Surely a backup electric vario is a more useful backup than a mechanical? With its own emergency battery you get a backup audio and averager as well as the needle. With all the stress that goes with a power failure having to stare at the instrument would make things worse.
Nick > On 27 Apr 2015, at 5:41 pm, Peter Champness <plchampn...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 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 > > _______________________________________________ > 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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