Testimonials
A number of pilots in the US have experience with Flarm. Most recently, several pilots flew with Flarm in the 2010 World Gliding Championships where a significant number of pilots used Flarm. Recorded below are some of their thoughts on Flarm.
Also, as they say, "a picture is worth a 1000 words" ... and a movie even more. Flarm Technologies simulated the Parowan collision that took place at the US Sports Class Nationals this year. See for yourself what warnings could have been provided both pilots if they had Flarms installed. See simulation here ... It is clear, at least to us, that this accident would have been prevented.
In the case of the Uvalde accident: If both ships had carried Flarm, OC would have received progressively more pressing alert signals that another ship was coming head-on. With warning starting as early as 18 sec and alerts starting as early as 13 sec before a potential head-on collision -- i.e. almost 3/4 of a mile away at a closing speed of 200 kts -- and increasing in sound and display intensity thereafter, OC would certainly have had ample time for evasive actions. Although "certainty" will probably never be proven, analysis of all the flight logs and simulations of the events will shed light on how Flarm would have functioned in this multi-glider heads-on situation.
A key form of testimonial is also defined by who plans to purchase one for next year. Click here to view the list and hopefully add your name.
John Cochrane's (BB) Testimonial for Flarm use in 2010 WGC in Szeged, Hungary.
"Al Tyler and I started together on the first WGC practice day, but the first leg wasn’t going so well. We’d try here and there, cloud after cloud, finding only 2 knots or so – not enough for a great contest flight. Finally, down to about 1,500 feet, we got to a powerplant in the middle of a forest, a bit higher and dryer than the surrounding wet fields. Bingo, four knots. Aaah, you can imagine the sigh of relief. Now, to concentrate on the climb – rack it over, center the narrow core, pull back to the slowest possible airspeed, find that magic balance where the glider rockets smoothly to the sky, look around for birds, gliders, and up for the forming cu….
BEEP BEEP BEEP. The Flarm unit I borrowed from Bill Elliott lit up like a Christmas tree. What the…? Oh, there they are. The lead gliders from the 18 meter gaggle had pulled in behind me and the rest of the fleet was about to join. Wake up, John!
I was suddenly converted. This thing is great! ..." Click here to read the rest of his article.
Tom Kelley's (711) Testimonial for Flarm use in 2010 WGC in Szeged, Hungary (from the first practice day).
"I have a flarm on my new ASG 29 E that I flew yesterday for 3 hours. To just keep it short, it probably saved me twice from really getting really to close............whew. ..." Click here to read the rest of his article.
Bill Elliott's (WE) Testimonial for Flarm use in 2010 WGC in Szeged, Hungary.
"I setup my JS1 for the WGC in Hungary with a classic Flarm. The Flarm sent GPS and Flarm traffic/collision information to my SN-10 and my Oudie and SeeYou mobile. In addtion, there is a nice panel mounted display since the Flarm was mounted behind my panel. I found the Flarm to be absolutely invaluable..." Click here to read the rest of his article.
PeterDeane's (2T) Testimonial for Flarm use in 2010 WGC in Prievidsa, Slovakia.
"At Prievidza we had huge gaggles in poor visibility and weak, poorly defined thermal conditions – in these circumstances, when 30-40 gliders are milling around , it is too easy for 2 adjacent pilots to be flying in very close proximity without knowing it even if they are keeping a good lookout – since they can both easily be in each others blind spot. This happened to me several times at Prievidza – my FLARM was incredibly helpful at warning me of unseen potential head-ons in poor visibility, and gliders in my blind spot that I otherwise would not have seen. ..." Click here to read the rest of his article.
Ralph "Woody" Woodward
I have flown with Flarm for the past 4 years at Bitterwasser, Namibia (Africa) - it is an excellent collision avoidance system - I fully support the adoption of Flarm and Power Flarm in the US - especially in competition where it should be mandatory for all competitors - it definitely will save lives.
