FLARM ethics

On 02/25/2015 10:31 AM, John Galloway wrote:
You can still look out the window from time to time
Exactly, FLARM is an aide if you NEED it you're doing it wrong...

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 10:05:58 AM UTC-6, Luke Szczepaniak wrote:
On 02/25/2015 10:31 AM, John Galloway wrote:
You can still look out the window from time to time
Exactly, FLARM is an aide if you NEED it you're doing it wrong...

Well, no, not always - more likely you NEED it if SOMEONE ELSE is doing it wrong!

For example, someone entering you thermal where you can't see him, and not clearing his flight path so he hits you - you can do everything right and still be blindsided.

Or, in the case of PowerFLARM, a powerplane blasting through your thermal or glider field airspace at pattern altitude. Sure are a lot of nice pretty screens to look at in modern planes, why look outside? And if there isn't 10,000ft of concrete and a control zone around it, there couldn't be an active airfield in that big grass field, after all....

Kirk
66

On Tuesday, 24 February 2015 18:18:49 UTC, Andy Blackburn wrote:
On Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 9:50:36 AM UTC-8, Ramy wrote:
I think the real concern here is that during the month of March, updated flarms will apparently (according to another thread) not able to communicate with those which were not updated yet. This is surprising and concerning, at least I would expect this upgrade announcement will come with a clear warning, and also explains why the window for update is so short. It would be better if it was reduced to just one week...

Ramy

Yes, one reason to have a short transition is to reduce the incompatibility period, though one would think a better approach would be to have the new firmware retain the old protocols as well as the new ones and switch over on the expiration date automatically.

Andy, 9B

I suspect that some of the Flarm hardware is too limited to run two different protocols. Most people will probably install the new firmware before the first time they fly after it is released - and that is what should happen. Please pass on this message to any Flarm users you know. Certainly at an active gliding club like mine anyone who needs help to update will find more computer literate friends both equipped and willing to help.

PS We have to trust that the new firmware will work correctly on all Flarm compatible hardware! And keep looking out both before and after confirming that it does.

Mark Burton, London Gliding Club, UK

On Thursday, February 26, 2015 at 4:47:27 PM UTC-8, waremark wrote:

I suspect that some of the Flarm hardware is too limited to run two different protocols.

I confess I was thinking about the US where there is only PowerFLARM. Backward compatibility all the way to the original hardware creates some additional constraints in all likelihood.

9B