Hi Mike, I will let the FLARM guys answer the circling bit but as for straight and level the indicated direction is as accurate as it can be on the ozflarms given the compass rose is in 45 degree increments. Generally they are in the given indication, sometimes 2 leds will light showing a transition. There is a 2 second hysteresis on positions so a slight delay can be seen between the old LED and the new ( both will light ). The thermalling prediction is quite complex and given that it has to calculate AND report it does well. The FLARM team need to be commended for their work - no one else that I know off have done this before for thermalling gliders, stand to be corrected if this is not true.
Remember to that the Swiss flarm has a different display to ours. At Lake Keepit we did have a position error issue in straight flying. Thanks to Hank , Matt gage and a few others we were able to find a bug in the Oz software, not flarm - it was just the way we interpreted the position data from FLARM and was corrected for Gawler - maybe this is what someone was referring to? Cheers Nigel Nigel Andrews Managing Director RF Developments Pty Ltd "A Queensland Company devoted to Research and Development in aviation electronics" Email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web www.rf-developments.com Ph: (61) 7 54635670 Fax: (61) 7 54635695 **************DISCLAIMER************ The information contained in the above e-mail message or messages (which includes any attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended only for the use of the person or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the addressee any form of disclosure, copying, modification, distribution or any action taken or omitted in reliance on the information is unauthorised. If you received this communication in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete it from your computer system network. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Mike Borgelt Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 6:08 PM To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia. Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Queensland Easter Competition and FLARM At 02:28 PM 28/03/06, you wrote: >Graeme & Joy Rickert wrote: >>Wide range of mostly interesting comments on this subject, plus of >>course the usual few offensive statements. >> >>> From someone who has not used FLARM but has been a tuggie at comps, >>> I can >>see virtue in total FLARM fitment. There have been occasions when, >>despite my best efforts at lookout, the limitations of view from >>the Pawnee have placed me a little closer than I had expected to >>other aircraft. I have only had two "near misses" requiring >>serious avoidance action but that is more than enough. FLARM may >>have given me a better and earlier indication of those potential conflicts. >> >>On the other hand, a possible weakness with FLARM is that the pilot >>may be seduced into looking in the direction indicated by the >>system to identify the particular aircraft and may temporarily >>reduce overall scanning for other aircraft either without FLARM or >>with a fitted system that had failed. >FLARM needs to be integrated into your lookout scan. The way I do >this is as follows:- > > 1. FLARM is mounted on the top RHS of my instrument panel, with a > sunshade over it to keep it from overheating in the hot Aussie sun > and to provide a shade for the LEDs to increase their contrast in > bright sunshine. > 2. When I do my straight ahead (cruise and instruments) part of the > scan, FLARM infor is taken in. During the rest of the scan, I look > for the traffic that FLARM has alerted me to. > 3. If the FLARM alarm sounds, I look where it tells me to look - at > that point I am a max of 18 seconds from a potential collision and > that direction DESERVES my immediate attention! Once that is > sorted out, it's back to whatever scan I should be doing. Robert, I hope you meant that you also look for the non FLARM targets ie. Cessnas, hang gliders, ultralights, eagles. The last will probably never buy FLARM units. Maybe you should be looking around first then checking what you saw against the FLARM display? I think this is what Graeme Rickert was talking about. You will tend to find what you know about and miss the rest. Voice readouts don't help this at all. I have talked with one competition pilot who claims he never looks at the FLARM situation display but waits for the alarm to sound. He has lots more faith in electronics and software than I do. Also on the FLARM forum: Peter Guest <http://www.flarm.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=161#161> Post Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2005 4:47 pm Post subject: Flarm shows wrong direction when circling in thermal <http://www.flarm.com/forum/posting.php?mode=quote&p=161> Reply with quote ---------- When circling in a thermal with other gliders an alarm shows the position of the anticipated collision, not the current direction of the threat. Example: the next glider is behind me (low) to my left but the alarm shows (low) right. I then start looking for a threat behind at right and reduce observation to the left... ---------------------- Is this true? If so, does this also happen in cruising flight? Users really need to know how the logic of this works. Mike _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
