I have just been choosing instruments for a new glider. I did wonder for a moment after reading Adam's post whether I had wasted money on the Winter Vario.
However I agree with Mike. A set on basic instruments (redundancy) is good insurance. In my case I have something in case of electrical failure. No doubt thermal can be found and used without any instruments, but it difficult. On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 5:32 PM, Mike Borgelt < mborg...@borgeltinstruments.com> wrote: > At 08:14 AM 27/04/2015, you wrote: > > > > *There’s no need for a winter backup now *Maybe not a Winter vario as > backup but you should have a backup. Adam's advice is probably the silliest > thing I've read in a long time. > > The only time you may reasonably want to rely on one vario is in a > motorglider if you are prepared to start the motor and fly home if the > single vario fails. > > Too bad if you are half way round a 500km triangle and set to win the > Nationals if you do reasonably this day. > > For the paleo engineless gliders you are likely to risk an outlanding with > its attendant hazards. Pretty stupid to risk breaking your glider or > yourself over lack of a backup. > > If you are serious about competition you should be equipped to cope with > single failures of equipment. Most people carry two flight recorders for > good reason. > > A main navigation system and some reasonable backup is also necessary. > Hint: fly with the backups working. The time to find out they have failed > is NOT when you've had another failure. > > The backup vario may also have a different speed of response and will > likely just display TE vario. Your primary should be showing netto > (airmass) or relative netto ( airmass offset down by the sink rate in > circling flight - this means it always shows the rate of climb you would > get if you slowed down and circled, no matter your current airspeed). The > two varios may show slightly different information without changing modes > which can be useful. > > We've all had even modern electronic equipment fail. Phones, PC's GPS , > etc etc. It is pretty good nowadays but anyone doing what Adam says is > tempting fate, Murphy's Law and what a physics teacher of mine called "the > innate cussedness of inanimate matter". > > When you decide to use a backup you might like to consider that the Winter > doesn't have an audio or an averager. Do you really want to be sharing > thermals with other gliders without an audio? If flying cross country you > would find you would miss the averager. > > If you have a backup electronic vario it should have its own independent > backup power supply. While a glider electrical system can be fused properly > so that the radio for example developing an internal short doesn't take out > the main battery fuse (and if everything dies because of this or similar , > are you going to simply flip the switch to battery 2 and take out *its* > fuse also?) I suspect many aren't. > > If you decide to join the 21st century for your backup vario get in touch > and I'll sell you something you'll be happy to fly with when you need it. > > 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 > > *Borgelt Instruments* - > *design & manufacture of quality soaring instrumentation since 1978 * > www.borgeltinstruments.com > tel: 07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784 > mob: 042835 5784 : int+61-42835 5784 > P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia > > _______________________________________________ > 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 >
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