Is FLARM helpful?

On Wednesday, November 25, 2015 at 1:29:44 PM UTC-8, jfitch wrote:

From this I conclude that the situational awareness, far away from an potential conflict, is more valuable for preventing potential conflicts in the first place than the actual warning facility.


Important observation. Pilots who fly in the thermal streets and convergence lines of the western US point this out pretty regularly. Head-to-head traffic at 17,999' can easily close at 5-6 statute miles per minute. In this case particularly (low-contrast, small head-on cross-section, potential for evasion maneuvers to make things worse with crossed wings) longer range situational awareness is critical to avoiding conflicts - often with a simple radio call to coordinate. Also a good reason to register with FarmNet - how many people really would be able to properly read and call out (or even recognize) an ICAO/Flarm ID in a time-constrained conflict situation? "AA8E2F, please turn right immediately!"

9B