"Don Johnstone" wrote in message
...
One assumes that the heigh information is based on
GPS information, a measurement which the IGC have
previously ruled is not accurate or suitable. Have
they changed their minds? Will they now accept loggers
and files from GPS units that use GPS height information
as they have accepted that it is accurate enough for
this purpose, a much more critical purpose I might
add.

No, that's not what I meant. It is a logger (but not a secure logger). But
the IGC explicitely allowed to operate it during competitions. But you will
still need an IGC logger for scoring.

And what happens if many more units are all transmitting
at the same time? What is the limit? There has to be
a limit on the number of transmissions does there not?

I have been in pre-start goggles of 50+ gliders with their Flarms working,
but at that point I don't care if there is a limitation.

The most dangerous situations occur if you THINK you're alone.
However, you can never rely on Flarm for collision avoidance - it does tell
you if there is a glider (equally equipped), and it does that amazingly
well, but you mustn't think that it tells you that there is no other glider.
And even if it does show you a glider, that doesn't mean that there is not
another glider on a collision - it just shows you the first one you probably
will hit.

Is it now, is the information transmitted securely
encoded so that it cannot be intercepted and used by
competitors in a competition to their advantage.

No need for that. The transmission range is 1.5 -2 km, and even IGC thinks
that's not an issue. So what?

I think my description is very apt. If it is such a
good idea then why is it not fitted into every aircraft
now flying?

More than 3000 units sold 2 years after introduction without any regulatory
means - show me ANY device in soaring that has achieved this.