As a standalone device a Flarm is merely an expensive GPS data source.
Flarm is a *system* and requires other devices
and compatibility between devices to function.
The usefulness also degrades rapidly as the
proportion of potential targets either is not
equipped or the unit isn't working or is non compatible.
Analogies with parachutes aren't useful. There
are many parachute manufacturers and I'm not
aware that licence fees are being paid by the
others to one manufacturer and while there may
be airworthiness directives from time to time on a particular brand or type of
parachute there aren't potential fleet wide problems every year.
Not a problem until use is mandated as in contests or some clubs.
The serious parts of aviation seem to go to lots
of trouble to maintain backwards compatibility.
i.e. continuing use of pressure altitude instead
of GPS altitude, Mode A transponders are
compatible with Mode C and mode S and ADSB co-exists with these on the same
frequencies. Except in the USA where the
potential congestion means they have gone to
978Mhz for ADSB for small aircraft and maintained
the Extended squitter transponder 1090 Mhz use
for large aircraft. That means ground stations
and being in range of one for the two
sets of users to know about each other. Wonderful!
TCAS as used in airliners also has the feature
that the system logic is known to the users and users are trained in it.
A couple of years ago I analysed a mid air
between two gliders in Austria. Both Flarm
equipped and both Flarms were working. The pilots
frantically scanned and still failed to see each
other whereupon one turned left - right across
the other glider's flightpath and the
collision occurred. Otherwise they'd have missed.
Fortunately both managed to land safely.
Mike
At 10:56 AM 16/03/2015, you wrote:
Hi Tim,
As you have reminded many in the past, - this is
a Gliding Forum. Keep the politics and political comments out of it.
Glenn
On 14/03/2015 8:32 PM, Tim Shirley wrote:
Hi all,
Flarms are standalone devices. They won't stop
working tomorrow, because there is nothing to
stop them working. A Flarm on V5 will see a
Flarm on V5 just the same for ever, so it is
probably better for the upgrade at a club, or
in an area where gliders often fly together, to
be co-ordinated. Making an instant change to
your own Flarm might simply disable yours :)
Flarm is being 100% consistent in its policy,
and if that is irresponsible well then more
irresponsibility from Tony Abbott would be good
(if that is possible). They have NEVER
guaranteed that a major version upgrade is
backward compatible, in fact they have always
said that any backward compatibility between
major versions is coincidental. I make no
comment on the reasons or the necessity for this policy.
There's nothing wrong with a Flarm, except for
the far too high expectations we have of it.
Just look out the window - no version changes
required but make sure your specs are up to spec.
Cheers
Tim Shirley
tra dire é fare c' é mezzo il mare
On 14/03/2015 6:54 PM, Matthew Scutter wrote:
FYI:
FLARM has now published it's latest update - v6.
It's available here:
<http://flarm.com/support/firmware-updates/>http://flarm.com/support/firmware-updates/
The protocols in the current version (v5) and
new version (v6) are supposedly totally
incompatible, so please update your FLARMs
before next flight or you won't be able to see pilots with the other version.
<soapbox opinion> I think it's very
irresponsible of FLARM to publish a backwards
incompatible upgrade like this. I am glad I am
not flying in the Alps this weekend. </opinion>
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