|
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 4:43
PM
Subject: Re: Fw: [Aus-soaring] FLARM and
Winpilot
Harry
Do you think all of these points,
that you have made so well, will be discussed properly and at length as
part of the Seminar/Forum associated with the GFA's AGM?
But as Bernard has said in a
recent post here on this subject ......... what good is it unless it is
widely adopted?
A push thru the Insurers is the
best hope for a quick take-up, in my view.
Regards Geoff
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, August 15, 2005 2:20
PM
Subject: Re: Fw: [Aus-soaring] FLARM
and Winpilot
Peter and Mandy,
Many thanks for the web page based
reports. Mountain flying is certainly a
different skill to those which
we acquire flying cross country in Australia
and I expect success is
much more highly dependent on local knowledge . What
you have learned
this time must be of inestimable value to the Australian
team next
year.
As you know, I was particularly interested in your experience
with the Flarm
system. I was in Austria a couple of weeks there and my
friend Fritz Romig,
whom you may have met at Waikerie, said that most
private gliders there were
equipped with it and pilots believed it
was very valuable in collision
avoidance.
My concern is that what
appears to be a very useful adjunct to flight safety
may take a
considerable time to filter through the GfA bureaucracy and that
we wait
unnecessarily for a final development when it appears that a very
useful
instrument is available right now. It could be made in Australia
under
license by someone like Nigel Andrews of RF developments who can also
incorporate an ADS-B function or imported as is.
I analysed 3 mid
airs with which I am very familiar, being in one and seeing
another as
well as having substantial knowledge of the one at Waikeie
involving a
tug. In mine Flarm would have almost certainly avoided an
accident as
having knowledge of a following glider behind me would have
made
certain I did not turn unless sure he had me in view. The one at
Horsham
appeared to be caused when a glider approaching a few gliders
thermalling collided with another glider turning between him and the
small
gaggle. If my summary is correct then there is a good chance this
would also
be avoided with help from Flarm, but this incident is
not so certain. The
third case involving the tragic death of the young
woman tug pilot would
almost certainly been avoided if the 2 gliders and
tug had been Flarm
equipped.
The destruction of 4 gliders and the
tug in these three accidents
represented a capital loss of $300,000 and
how much value can we place on
the 3 lives lost?
$300,000
represents the capital cost of fitting Flarm units to most of our
gliders and tugs at risk. I am sure insurance premiums would go down if
we
could convince insurers that our risk profile had been reduced so
that it
would not be unrealistic to assume a recoupment of some of
the costs over
time.
Interestingly, most mid airs in Australia
have not occurred at times of high
traffic density and it appears that
Flarm would be particularly effective in
warning pilots of
unobserved gliders in these circumstances.
We make parachutes
mandatory in competitions but only half of pilots in
disabled gliders
are able to deploy them in time. Below 3,000 ft. your
chances are much
worse and they improve above that height. The cost of a
pararchute which
only gives you a 50% chance is over $2,000 and there are
repacking costs
each year. Much better to avoid the accident in the first
place.
Approximately 10 % of our pilots who have flown multi class nationals
from Horsham till now have had a mid air accident.
I was
hoping your overseas experience would result in a strong
reccommendation
to implement the Flarm system in Australia but understand
you can only
call it as you see it. The problems you mentioned such as being
able to
adjust sound levels would be easy of solution. If the units are
easily
upgradeable by having the software on a PROM or whatever then there
does
not appear to be any reason to delay, but I know it will take a big
push
to achieve anything in the short term,
A few questions.Does the unit
give the distance betwen your glider and the
one perceived as a threat?
A second version appears to be low in height and
wider which could be
designed to fit on top of the instrument panel right in
the pilots view,
is this how it is placed? Are the units free standing in
that they can
be unplugged from a power source and easily moved between
gliders? The
low power requirement quoted of 50 ma could probably be
adequately
sourced from selfcontained rechargeable batteries. If you had
the option of flying in a competition either with or without the Flarm
system, how strongly would you reccomend to organisers that Flarm be
used?
Your further comments would be most welcome.
Kind
Regards,
Harry Medlicott
--
No virus found in
this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.338 /
Virus Database: 267.10.9/72 - Release Date:
8/14/2005
_______________________________________________
Aus-soaring
mailing list
[email protected]
To
check or change subscription details, visit:
http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
_______________________________________________
Aus-soaring mailing
list
[email protected]
To check or change subscription
details, visit:
http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG
Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.9/72 - Release Date:
8/14/2005
|
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.338 / Virus Database: 267.10.9/72 - Release Date: 8/14/2005
_______________________________________________
Aus-soaring mailing list
[email protected]
To check or change subscription details, visit:
http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
