Pilots with weakening vision - please install Powerflarm

I understand that you want to fly for a few more years.

Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.

On 7/6/2013 1:48 PM, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that you want to fly for a few more years.

Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.



Some of you might also want to consider eye surgery. If nothing else,
do it for the sake of your fellow aviators. A while back my vision
deteriorated to something slightly better than 20/40. (Still FAA legal!)
At that point, I typically couldn't see other planes in the pattern,
and reluctantly came to the conclusion that I wouldn't want to share the
air with somebody in my condition, so therefore I shouldn't be there.
So I got surgery, even though the doctors had called my condition
"marginal".

The difference after cataract surgery was literally night and day!

On Saturday, July 6, 2013 4:43:42 PM UTC-4, Vaughn wrote:

Some of you might also want to consider eye surgery. If nothing else,

do it for the sake of your fellow aviators. A while back my vision

deteriorated to something slightly better than 20/40. (Still FAA legal!)

The difference after cataract surgery was literally night and day!

Thank you. Thank you very much.

On Saturday, July 6, 2013 9:48:32 AM UTC-8, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that you want to fly for a few more years. Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.

I'm old and I got me one of those flarm things. I just can't figure out the circles and pointy things. Perhaps you could teach us old guys how this new fangled stuff works. You seem really smart.

I think he should take up skate boarding with those young whipper-snappers,
get a few more body piercings and tattoos, and leave us old farts alone with
our old-fashioned airplanes without engines.


wrote in message
...
On Saturday, July 6, 2013 9:48:32 AM UTC-8, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that you want to fly for a few more years. Please install
Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down.
You don't have to learn how to use it.

I'm old and I got me one of those flarm things. I just can't figure out
the circles and pointy things. Perhaps you could teach us old guys how
this new fangled stuff works. You seem really smart.

PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.

Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.

-Evan Ludeman / T8

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:06:07 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:
PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.



Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.



-Evan Ludeman / T8

In the last 20 years, there have been 2 fatalities reported to the NTSB in glider-to-glider collisions. One in competition, the other not (ridge flying). Most of this period is without the benefit of Flarm. In both cases had both gliders been Flarm equipped the accident probably would have been avoided. Nevertheless, it remains statistically a very rare event. If safety is your concern there is more fertile ground to plow.

Disclaimer: my glider is PFlarm equipped and I have 20/15 vision in both eyes.

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 1:28:13 PM UTC-4, jfitch wrote:
On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 9:06:07 AM UTC-7, Evan Ludeman wrote:

PowerFlarm saved us from a probable fatal midair at Hobbs.







Thanks to everyone who has equipped their gliders with flarm.







-Evan Ludeman / T8



In the last 20 years, there have been 2 fatalities reported to the NTSB in glider-to-glider collisions. One in competition, the other not (ridge flying). Most of this period is without the benefit of Flarm. In both cases had both gliders been Flarm equipped the accident probably would have been avoided. Nevertheless, it remains statistically a very rare event. If safety is your concern there is more fertile ground to plow.



Disclaimer: my glider is PFlarm equipped and I have 20/15 vision in both eyes.

Cast your excellent vision on this sometime, please. It's 20 years old, unfortunately still very relevant. Bruno speaks for me on the comparison of auto and glider safety.

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/safety-comes-first-e.html

FWIW, I agree (it's obvious to anyone that takes the time to look) that mid air risk is second order to launch phase, landing phase and terrain collision accidents.

Different types of risk respond to different risk management approaches and what works (training, judgement) for these other types of accidents just doesn't work as well for mid air avoidance. It's a sensory limitation. We don't have 4pi steradian vision and we aren't very good at picking up targets that are on a direct collision course. Happily, flarm does these things pretty well. Good on you for installing flarm.

regards,
Evan

On Tuesday, July 9, 2013 11:43:37 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
I think he should take up skate boarding with those young whipper-snappers,
get a few more body piercings and tattoos, and leave us old farts alone with
our old-fashioned airplanes without engines.

I meant no disrespect when I tried to raise this issue with humor.

My smart-ass remark was prompted by a gentleman who is in need of cataract surgery and who has on two occasions flown across my bow while I was circling in a thermal. Yes, I saw him coming. He should have seen me.

If you want to take this seriously, you could encourage your pals to get their eyes fixed. It's a simple procedure and it works. There are a number of people flying who could have their vision improved.

I'm not afraid of dying, but I would like the chance to enjoy our sport for a few more years, and I don't want to be grounded prematurely by an avoidable accident.

On Saturday, July 6, 2013 1:48:32 PM UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that you want to fly for a few more years.



Please install Powerflarm (so that I can see you coming). You can turn the volume down. You don't have to learn how to use it.

I got Flarm and had my eyes done, they both cost about the same.
Glen