1	GPS Including navigation/glide computers databases/software etc USE AND DANGERS
2	"Why is it so useful..." Why is it so useful ? What can we use it for ? How do we use it ? What are the pitfalls ? Advice
3	Why is it so useful ? Navigation is highly accurate Following a ‘route’ is easy You can more easily avoid airspace infringements Turn point id/turning is made simple Navigation to alternate airfields for landouts is easy You know exactly where to call your crew to when you landout in field!
4	What can we use it for ? As above plus Tasks and Final glides
5	How do we use it ? This is the difficult one ! Various equipment configurations Display, computer and GPS ‘engine’ may be separate No two different models/setups work the same way You need to FULLY understand how to work your equipment while you are still on the ground Most have a simulator mode. This IS the lifetime habit breaking situation READ THE MANUAL !! Even if no one else knows how it works, discussion with others may clarify a few things
6	How do we use it ? Play with it in simulator mode until you are confident you know how it works You may need to ‘revise’ how to use it at the start of each new season Ensure everything is switched on, set up for your flight and working correctly before take-off Achieving this after t/o can be dangerous
7	What are the pitfalls ? Distraction while flying especially if you are not sufficiently familiar with the kit Poor reception/loss of signal Loss of power supply Misinterpretation of the display Over-reliance on the correctness and accuracy of databases maps etc. Decay of backup map reading skills Heading is NOT the same as track
8	Advice Make sure you FULLY understand how it all works and have practised using it (?simulator mode) on the ground before ever flying with it. If it is a portable device fly dual with a safety pilot while learning to use it. If it is built in to your aircraft go to 1. above and be cautious on your first flight. After take-off ignore it if you find it distracts you from lookout or handling. But you will have learnt how much you DON’T know about how to use it. GOTO 1. above and start again!
9	Advice Be circumspect about the accuracy of databases and maps especially where airspace is concerned (even if you have updated it this year) DO NOT fly up close to indicated airspace boundaries when you are zoomed right in. (Seems like a good idea but really isn’t) Revise using it before the first x/c of the season Don’t assume because you knew how to use it last season you will remember this.
10	Advice Do not rely completely on the GPS kit. IT MAY FAIL. (Loss of battery power, loss of gps signal, software crash…) Keep a continuous update of your position on the map and always be prepared to revert to map/compass navigation Always cross check information from the gps-map with common sense by relating it to what you can see on the ground, on the paper map and with the compass. Do not blindly believe the gps-map It has been known for W long. to be confused with E long. especially in the UK!
11	Advice Do not fiddle with the kit controls in the air unless you are totally familiar with it – familiarity is acquired on the ground! KEEP A GOOD LOOKOUT
12	FLARM The PRIMARY method of collision avoidance for glider pilots is:- LOOKOUT Flarm is an AID to lookout NOT a substitute for it
13	HOW FLARM WORKS Flarm contains a GPS receiver which locates the aircraft’s position Flarm also contains a transmitter/receiver which transmits the aircraft’s gps position to other flarms in range and receives the other aircraft’s gps positions The rest is computation – providing displays and/or audible warnings of the proximity of other aircraft relative to you It is important to realise that it is all based on gps i.e. speeds, tracks etc are relative to the ground
14	USE OF FLARM Flarm is increasingly being fitted in gliders in the UK (and tugs) and is very common/compulsory in regions overseas HOWEVER NOT ALL GLIDERS are fitted Gliders not fitted (or fitted but switched off) will not be indicated as threats by your Flarm The range for Flarm is also very sensitive to the effectiveness of the antenna installation So KEEP A GOOD LOOKOUT
15	FLARM - advice Do not let Flarm distract you from keeping a good lookout TRACK is NOT the same as HEADING Flarm indicates the relative position of a threat in relation to TRACK, not heading
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18	FLARM PROXIMITY WARNINGS If enabled flarm provides audible close proximity warnings. Note that these can be unnerving /distracting But maybe useful! According to the Flarm protocols, gliders that are on the ground (not moving) should not produce proximity alarms. However it can happen – be mentally prepared for a cacophony of warnings as you land! Undercarriage warnings have nothing on this!
19	LIMITATIONS Flarm has many other limitations Go to flarm.com for full information particularly the Operating Manual The quality of the antenna installation in both the transmitting and receiving aircraft is critical i.e. just because Flarm is fitted doesn’t mean it works very well!