Saturday practice at Hobbs NM

Havew the pilots' names been released?

At 21:45 20 June 2011, Nyal Williams wrote:

"On a percentage basis this sport is not as safe as I
once thought it was. In my short time engaged in soaring, about a year
and a half I have read of too many mid-airs and deaths. "

There is a world of difference among the choices of hanging around over
the airport, going out X/C, and racing in contests.

You can choose your level of safety. Paul Bikle once said that to be
successful in national contests you must realize that the glider is
expendable.



At 23:41 19 June 2011, Walt Connelly wrote:

'Chris Nicholas[_2_ Wrote:
;775333']At 15:34 17 June 2011, Walt Connelly wrote:
-
So FLARM was compulsory, I wonder why if failed to warn the pilots of
an
impending mid-air? This would be interesting and valuable
information.
My condolences to the family of the deceased pilot.

Walt-


It did not necessarily fail to warn them – one or both may have
ignored
the warnings, perhaps believing that a manoeuvre would avoid
collision
but
it was misjudged.

If the two units are not destroyed beyond recovery of stored data,
Flarm
can, I believe, read the files and replay both sets of data to show
what
warnings, if any, were given. I have a video clip from Flarm,
showing
what 2 units would have displayed in a collision had they been
operating
(the data came from 1 second logger recordings, and Flarm units I
understand store the same data and time interval). In the case of
that
collision, the units both would have given about 6 seconds warning.
[For
different reasons, one being faulty wiring by a glider manufacturer,
neither Flarm was actually working in that particular incident.]

If the Flarm units themselves are not readable, but the loggers are,
Flarm
could do the same as they did for the collision I referred to. If
loggers
are recording at wider intervals, however, 4 or 11 or whatever
seconds,
I
don’t know how useful that would be.

Let’s hope the accident investigators are able to produce something
which
might be a learning experience for the rest of us, as one outcome of
this
sad event.

Chris N.

Good point. Failure to acknowledge and heed the warnings of such a
device is a major mistake. I would think that pilots at this level
would be more receptive and aware of the potential for ignoring such
information. On a percentage basis this sport is not as safe as I
once thought it was. In my short time engaged in soaring, about a year
and a half I have read of too many mid-airs and deaths.

Walt




--
Walt Connelly