About You
Name:
Contest ID / Nickname (optional):
Home Airport / Launch Point including city and 2-letter state ID:
(DrJack was surprised to find that the BLIPMAPs are used in so many
soaring locations he had never heard of before, which was a learning
experience. It was also interesting to note several location
with multiple returns (and a high value reported for the BLIPMAP site
usage) and also note several locations for which there was no
report - it seems that there are some spots where BLIPMAP usage has
caught on and others which have not yet been infested. The
entire list of locations is in the public
key)
If you will permit an email to obtain additional feedback, enter your email address here:
Survey privacy: This survey can be seen by:
57 % [165] anyone
41 % [165] just Dr.Jack, but my comments can be extracted and posted anonymously
2 % [165] just Dr.Jack, and my comments can not be extracted and posted anonymously
[Extracted comments given in the links below do not include any from those who selected this last box]
What you fly: (multiple choice possible)
90 % [168] Sailplane
8 % [168] HangGlider
3 % [168] ParaGlider
1 % [168] No flying done at present time
(The percentage of sailplane pilots was much higher than in the 3 week one-question survey of
user types taken during the summer which produced 1,021 responses, for which
80% were Sailplane Pilots,
15% were HangGlider Pilots, and
4% were ParaGlider Pilots.)
Region(s) in which you have used BLIPMAP: (multiple choice possible)
25 % [169] NorthEast
12 % [169] SouthEast
12 % [169] NorthCentral
5 % [169] SouthCentral
5 % [169] GreatPlains
11 % [169] OK/TX
7 % [169] NorthWest
21 % [169] SouthWest
43 % [169] CA/NV
(There was a greater percentage of CA-NV, SW, and SE region pilots in the survey
than downloaded BLIPMAPs during the summer, likely reflecting the
fact that the survey was taken in December where soaring is more common
during the winter season in those regions.)
Type(s) of flying: (multiple choice possible)
71 % [166] Local
90 % [166] CrossCountry
39 % [166] Contest
27 % [166] Record
(The percentage of BLIPMAP user who go CrossCountry is much larger than
in the general soaring population. The number of pilots seeking
records also seems high. The general lesson seems to be that
those who are interested in longer flights are more likely to use
BLIPMAPs.)
Enter any comment needed to clarify the above: (optional)
Link to comments
About your BLIPMAP use
In general, BLIPMAP users tend to be very active pilots.
How many days (approx.) did you fly in 2002:
45 days [167]
After you knew about BLIPMAPs, on what percentage of your flights did you obtain a BLIPMAP-based forecast prior to the flight:
81 % [164]
During the soaring season, how many times did you look at the BLIPMAP forecasts during an average week:
5 times/week [164]
How many non-weekend days have you taken time off or rescheduled work so that you could fly based on a BLIPMAP forecast:
5 days [151]
How many weekend days have you flown based on a BLIPMAP forecast when you otherwise would not have flown:
4 days [148]
How many times have you canceled a planned soaring day because BLIPMAPs predicted a poor day:
6 days [157]
What (guesstimated) percentage of active pilots at your soaring site now use BLIPMAP forecasts:
45 % [142]
(I was very surprised that the average site use was so large, at least
for those sites from which reports were obtained.)
Have you ever used a BLIPMAP forecast secondhand, i.e. someone else actually
looked at the BLIPMAP and gave you a forecast based on it
62 % [165] Yes
38 % [165] No
If you have used BLIPMAPs for task planning and/or choice of flight direction, how valuable has that been
13 % [157] Not used for task planning
54 % [157] Extremely helpful
33 % [157] Helpful
0 % [157] Not Helpful
When using BLIPMAP forecasts, do you look at
58 % [163] Only forecasts for a single (18/21Z) time
42 % [163] Forecasts for multiple times of the day
Enter any comment which clarifies your BLIPMAP use: (optional)
Link to comments
About BLIPMAP Usability
Overall, how would you rate the usefulness of BLIPMAPs for planning
your flight weatherwise:
70 % [147] Extremely useful
28 % [147] Generally Useful
2 % [147] Marginally Useful
0 % [147] Not Useful
[This question was added later, after a few
surveys had already been returned].
The overall rating was of
course of great interest. In retrospect I could have worded the
first response better as my purpose was to roughly divide the
usefulness into "high","medium", and "low" ratings and now the word
"Extremely" seems so extreme - so I was very impressed that the
percentage of "Extremely useful" responses was so high.
For as many of the following parameters in which you have an interest,
please give your impression of their usefulness and accuracy
| Parameter | Usefulness | Accuracy (if used) | Comments (optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Thermal Updraft Velocity (W*) |
0 % [162] Not Understood so Not Used 4 % [162] Understood but Not Used 96 % [162] Understood and Used |
85 % [158] Accurate enough 12 % [158] Useful but barely so 3 % [158] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| Height of BL Top |
2 % [162] Not Understood so Not Used 13 % [162] Understood but Not Used 85 % [162] Understood and Used |
86 % [147] Accurate enough 10 % [147] Useful but barely so 4 % [147] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
|
Height of Critical Updraft Strength (Hcrit) |
5 % [160] Not Understood so Not Used 22 % [160] Understood but Not Used 73 % [160] Understood and Used |
80 % [123] Accurate enough 15 % [123] Useful but barely so 5 % [123] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| Thermal Height Variability |
21 % [155] Not Understood so Not Used 50 % [155] Understood but Not Used 30 % [155] Understood and Used |
57 % [67] Accurate enough 37 % [67] Useful but barely so 8 % [67] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
|
Buoyancy/Shear Ratio (B/S) |
26 % [155] Not Understood so Not Used 25 % [155] Understood but Not Used 50 % [155] Understood and Used |
75 % [87] Accurate enough 20 % [87] Useful but barely so 6 % [87] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| Wind Speed in BL |
5 % [156] Not Understood so Not Used 22 % [156] Understood but Not Used 72 % [156] Understood and Used |
80 % [111] Accurate enough 16 % [111] Useful but barely so 4 % [111] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| Wind Direction in BL |
5 % [154] Not Understood so Not Used 29 % [154] Understood but Not Used 66 % [154] Understood and Used |
81 % [102] Accurate enough 16 % [102] Useful but barely so 3 % [102] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| BL Convergence Maximum |
44 % [151] Not Understood so Not Used 27 % [151] Understood but Not Used 29 % [151] Understood and Used |
62 % [53] Accurate enough 34 % [53] Useful but barely so 4 % [53] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| BL Relative Humidity Max |
32 % [151] Not Understood so Not Used 46 % [151] Understood but Not Used 23 % [151] Understood and Used |
54 % [48] Accurate enough 40 % [48] Useful but barely so 6 % [48] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| OverDevelopment Potential |
10 % [154] Not Understood so Not Used 31 % [154] Understood but Not Used 59 % [154] Understood and Used |
71 % [87] Accurate enough 22 % [87] Useful but barely so 7 % [87] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| BL Lifting Condensation Level |
34 % [152] Not Understood so Not Used 33 % [152] Understood but Not Used 33 % [152] Understood and Used |
75 % [57] Accurate enough 21 % [57] Useful but barely so 4 % [57] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
|
C A P E (Convective Available Potential Energy) |
48 % [107] Not Understood so Not Used 29 % [107] Understood but Not Used 23 % [107] Understood and Used |
77 % [30] Accurate enough 20 % [30] Useful but barely so 3 % [30] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| BL Depth |
33 % [148] Not Understood so Not Used 35 % [148] Understood but Not Used 32 % [148] Understood and Used |
75 % [52] Accurate enough 21 % [52] Useful but barely so 4 % [52] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
| Surface Heating |
35 % [151] Not Understood so Not Used 36 % [151] Understood but Not Used 29 % [151] Understood and Used |
58 % [52] Accurate enough 35 % [52] Useful but barely so 8 % [52] Not Accurate enough |
Link to comments |
About possible BLIPMAP additions
Would you be interested in reading posted examples of how an experienced
pilot used BLIPMAPs to predict a flight and the accuracy of that prediction
during the flight ?
87 % [163] Yes
5 % [163] Yes and I can provide an example from my experience
8 % [163] No
(I will endeavor to provide such sometime in the future.)
Would it be useful to you to have a BLIPMAP "discussion group" on the Internet where users could exchange information ?
83 % [162] Yes
17 % [162] No
(I will endeavor to establish one sometime in the future.)
Would you like to be on an email list to which info on major BLIPMAP developments would be sent ?
91 % [162] Yes - you can use the email address I provided above
9 % [162] No
(I have placed pilots who responded positively on a separate mailing list.)
Would you like to have more BLIPMAP information provided on the website
? If so, indicate what you would like to see added in the comment box
below.
Link to comments
Is there a particularly important BLIPMAP improvement that you would
like to see incorporated (if possible) ? If so, describe that in the
comment box below.
[FYI, presently planned improvements can be seen at
http://www.drjack.net/BLIPMAP/to-do.html
]
Link to comments
About the BLIPMAP Future
It is possible to produce BLIPMAPs based on the ETA model - these
would have a higher topography resolution (almost doubled, with
potentially greater accuracy for topography-related phenomena), could
forecast out to 48 hours in advance, and would provide a "reliability
check" for the present RUC-based BLIPMAP forecasts. However,
this would require raising money.
I will be writing and posting a "future BLIPMAP plan" sometime in the ... future.
But in brief,
I have not committed to an ETA development effort since
while I feel that such would be a plus for soaring pilots I
also feel it would not be one for me and at present, after just having
recovered from last summer's BLIPMAPs burnout, my self-interest is
over-riding my sense of duty and I am not ready to take on ETA
development. I tell myself that in any case it might be best to
first have another full year of getting people to use and understand
BLIPMAPs. RIght now, extending the status quo through this next
summer seems awfully attractive.
Would you prefer that this money for ETA-BLIPMAPs be obtained:
80 % [161] By seeking a small sum ($10-$20) from as many potential ETA-BLIPMAP users as possible
11 % [161] By seeking larger contributions from an elite group especially interested in ETA-BLIPMAPs
9 % [161] No solicitations. I don't favor an ETA-BLIPMAP if it will cost money
In the above scheme, would you consider yourself:
85 % [162] A small contributor only
7 % [162] A potential elite (large) contributor
7 % [162] A Non-contributor
IF such ETA-BLIPMAPs come to be, should they be available
48 % [149] Only to contributors who are supporting them
52 % [149] To everyone, including non-contributors
(Note: in either case, the present RUC-based BLIPMAPs would continue to be provided to everyone)
Enter any clarifications of the above or comments on how ETA-BLIPMAPs might be funded: (optional)
Link to comments
Miscellaneous
The time I needed to complete this survey was:
15 % [96] Shorter than I anticipated
83 % [96] A reasonable time
2 % [96] Longer than I anticipated
0 % [96] Much too long
[This question was added later, to see if survey was too long]
Enter any general comments on BLIPMAP here:
Link to comments