PowerFlarm at Region 9 Contest

I like the way you assume my understanding, John, and my financial position.

I've stated over and over that I don't fly in contests and I don't care
about contest flying. I only care about the bandying about of such terms as
compulsory and mandatory. Those of us who truly care about our freedoms
understand that if we give an inch, those who want to impose their wills
will take the proverbial mile. I won't give that inch. I'll make my own
decisions.

Yes, by all means try to mandate Flarm on the Applichian ridge to prevent
midairs between gliders. Oh, how many have there been there so far?


wrote in message
...
On Monday, June 10, 2013 11:21:33 PM UTC-5, Dan Marotta wrote:
Yes, but you can't get out of the way of an airliner - you're a stationary

target at his speed. And, if you have a Flarm only and not a transponder,

the airliner won't see you.

In fact, powerflarm gives lots of warning about airliners. They have mode S,
ADSB transponders, so you see exact position and altitude from many miles
away.

Just last weekend I was looking at my clearnav display, wondering how I was
picking up that glider 10+ miles away, then noticed it was above cloudbase
and descending 20 knots. Oh, yeah. Hmm, better alter course a bit to the
right.

That's not an argument against transponders. I fly with both flarm and
transponder. Flarm gives glider to glider collision warnings, especially in
contests and densely flown glider areas. Flarm lets you see adsb-equipped
aircraft, with enough warning to get out of the way of anything flying
subsonic.

Transponders lets the FAA and airliners avoid me. That's very important
where I fly since Midway approach seems to love to blast airliners through
20 miles of congested class E airspace right over our club at 4000'. Choose
which risk you face most, and cost/benefit.

Contests are verging to large scale voluntary flarm adoption. It's not clear
to me that Dan understands this thread is mainly talking about contests. For
most contests, flown away from lots of heavy traffic, one can make a case
that a transponder is less cost effective, and flarm much more important.

I would imagine that other densely flown glider areas would want to start
thinking about heavy flarm adoption too, say up and down the white mountains
or the pennsylvania ridges. Operations with lots of glider traffic, so that
midairs among pilots based out of the same airport are the prime threat,
might consider flarm as well.

If you fly all by yourself in heavy power traffic areas, and you're cheap,
then one can make a case for transponder and no flarm. Still, you don't see
the other traffic.

John Cochrane

It's a near miracle that a group of "middle-age+" people have quickly adopted an expensive new technology like PowerFlarm. The people in the racing community that have helped ease this along deserve a lot of credit. This is rare and true leadership in the community interest. Congratulation and thank you.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:27:18 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:

...I only care about the bandying about of such terms as
compulsory and mandatory. Those of us who truly care about our freedoms
understand that if we give an inch, those who want to impose their wills
will take the proverbial mile. I won't give that inch. I'll make my own
decisions.

Dan, you are making it sound like some of the leaders in the racing community wants to take away your guns. Fine, don't install PowerFlarm. But PLEASE STOP mixing the rhetoric of "gun rights" with the PowerFlarm. You are discouraging anyone who owns guns and anyone who listens to gun rights rhetoric from acquiring PowerFlarm. That is how persuasion works. There are a lot of people on the fence about PowerFlarm and you are influencing them. You are leading the charge in the opposite direction. PowerFlarm is not a handgun.

Here is why I would politely ask you to stop beating your drum. YOU MAY BE WRONG ABOUT POWERFLARM. PowerFlarm may be the right decision for someone else who is on the fence. Please consider switching your drum beat to something like, "I considered adopting PowerFlarm and I decided that it is not for me because of how and when I fly. BUT you should make that decision for yourself. PowerFlarm may save YOUR life. Lots of people think it is a wise investment and I may be wrong, but I've chosen to take my chances. In general, I don't like bells and whistles, so it kinda makes sense that I would reject PowerFlarm."

If you can't go that far, how about switching to something neutral like "PowerFlarm is not for me." Surely you have something better to do than lead the charge against PowerFlarm.

Son,

It's not my mission or desire to discourage anyone from using Flarm. Nor do
I equate it with guns. I just get riled up at someone telling me what I
must do to share his sky.

I've stated over and over again that I performed my own analysis of cost,
benefit, useability and functionality for the type of flying that I do and
some folks continue to try to convince me that it's best if I get one.

Some day I might get one. Probably not. I encourage everyone who wants a
Flarm to buy, borrow, or rent one. If all of you will stop telling me that
I need one to fly in the same sky as you, I'll stop beating my drum.

I expect delivery of my Zaon MRX tomorrow or Friday. That should alert me
to any transponder equipped aircraft in my vicinity and my transponder
should alert Flarm guys to me.

"son_of_flubber" wrote in message
...
It's a near miracle that a group of "middle-age+" people have quickly
adopted an expensive new technology like PowerFlarm. The people in the
racing community that have helped ease this along deserve a lot of credit.
This is rare and true leadership in the community interest. Congratulation
and thank you.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:27:18 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:

...I only care about the bandying about of such terms as
compulsory and mandatory. Those of us who truly care about our freedoms
understand that if we give an inch, those who want to impose their wills
will take the proverbial mile. I won't give that inch. I'll make my own
decisions.

Dan, you are making it sound like some of the leaders in the racing
community wants to take away your guns. Fine, don't install PowerFlarm.
But PLEASE STOP mixing the rhetoric of "gun rights" with the PowerFlarm.
You are discouraging anyone who owns guns and anyone who listens to gun
rights rhetoric from acquiring PowerFlarm. That is how persuasion works.
There are a lot of people on the fence about PowerFlarm and you are
influencing them. You are leading the charge in the opposite direction.
PowerFlarm is not a handgun.

Here is why I would politely ask you to stop beating your drum. YOU MAY BE
WRONG ABOUT POWERFLARM. PowerFlarm may be the right decision for someone
else who is on the fence. Please consider switching your drum beat to
something like, "I considered adopting PowerFlarm and I decided that it is
not for me because of how and when I fly. BUT you should make that decision
for yourself. PowerFlarm may save YOUR life. Lots of people think it is a
wise investment and I may be wrong, but I've chosen to take my chances. In
general, I don't like bells and whistles, so it kinda makes sense that I
would reject PowerFlarm."

If you can't go that far, how about switching to something neutral like
"PowerFlarm is not for me." Surely you have something better to do than
lead the charge against PowerFlarm.

On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 4:20:29 PM UTC-7, Dan Marotta wrote:
Son,



It's not my mission or desire to discourage anyone from using Flarm. Nor do

I equate it with guns. I just get riled up at someone telling me what I

must do to share his sky.



I've stated over and over again that I performed my own analysis of cost,

benefit, useability and functionality for the type of flying that I do and

some folks continue to try to convince me that it's best if I get one.



Some day I might get one. Probably not. I encourage everyone who wants a

Flarm to buy, borrow, or rent one. If all of you will stop telling me that

I need one to fly in the same sky as you, I'll stop beating my drum.



I expect delivery of my Zaon MRX tomorrow or Friday. That should alert me

to any transponder equipped aircraft in my vicinity and my transponder

should alert Flarm guys to me.



"son_of_flubber" wrote in message

...

It's a near miracle that a group of "middle-age+" people have quickly

adopted an expensive new technology like PowerFlarm. The people in the

racing community that have helped ease this along deserve a lot of credit..

This is rare and true leadership in the community interest. Congratulation

and thank you.



On Wednesday, June 12, 2013 10:27:18 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:



...I only care about the bandying about of such terms as

compulsory and mandatory. Those of us who truly care about our freedoms

understand that if we give an inch, those who want to impose their wills

will take the proverbial mile. I won't give that inch. I'll make my own

decisions.



Dan, you are making it sound like some of the leaders in the racing

community wants to take away your guns. Fine, don't install PowerFlarm.

But PLEASE STOP mixing the rhetoric of "gun rights" with the PowerFlarm.

You are discouraging anyone who owns guns and anyone who listens to gun

rights rhetoric from acquiring PowerFlarm. That is how persuasion works.

There are a lot of people on the fence about PowerFlarm and you are

influencing them. You are leading the charge in the opposite direction.

PowerFlarm is not a handgun.



Here is why I would politely ask you to stop beating your drum. YOU MAY BE

WRONG ABOUT POWERFLARM. PowerFlarm may be the right decision for someone

else who is on the fence. Please consider switching your drum beat to

something like, "I considered adopting PowerFlarm and I decided that it is

not for me because of how and when I fly. BUT you should make that decision

for yourself. PowerFlarm may save YOUR life. Lots of people think it is a

wise investment and I may be wrong, but I've chosen to take my chances. In

general, I don't like bells and whistles, so it kinda makes sense that I

would reject PowerFlarm."



If you can't go that far, how about switching to something neutral like

"PowerFlarm is not for me." Surely you have something better to do than

lead the charge against PowerFlarm.

So after you made your own analysis of cost you ordered a device who has marginal usability (I have been flying with Zaon since the day it came out, I think it is almost 10 years) for 1/3 of the cost of a device which is in an order of magnitude better than the MRX and have significantly more functionality including alerting you for airliners? Sorry to say but this is silly. If I knew, I would have sold you my old MRX, but I just didnt thought that any glider pilot would want to buy one now that PF is available.

Ramy