UPDATE: July 23, 2011

The ‘Portable’ PowerFLARM is now FCC approved and available in the US.


The Brick is under development and testing but will not be available before the end of the year. Customers who have ordered a ‘Brick’ have the option to buy a ‘Portable’ PowerFLARM now and exchange it for a ‘Brick’ with remote display when it becomes available.
See ‘Small Print’ below.

If you are unsure on how to mount the ‘Portable’ PowerFLARM; it comes with ‘Duallock’ industrial Velcro which holds it very well. In addition mounting plates will be available through the dealers, along with the popular and versatile RAM mounts. See the following links for mounting options (warning, automated translation, US site will be updated as soon as possible…)
http://tinyurl.com/PF-removable
http://tinyurl.com/PF-panel

6 AA batteries or rechargeables may be used (not inculded). External
12VDC can be wired using an RJ45 cable with standard IGC pinout.

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Small print on ‘Portable’ to ‘Brick’ exchange:
‘Portable’ PowerFLARM must:
- be returned within 6 weeks of ‘Brick’ availability
- be in working order and undamaged
- A fee of USD $170.00 plus shipping- must be paid in advance of the exchange
- This program is NOT available for new customers, only those who are on the ‘Brick’ order list as of December 31, 2010.

DELIVERY Expectations:
Between the 5 US Dealers over 500 units have been pre-ordered.
We expect the units to arrive in the US in batches of 100-200 and these will be distributed evenly between the 5 US Dealers.
The Dealers will determine the customer delivery priority.
Williams Soaring Center has 6 discount customer groups that pre-ordered and will be distributing their alotment equally among the 6 groups.
(Williams Soaring Center, Ephrata WA, Central Valley CA, Minden CA, Harris Hill Soaring Ass, Warner Springs Group)

New orders will orders will be filled once all pre-order positions have been delivered.

Price for single unit $1695

The FLARM collision avoidance system was developed for glider pilots, by glider pilots. FLARM warns FLARM-equipped pilots of impending collisions plus gives the location of non-threatening nearby FLARM-equipped gliders. It only works if both gliders have FLARMs. FLARM knows about the unique flight characteristics of gliders, and stays quiet unless there is a real hazard.

There are three versions of the FLARM that are mentioned on these pages.  The Classic FLARM and the two new PowerFLARM versions under development for the US market.  A comparison of the features for all three devices can be viewed here.

The Classic FLARM, is a small box including a GPS, a low power VHF transmitter/receiver for exchanging flight path information between gliders, an onboard computer for analyzing your flight path and those of gliders within a 4 km radius, and an interface for displaying alerts. FLARM also includes a flight recorder (some models are IGC approved up to and including the three Diamonds).  Click this link to learn more about the Classic FLARM features.

Classic FLARM is widely used around the world, including most countries in Europe, Australia, South Africa, Israel.  Over 14,000 FLARM Classic and compatible devices by licensed manufacturers have been installed in gliders, motorgliders, tow planes but also rescue and air force helicopters and hang gliders. However, Classic FLARM systems do not meet US FCC requirements and they should not be used in the US or Canada. 

The new PowerFLARM unit will be available shortly in Europe.  In the US, the PowerFLARM will be made available in two versions, the system designed for mounting on top of an instrument panel, and a version without the display and knob to be mounted behind the panel.  The addition of the "behind the panel" version is a new development in the PowerFLARM product line and recognizes the need for a cleaner, permanent mount desired by most private glider owners.  Both US PowerFLARM versions will be available in April 2011 and will be FCC approved for use in the US.  Both PowerFLARM  products implement all the capabilities of the "classic" FLARM (FLARM-to-FLARM communication) and additionally can detect nearby aircraft equipped with ADS-B systems or Mode C or S transponders.  PowerFLARM is based on a more powerful processor and a fully redesigned and higher range radio transceiver, but remains fully compatible to "Classic" FLARM.  

PowerFLARM combines

The PowerFLARM shown above is a single small unit that can run on either internal "AA" batteries or from external 12V aircraft power.  The "behind the panel" PowerFLARM version will not have the "AA"battery feature; however, all other features are the same.  The "behind the panel" unit allows for direct connection with various flight computers, e.g. the ClearNav, SN-10, or LX-8000; and, several External Displays are available as well. Technical specifications can found be here.

PowerFLARM provides a comprehensive collision-avoidance system. It understands the flight characteristics of gliders and includes warnings for potential collisions with aircraft that have mode C or S transponders or 1090ES ADS-B-Out systems.

PowerFLARM is not an ADS-B transmitter nor a transponder.  If you want FAA Air Traffic Controllers and commercial aircraft (jets) pilots and their TCAS collision-avoidance systems to see you, you should couple PowerFLARM with a Mode S transponder with 1090ES (Mode C works but is no longer recommended).

A paper model based on the dimensions from the specifications on the PowerFLARM web site is available for downloading HERE (Black or White). The black model is for use with a photo printer for those who don’t mind wasting ink. The white one for others. The models are split across two pages and should print on US letter and A4 size paper. Be sure to check that the print settings are not scaling the print output. There are rulers printed on each page so you can check the output has not been scaled. Ideally print on heavyweight photo paper/card stock. It is not certain whether the depth included the front button or not as more details become available we will update this data. These two PDF's were created by Darryl Ramm with Flarm's permission to use the PowerFLARM images.

Additional information about PowerFlarm can be found on the Gliderpilot.org web site http://www.gliderpilot.org/FLARM

 

Order your PowerFlarm Today!
No deposit is required.
No payment is due until the PowerFlarm is ready to ship.

Call (530) 473-5600 or email rex@williamssoaring.com

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