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Is FLARM helpful?



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 21st 15, 02:35 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Casey Cox
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

Has anyone been thankful that they have had FLARM?

And do the same people have a transponder?

How many people fly with FLARM or Transponder?

Let's hear about the close calls, or potential close calls, or even the peace of mind of awareness.
  #2  
Old November 21st 15, 06:06 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Jonathan St. Cloud
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

I have a Flarm and a transponder. A am of the opinion that you owe it to the pilots you fly with to have a Flarm, makes it much safer for you and the pilots you share the same airspace. i know in France, maybe other European countries Flarm is mandatory, and for a good reason. As for transponder, I fly where there is much traffic and again, it is much safer with the mode S transponder, I can see the fast jets before I could visually.

On Friday, November 20, 2015 at 5:35:10 PM UTC-8, Casey Cox wrote:
Has anyone been thankful that they have had FLARM?

And do the same people have a transponder?

How many people fly with FLARM or Transponder?

Let's hear about the close calls, or potential close calls, or even the peace of mind of awareness.

  #3  
Old November 21st 15, 07:00 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
JS
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

Flown with FLARM in quite a few gliders during the last 8-9 years. Can only credit one warning with possibly preventing a collision. Certainly it saw the head-on traffic at 12:00 same altitude before I did.
How many of those situations is enough to validate its use? I believe one.
Jim
TXP? Yes.
  #4  
Old November 21st 15, 04:38 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

In terms of actual incidents, not opinions, I've only flown with FLARM since July. I've gotten several increasingly shrill warnings before I saw the gliders. All were in my blind spot behind. I'm not ready to label those "close calls" because the other pilots may have seen me. But it certainly enhanced my awareness of potential dangers.

I'm generally skeptical of gadgets that purport to improve safety marginally at great cost (and cynical of the glib question: "isn't your life worth more than [fill in the blank with whatever pricetag]?"). But after borrowing a PowerFLARM for one contest this year, I bought one.

No transponder.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"
U.S.A.
  #5  
Old November 21st 15, 05:37 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Godfrey (QT)[_2_]
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

On Saturday, November 21, 2015 at 10:38:44 AM UTC-5, wrote:
In terms of actual incidents, not opinions, I've only flown with FLARM since July. I've gotten several increasingly shrill warnings before I saw the gliders. All were in my blind spot behind. I'm not ready to label those "close calls" because the other pilots may have seen me. But it certainly enhanced my awareness of potential dangers.

I'm generally skeptical of gadgets that purport to improve safety marginally at great cost (and cynical of the glib question: "isn't your life worth more than [fill in the blank with whatever pricetag]?"). But after borrowing a PowerFLARM for one contest this year, I bought one.

No transponder.

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


You may want to review the SSA Competition Pilot Poll Results posted on the SSA website.
  #6  
Old November 22nd 15, 02:59 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Casey Cox
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Posts: 42
Default Is FLARM helpful?


You may want to review the SSA Competition Pilot Poll Results posted on the SSA website.


I didn't realize FLARM was such a hot topic in the Poll, and having such varying opinions.

I think the concept is great, but I do not know enough about FLARM and ADS-B to really have much of a conversation about them.

Thanks for the comments above and the direction to the Poll.

  #7  
Old November 22nd 15, 03:23 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tim Taylor
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

If you fly with other gliders, especially cross-country FLARM is the way to go.

I have had several alerts at high altitude and high speeds that I would have never seen the other gliders in time without FLARM.

I flew US Nats in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Three mid-airs, one fatal. Since 2012 all nats have had mostly FLARM equipped gliders, no mid-airs. I would not race without FLARM now and all our local group flys with FLARM.

TT
  #8  
Old November 22nd 15, 03:29 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tim Taylor
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

If you fly with other gliders, especially cross-country FLARM is the way to go.

I have had several alerts at high altitude and high speeds that I would have never seen the other gliders in time without FLARM.

I flew US Nats in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Three mid-airs, one fatal. Since 2012 all nats have had mostly FLARM equipped gliders, no mid-airs. I would not race without FLARM now and all our local group uses FLARM.

TT
  #9  
Old November 22nd 15, 08:28 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Chris Davison[_3_]
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

At 01:35 21 November 2015, Casey Cox wrote:
Has anyone been thankful that they have had FLARM?


yes!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPgSbRzAXnk


  #10  
Old November 22nd 15, 11:09 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Default Is FLARM helpful?

Well, I'm sure it's worth much more than its cost, even though the hardware is probably only worth 1/10 of the sale price. Other pilots have different opinions. In my case:
.. it saved me or the other pilot at least three times; during all of these events, I noticed a glider, but failed to notice another lower/higher or on a different relative heading.
.. since when I started using it, it usually informs me of another glider much sooner than my eyes could spot it.
.. on one occasion, me and the other pilot escaped a collision with only a few meters distance, but the GPS in my Flarm didn't have a valid fix, so the device couldn't work. We both were aware of each other's presence, as we were flying together and chatting on the same frequency, we only lost eye contact for probably less than a minute.
.. I feel much more in company and enjoy competitions much more, due to the awareness of the relative position of some of my fellows.

best,
aldo cernezzi
www.voloavela.it
 




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