BobW wrote, On 9/11/2013 2:48 PM:
On 9/11/2013 10:53 AM, Soartech wrote:


Snip... I can't even imagine unfolding a map in the confines of my
sailplane.

Not to be contentious, but why would anyone seriously consider
"unfolding a map" in the confines of a sailplane? I certainly never did.
I simply pre-folded my sectional to place my launch site more or less in
the middle of a flat rectangle of map, folded wisely (as in, if I flew
off the pre-selected area, the next en-route area was no more than a
fold away [sometimes two, if I wished to keep my map rectangle the same
size]), and occasionally hauled it out as necessary (usually to
double-check a town or distance). In less familiar to me areas, I
sometimes used my non-stick thumb to keep my place on the sectional.

You must have fly in very different places than I do, and you must fly a
much lower L/d glider. Keeping the map(s) in the right place was
constant struggle for me, even in relatively roomy cockpits like the Std
Cirrus and ASW 20. and a huge pain in the 301 Libelle. Flying in places
like Nevada with a high performance glider means my airport can be 60 or
70 miles away and in reach, but it's on the other side of the fold.
Unfold, you say? Well, then my alternate, which might be behind me,
disappears.

Worst case: fly where four maps come together - super hassle trying keep
track of where I am and what my options are.

For example, I've never found it difficult/onerous to perform mental
glide calculations while on course. "X miles per thousand feet" and a
decent awareness of where I am (no cheating; you're AT wherever it is
you're directly above, NOT what you can see at some slight angle!)
was/is dirt simple for me. Where I can get from "there" sorts of "glider
calculations" aren't fundamentally different than is estimating where I
plan to gas up the vehicle when driving through western boonies...merely
the view is distinctly more pleasurable!

Sure, it's easy in flat lands, but not where there are mountains. I
can't use the distance/elevation of the airport, but have to use the
distance/elevation of somewhere along the mountain ridge that's between
me and the airport. That ups the mental effort a lot.

Bob - simple is good - W.

Agreed! But ... you find GPS complicated and maps simple; I find the
reverse.

P.S. It would be fascinating to know the rates of airspace violations by
glider guiders, pre- and post-GPS. Even a cursory reading of contest
reports and scores on the SSA website quickly reveals a continuing
litany of "airspace violation penalties." GPS = "complete navigational
precision?" Not!

The rates are much lower now, because now it's easier to avoid
unintentional violations, and pilots are much more motivated to avoid
intentional violations because they know they will be caught.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl