FLARM.....for good, or evil??

On Oct 28, 11:20*pm, Mike Schumann
wrote:
On 10/29/2010 12:51 AM, Andy wrote:





On Oct 28, 9:19 pm, *wrote:

Also, to clarify, ADS-B does no path estimation of its own. That
function either would have to be added into an ADS-B unit by the OEM,
similar to the way Flarm does today - unlikely to be done in a glider-
specific way IMO - OR, it would have to be done by a separate external
device, perhaps a navigation computer/software like Oudie, WinPilot,
SN-10. For it to be effective manufacturers would all have to agree to
use the same algorithm, which also seems unlikely, unless they all
adopt the Flarm algorithm. That seems somewhat unlikely too, since I
don't think Flarm would want to start splintering how their algorithms
get used by splitting out the Flarm link technology from the collision
algorithm (which would have to be modified to accommodate the
differences in how path estimations get generated - with unpredictable
results). PLUS the external device OEM's would have to adapt to using
ADS-B inputs - another standards issue.

No matter how hard I try, it seems highly improbable that you will be
able to stitch together a satisfactory collision avoidance system for
gliders using ADS-B technology developed for general aviation. You'd
have to be satisfied with the simple functionality offered by ADS-B -
which would be fine if you *generally come into conflict with GA and
airliners more often than other gliders, but there are a bunch of us
for whom the opposite is true. Then the problem becomes some gliders
using Flarm and others using ADS-B, you lose some of the Flarm
benefits of path estimation for the non-Flarm gliders.

9B

9B

You are probably correct that no one is going to beat FLARM in an
optimized collision avoidance solution for high density glider
environments. *That's obviously their focus and they are good at it.

However, most recreational, non-contest pilots, primarily need a system
that will reliably alert them to other aircraft in their general
vicinity. *If I enter a thermal and know that there are 3 other aircraft
in the area, and I only see two, I'm going to abort and go elsewhere. *A
contest pilot obviously wants more data.

What is interesting about the Parowan situation is that this was not a
gaggle of gliders. *It was two gliders who apparently did not have a
proper appreciation that they were near each other. *A simple graphical
display that showed their relative positions, with a very simple
collision avoidance algorithm, or some form of auditory announcement
could have prevented this accident. *That's not to say that the FLARM
simulation was not impressive.

--
Mike Schumann

I played back the igc files from all the gliders flying that day and
can say that your speculation is not really supported by the facts.
Actually there were a number of gliders in that thermal - as it turns
out I passed right by it about a minute after the collision. There was
also a lot of non-thermalling traffic going in both directions at the
time, mostly within a pretty narrow altitude band within a thousand
feet or two of cloud base under a long cloud street.

An issue in these kinds of situations is that you can fixate on a
couple of gliders a bit higher in the thermal and miss the one
entering on a collision course with you at nearly the same time. A
cruder collision system has the potential to false alarm on too many
non-threats and on multiple gliders in the vicinity, making it hard
for the pilot to sort out which one is the real threat. Or it can
falsely identify a non-threat and mask the one that is really the
problem.

At this point I'm not at all sure why you'd pick straight ADS-B
(especially UAT) over something like PowerFlarm. The arguments keep
changing and hard as I try I can't find one that holds water when I
really run through all the issues. I think ADS-B in the long run is a
decent upgrade over PCAS, but PowerFlarm is more cost efficient and
more effective as a collision warning system, plus it has ADS-B in and
PCAS build in.

Also, I'll bet dollars to donuts that PowerFlarm gets FCC approval
well prior to ADS-B getting out from under the STC requirement.

9B