Initial review PowerFlarm

I've got about 5 flights with the PowerFlarm now although only 1 with
another PowerFlarm equipped glider nearby.

With a transponder equipped plane approaching, the display goes red at
a couple of miles of estimated range. No audible alert though.

What I've found so far is probably similar to other PCAS users. You
are suddenly surprised at how many aircraft are around that you never
see. Most of these have been over 4 miles away, but it can be a
challenge to find traffic at 3-4 miles even when you know their
relative altitude.

I can understand why they do not have an audio alert. First off, the
range is estimated not an exact position. Second, there is no
directional information. So what are you going to do with the alert
info you possess? Hopefully keep your eyes peeled with greater
scrutiny. It takes but a 1/2 second to include the PF in your
instrument scan and get a sense of range/altitude of the nearest
target.

Lastly, the main reason they may not have an audio alert is that there
are currently some false alarms showing up from your own transponder
if you're equipped. I'm hopeful that future revs of the software
will filter that out further, but currently I've seen a number of
false alarms even with a Mode S Trig. They usually don't last long,
but it would be a different story of nuisance if they were audio
alerting.

Morgan