to use the phone. Never had a problem and the farmer and family usually enjoyed looking at the glider. I now have a cell phone but it stays turned off unless I want to make a call. Oh, and it's only a phone - it doesn't do all those other distracting things that today's youngsters seem to need to stay alive. There's an entire episode of the TV show, Southpark, which is devoted to Facebook. I thought it gave an apt description of Facebook addicts. "Ramy" wrote in message ... So Bob, I must ask, do you fly XC without cell phone? If so, whatever will be your good reasons to never carry a cell phone, I wouldn't blame anyone who will leave you to hitchhike back from a landout in the middle of nowhere... Some technologies, like cell phone and spot are a must in anyone's landout kit. Flying cross country without them is foolish. Ramy

My new smartphone does provide some good post landout entertainment. For example last weekend my crew saw the picture of the glider in the field on Facebook before they left the field to come get me, and by the time they got there I had had about a 20 comment exchange with various glider pilots around the country debating the merits of why i landed out and how good or bad the field I chose was.