Bräuniger Flugelectronic

FLARM (Flight Alarm) for hang- and para gliders

The collision warning device FLARM is already available since 2004. Meanwhile
about 14.000 instruments are warning worldwide against the risk of collision the pilots of helicopters, sailplanes and light aircraft. Now the new FLARM-transponder for backfitting the COMPEO+ and also the COMPETINO+  is on hand.

The FLARM device being developed by Swiss glider pilots is a small, lightweight
and reasonably priced collision warning instrument coming with low power input.
Initially, it was designed for safety in gliding flight; indeed the streamlined gliders
are hardly perceivable under certain angles. This is true in particular, when they
fly precisely toward the viewer or if the are in front of a white setting.
The FLARM instruments alert the pilots when another FLARM equipped aircraft
is close-by and also indicates its position. Moreover they trigger an alarm against
pre-programmed aviation obstacles, such as cables, ropes or antennas.
Due to its efficiency and continuous enhancement the FLARM-system’s popularity
is still growing. More often, it is even used by pilots of motor-driven aircraft now,
especially when they often operate inside areas with frequent gliding flight traffic.
However, inside these areas, air activity is also operated by para gliders and hang gliders. Due to the fact that these hang gliders are not fitted with an instrument panel,
nor with an on-board battery, their movement was effected without collision warning device. For this reason they are not visible by electronic means for pilots of faster moving aircraft or helicopters. Now this will change fundamentally.

The appropriate solution in micro format

Indeed, in cooperation with the FLARM developers, the worldwide leading
developer of electronic flight instruments for hang gliders, Flytec enterprise,
located at Horw (LU) in Switzerland, has found an ingenious solution. Their
two most popular multifunction instruments for hang glider pilots, the COMPETINO+
and the COMPEO+, may now be fitted with the so called “passive FLARM”.

This part is the intrinsic FLARM-transponder, a tiny electronic unit, which is
a built-in component of the instrument. It reacts to the signals of FLARM collision
warning devices of other aircraft it has received. Due to this system the pilots in cockpits of helis or other aircraft are able to discern para gliders and hang gliders within a perimeter of several kilometres and may therefore react accordingly.
The identification distance is sufficient for the pilot of a sailplane, usually cruising
at a speed of 100 km/h to 180 km/h, to dispose of more than 30 seconds to accomplish an emergency turn.
When a complete FLARM-device is charged at the price of more than one thousand
Swiss franks, the new FLARM-transponder is available as option for a new
instrument at the price of 70,00 EUR, and as add-on kit for the price
of 110,00 EUR. The re-fitting is carried out by Flytec/Bräuniger.

The operation of the FLARM-transponder is resulting in power consumption of the
instrument being higher by approx. 30%. However, it may be switched-off. Since hang gliders and para gliders are moving at different speed and agility, the pilot of

the hang glider can select himself the type of his glider to be signalled (para /
hang glider).