Which is why the FFA and RSA are spending a lot of time and effort evaluating this system.
Yes it works better for gliders or any sort of bimbling but without CS-STAN you can’t bolt one in EASA gliders
People who fly non-EASA gliders (vintages) rarely have FLARM…
Ibra wrote:
one of the reasons of it’s success is FLARM installation in certified EASA aircraft (glider, aeroplane or helicopter) fall under CS-STAN while certified ADSB-O installs one will go down the road of certified IFR GPS !
From a glider point of view I don’t think Flarm success has anything to do with CS-STAN.
In my opinion, it is due to the algorithm which alarm only when needed with safety buffer appropriate for gliding and the inclusion of an IGC logger.
eurogaguest1980 wrote:
Another more expensive option is the Flarm Fusion – both ADS-B in/out FLARM in/out.
Flarm Fusion doesn’t do ADSB out.
I think skyecho2 ticks all the boxes – no idea why anyone would fly without one – powered or glider.
Only thing I’d like to see with it is some additional antennas.
Another more expensive option is the Flarm Fusion – both ADS-B in/out FLARM in/out.
During a recent flight over the western edge of DE I saw a lot of gliders that were invisible to ATC, Flarm, and of course ADS-B – thankfully the eyeball is still working. I’ve just got to remember to look outside from time to time. 
FLARM is obligatoire for certified EASA gliders in France, very common in UK & Germany (it’s even the first choice for gliders for US gliders instead of ADSB which is mandatory)
ADS-B OUT (only) is mandatory in a tiny fraction of US airspace, and is not mandatory even in that ‘rule’ airspace for aircraft with no engine driven electrical system, i.e. it’s not mandatory anywhere in the US for sailplanes, and neither is any similar technology.
It is true that ADS-B OUT (only) is mandatory for those aircraft with an engine driven electrical system operating in relatively small areas of US airspace near many large population centers, where busy Class B and C airports exist and a lot of GA operates. Also above 18,000 ft, where you also need to be IFR unless waivered.
Gliders with limited battery capacity disagree. Especially if they’re circling the same thermal, where ADS-B is useless and Flarm is proven to work
FLARM definitely works for collision requirements in glider & helicopter flight paths
However, portable ADSB with battery are available too, in UK, I had SkyEcho & PAW plugged to portable battery, I rarely use them in France as nothing is visible really but to be honest I never used them in my glider due to laziness: I had FLARM in glider and I usually fly using XCSoar rather than SkyDemon but I am inclined to think all FLARM emitters should be able to broadcast (short range) ADSB-out with some hacks?
FLARM is obligatoire for certified EASA gliders in France, very common in UK & Germany (it’s even the first choice for gliders for US gliders instead of ADSB which is mandatory), one of the reasons of it’s success is FLARM installation in certified EASA aircraft (glider, aeroplane or helicopter) fall under CS-STAN while certified ADSB-O installs one will go down the road of certified IFR GPS !
I used to regularly lunch with the guys who invented the algorithm before it was sold to FLARM company while I was working at Snecma/Onera, they definitely did lot of lobbying in EASA & FFVV circles 
Mr Le Tallec used to teach in classrooms of engineering schools and instructors seminars until he died in 2020, RIP
Snoopy wrote:
How anyone using a FLARM (and thus admitting to the need for collision avoidance in the first place) can then subsequently settle and even more so propagate for this isolated system, applicable only to a fringe group among all airspace participants, is beyond me.Especially as „see and avoid“ might actually work nicely at the very low speeds of gliders „thermalling“ in a group, whereas it is only a myth when going straight and level at 150, 200 or more knots heads on…or descending through clouds IFR.
I assume you have never been a glider pilot? It is precisely because of the greater risk of collisions when thermalling that glider pilots wear parachutes while power pilots do not. FLARM is not just a cheap copy of ADS-B but it is designed to take into account glider behaviour in thermals and predict flight paths to avoid spurious alarms.
Gliders with limited battery capacity disagree. Especially if they’re circling the same thermal, where ADS-B is useless and Flarm is proven to work. Yes, I ordered an ADS-B, too, but that “certified” is sure a pain in the wallet and certainly just a cash grab.
Also, isn’t there a limit on how many ADS-B work at the same time because there is a lot of data loss due to multiple devices ‘talking’ at the same time?
Is battery capacity really an issue? I’d rather see a flock of gliders via proper ADS-B signals far on out and avoid them then hit one seconds after a blip appears on yet another homemade FLARM device.
I assume FLARM got developed because of the need for collision avoidance? So that’s proof something is deemed to be required among the glider folks. How anyone using a FLARM (and thus admitting to the need for collision avoidance in the first place) can then subsequently settle and even more so propagate for this isolated system, applicable only to a fringe group among all airspace participants, is beyond me.
Especially as „see and avoid“ might actually work nicely at the very low speeds of gliders „thermalling“ in a group, whereas it is only a myth when going straight and level at 150, 200 or more knots heads on…or descending through clouds IFR.
Get ADS-B for everyone and be done with it. There are still plenty of areas in the US where no ADS-B is required, so there’s enough room if someone wants to fly without an electrical system. Those who have the tech can be sure it’s a level playing field where they are at, though.
