FLARM in Stealth Mode at US 15M/Standard Nationals - Loved It!

It's OK to fly with top pilots on a task. When it's your turn to lead out (you're on top of the gaggle or you're on the same level and the other pilot has led out a couple of times), go. If you don't, you're a leech.

If you see other gliders up ahead (i.e., markers) and pick the best gaggle, take advantage of the few circles they wasted coring it to roll in underneath and gain a little ground trying to repeat the process and leapfrog a stack or two, you're opportunistic, not a leech. And maybe a daily winner, although eventually you'll end up having to find thermals yourself. And you better hope that your late start doesn't leave you floundering out on course when the day dies early and the first starters are gleefully announcing their finishes (note: switch off radio at the first hint).

Are you willing to leave early, alone, convinced it's the best chance to get around the course at good speed before the day dies early? Stop reading right now; your only anxiety should be whether the two pilots who started just behind you are leeches or if they'll contribute to getting around the course.

If you're flying with other pilots and constantly evaluating whether they're making the right decisions and willing to go your own way, you're not leeching. You may share the same thermals, but the minute one of you thinks you have a better idea, he or she is gone, perhaps pursued by the other pilot(s).

If you're trailing another pilot and he/she suddenly disappears (FLARM fails you, you're heads down, the mother ship reels him/her in), do you panic because you have no idea what to do next? (don a scarlet "L") Or do you push on, regretting the loss of the company, especially if it's blue, but not dismayed. (independent)

Pre GPS, the acid test was: if you lose your "tow", do you even know where you are? Leeching can be hard work and they often weren't able to navigate and fly at the same time. GPS was the first gift to leeches. FLARM is the second.

When you leave a thermal, do several of you spread out horizontally convinced that you know better than the others where the good air is? Do you take advantage of numbers in the blue to sample more air, then converge on the happy pilot who finds a good thermal--which sometimes is you? Not a leech. Or is your biggest fear the whole day that you'll lose the pilot(s) ahead of you and be left alone? If you have to ask....

Do you fly along with a top pilot for a few thermals just to see what it is that he/she does differently in the vain hope that you can do it, too? Not a leech. Is your best skill determining whom to follow each day, determined to ride around in his/her wake? You could give lessons to aspiring leeches.

Do you stop and circle every time a top pilot does, whether it's 1 kt. or 6 kt., and have no idea why? Do you linger at the top long after the climb rate has fallen off because the guy you're with is slightly below you? Shame on you!

From an analytical perspective, there are few single actions that define leeching. Externally it's patterns of behavior over time. Internally, it's the way someone thinks.

If you're concerned about being a leech, you probably aren't. If one person has ever made a comment that implies you might not be flying independently enough, you probably are even if you're in denial.

Fear not, it's possible to graduate out of the leech ranks. If your average placings plummet, it confirms the diagnosis. If you start winning contests, you were a good, if annoying, student.

Yes, leeching is a skill. So is robbing banks.

Good luck and have fun. It's a great sport despite the quibbling about the rules.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 10:29:55 AM UTC-7, John Carlyle wrote:
This extremely interesting thread started out focusing on using Stealth mode at a US Nationals contest, resulting from a feeling that Flarm was being used as a tactical device during a contest conducted under FAI rules (rules which we know encourage gaggling). During the discussion others stated their belief that non-Stealth Flarm was unsafe because it resulted in too much head down time, and several (tongue-in-cheek?) software specifications were given to improve non-Stealth Flarm leeching. The use of Flarm as a good situational awareness tool (suggested by some) seemed to be discounted because of claims of leeching.

But no solid evidence was presented that leeching really is a problem in US contests. Andy (9B) did an analysis which showed that the use of Flarm in Stealth mode resulted in worse contest finish performance by top pilots than they achieved when using non-Stealth Flarm. However, case for the use of Flarm for being used for leeching was only made anecdotally (at best) by others.

Before changes are made to the US rules regarding Flarm usage, I think it should be determined if leeching is really happening in US contests. This should be possible to determine by (1) defining quantitatively what leeching is, and (2) examining contest log files for instances meeting the definition.

A major hurdle, of course, is the definition of leeching. It's clear you're leeching if you follow someone within a mile of their tail all around the task. But, if KS passes me and I follow him 5 minutes to the next thermal where I lose him, is that leeching? How about if I happen to use 4 out of the 12 thermals he's used in a TAT, but our courses are different? What if all the thermals I use were also used by different top pilots in different classes within a few minutes of me arriving?

If leeching can only be defined by "I'll know it when I see it", then perhaps an adaptation of OLC's MeetingPoints function might help point out places to examine manually to see if leeching is occurring. But one way or another, looking for instances of leeching really should be done to determine if we really have a problem, before we go further on deciding what to do with Flarm in contests.

-John, Q3

I'm working on it.

It is entirely possible to quantify how much leaching is going on by looking at all the flight logs together. Percent of thermals, climb time and altitude gained in your own thermal versus one that was found by someone else. It is also possible to quantify which of the "borrowed" climbs would have been visible under stealth versus no stealth, by looking at the distance to the course line being flown. Lastly, it is possible to measure how much benefit is generated by having a thermal marked for you in terms of comparative climb rates for leeched versus self-sourced thermals. It's more complicated, but it may be possible to document consecutive climbs with the same glider ahead of you. Three climbs in a row is "leechier" that picking up a single marker and then going your own way. Gaggle flying makes this exercise, um, complicated.

I've gotten several PM suggestions on "leech-y" contest days to look at to aid in this effort - thank you to those who made the effort.

9B

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 1:29:55 PM UTC-4, John Carlyle wrote:
The use of Flarm as a good situational awareness tool (suggested by some) seemed to be discounted because of claims of leeching.

-John, Q3

So, I'd love it if someone could define "situational awareness" in the context of FLARM given that it already has extensive algorithms designed to identify and prioritize threats. So, there's a glider 3 miles ahead and 1500 feet above me climbing at 2kts. What's the "situation" that I need to be aware of? I agree it's great to get a feel for where folks are out ahead or beside you from a comfort perspective. Whether or not you are trying to latch on to the other gliders, knowing the "situation" that others have headed out and are still in the air is great tactical information. But what's the safety angle (assuming there is one)?

P3

There was a project in Germany called the "Pulk Pranger" which basically translates to "gaggle pillory" or "leeching pillory. It was a software which scored each participant of a competition for the amount of leeching he/she did. If I remember correctly the rules defined that the first 4 entrants of a thermal are not leeching. All subsequent entrants received leeching points for the duration of their climb. Just like normal competition scoring there was a daily leeching score and an overall leeching champion at the end of the competition.

A quick google search shows the following github project:
https://github.com/thelightwasbrighter/pulkpranger

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 11:07:36 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 1:29:55 PM UTC-4, John Carlyle wrote:
The use of Flarm as a good situational awareness tool (suggested by some) seemed to be discounted because of claims of leeching.

-John, Q3

So, I'd love it if someone could define "situational awareness" in the context of FLARM given that it already has extensive algorithms designed to identify and prioritize threats. So, there's a glider 3 miles ahead and 1500 feet above me climbing at 2kts. What's the "situation" that I need to be aware of? I agree it's great to get a feel for where folks are out ahead or beside you from a comfort perspective. Whether or not you are trying to latch on to the other gliders, knowing the "situation" that others have headed out and are still in the air is great tactical information. But what's the safety angle (assuming there is one)?

P3
Like most things, it depends. If you're at altitude, the fact that someone is 3 miles ahead, 1500 feet above and climbing at 2 kt is irrelevant. If, however, you find yourself at 2500 AGL over tiger country past the point of no return after having started the crossing at a safe altitude, it could be a lifesaver if your Flarm tells you that someone 3 miles ahead, 1500 feet above and climbing at 2 kt, ie, you know that the sink decreases in a certain direction.

-John, Q3

JB,

Interesting response, thanks. If I understand correctly, you're saying if you fly your ship according to decisions you yourself make, you're not a leech.

But your second example confuses me, especially in the context of this thread. You say "If you see other gliders up ahead (i.e., markers) and pick the best gaggle, take advantage of the few circles they wasted coring it to roll in underneath and gain a little ground trying to repeat the process and leapfrog a stack or two, you're opportunistic, not a leech." But if I interpret others on this thread correctly, they're saying if you use Flarm to do that instead of using your eye, then you ARE a leech.

Can you help me understand the difference?

-John, Q3

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 4:58:31 PM UTC-4, wrote:
It's OK to fly with top pilots on a task. When it's your turn to lead out (you're on top of the gaggle or you're on the same level and the other pilot has led out a couple of times), go. If you don't, you're a leech.

If you see other gliders up ahead (i.e., markers) and pick the best gaggle, take advantage of the few circles they wasted coring it to roll in underneath and gain a little ground trying to repeat the process and leapfrog a stack or two, you're opportunistic, not a leech. And maybe a daily winner, although eventually you'll end up having to find thermals yourself. And you better hope that your late start doesn't leave you floundering out on course when the day dies early and the first starters are gleefully announcing their finishes (note: switch off radio at the first hint).

Are you willing to leave early, alone, convinced it's the best chance to get around the course at good speed before the day dies early? Stop reading right now; your only anxiety should be whether the two pilots who started just behind you are leeches or if they'll contribute to getting around the course.

If you're flying with other pilots and constantly evaluating whether they're making the right decisions and willing to go your own way, you're not leeching. You may share the same thermals, but the minute one of you thinks you have a better idea, he or she is gone, perhaps pursued by the other pilot(s).

If you're trailing another pilot and he/she suddenly disappears (FLARM fails you, you're heads down, the mother ship reels him/her in), do you panic because you have no idea what to do next? (don a scarlet "L") Or do you push on, regretting the loss of the company, especially if it's blue, but not dismayed. (independent)

Pre GPS, the acid test was: if you lose your "tow", do you even know where you are? Leeching can be hard work and they often weren't able to navigate and fly at the same time. GPS was the first gift to leeches. FLARM is the second.

When you leave a thermal, do several of you spread out horizontally convinced that you know better than the others where the good air is? Do you take advantage of numbers in the blue to sample more air, then converge on the happy pilot who finds a good thermal--which sometimes is you? Not a leech. Or is your biggest fear the whole day that you'll lose the pilot(s) ahead of you and be left alone? If you have to ask....

Do you fly along with a top pilot for a few thermals just to see what it is that he/she does differently in the vain hope that you can do it, too? Not a leech. Is your best skill determining whom to follow each day, determined to ride around in his/her wake? You could give lessons to aspiring leeches.

Do you stop and circle every time a top pilot does, whether it's 1 kt. or 6 kt., and have no idea why? Do you linger at the top long after the climb rate has fallen off because the guy you're with is slightly below you? Shame on you!

From an analytical perspective, there are few single actions that define leeching. Externally it's patterns of behavior over time. Internally, it's the way someone thinks.

If you're concerned about being a leech, you probably aren't. If one person has ever made a comment that implies you might not be flying independently enough, you probably are even if you're in denial.

Fear not, it's possible to graduate out of the leech ranks. If your average placings plummet, it confirms the diagnosis. If you start winning contests, you were a good, if annoying, student.

Yes, leeching is a skill. So is robbing banks.

Good luck and have fun. It's a great sport despite the quibbling about the rules.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.

On Friday, August 14, 2015 at 9:26:33 AM UTC-4, John Carlyle wrote:

Like most things, it depends. If you're at altitude, the fact that someone is 3 miles ahead, 1500 feet above and climbing at 2 kt is irrelevant. If, however, you find yourself at 2500 AGL over tiger country past the point of no return after having started the crossing at a safe altitude, it could be a lifesaver if your Flarm tells you that someone 3 miles ahead, 1500 feet above and climbing at 2 kt, ie, you know that the sink decreases in a certain direction.

-John, Q3

Wow - I'd argue that the scenario you describe is just about the last "situation" I'd want to be relying on FLARM to bail me out of. Low and desperate and staring at the "thermal finder" vs. looking outside at the terrain for thermal sources, searching for hawks, looking at the wind relative to a small ridge line - whatever.

FWIW, one of the truly scary things I've witnessed as a result of blind leeching (or maybe just "hanging on to the pack and hoping") is some really scary landouts and one crash (into the trees in the Juniata River gap at Lewistown). I can see people using FLARM as another source of that blind hope ("well, the scope says there are three guys out over the trees climbing through 5,000, so here goes...")

Not to twist this scenario beyond recognition, but it's that sense of self-reliance and resourcefulness that many of us who have been racing for years really relish. At some point, it's just you and your senses vs. the weather and you need to make it work.

Anyway, I've said my piece on this. I hope we use FLARM as intended which was to avoid collisions (with glider or obstacles) and not as an electronic substitute for skill and judgement.

P3

On Friday, August 14, 2015 at 2:30:23 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
At some point, it's just you and your senses and all the **** you can see on your smart phone vs. the weather and you need to make it work.

Fixed for you. /sarc

btw, Erik, interested in an RC position? You'd get my vote.

-Evan

On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 2:51:19 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I chatted with some experienced guys - they all seem to agree -
have a Flarm and set it to 50 miles so you know where everyone is........

FLARM does not have anywhere near 50 mile range.
Perhaps the "experts" you've been talking to, well, aren't...

On Friday, August 14, 2015 at 4:54:43 PM UTC-4, Dave Nadler wrote:
On Thursday, August 13, 2015 at 2:51:19 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I chatted with some experienced guys - they all seem to agree -
have a Flarm and set it to 50 miles so you know where everyone is........

FLARM does not have anywhere near 50 mile range.
Perhaps the "experts" you've been talking to, well, aren't...

Maybe overstating, which is obvious. Substitute "max available range" if it makes your anal self feel better.
He makes his point with respect to his philosophy.

UH