SURVEY COMMENTS-USABILITY

3 =========== Stewart Kissel *AT* Central Colorado Regional, Buena Vista, Co
Surface winds are useful due to the poor alignment of runways in the Colorado Rockies...

11 =========== ---------- *AT* Hobbs, NM Industrial
The inaccuracy this Spring (as compared to previous years) has been apparent. It seems that the forecasts are much too optimistic regarding strength and availability of thermals.

14 =========== ---------- *AT* Sheridan Il
I have a basic understanding of 25% of your site. Have a good understnading of 25% of the site and 50% I understand very little of. Many pilots I fly with have a very good understanding of the entire site, unfortunately many know less than I do. We continue to learn as we go. This year I will be flying cross country and will have a push on learning all I can. Knowledge is "Air Power."

15 =========== Doug Snyder *AT* Spartanburg Dowtown Airport - Spartanburg, SC
I look at Hcrit and B/S every time. I don't look at the others very often and only if Hcrit looks good.

24 =========== Lee Kuhlke *AT* Kelly Airpark
I am trying to learn as much as I can. I have read the descriptions and try to relate them to the soaring day. I also, look at sattelite views to see if there is going to be cirrus approaching. On the ADDS aviation weather site, there is a satelite view of "water vapor content". Is this something that can be related to soaring and if so, how does it fit into the Blip models. Great job. We really need this! Lee Kuhlke

25 =========== Bill Whelan *AT* Frederick MD
Assuming overdevelopment not an issue, parameters I always look at: T-strength, Crit Ht., B/S, Wind Direction and Wind Speed get looked sometimes. These generally correlate with the B/S so in a rush not necessary to look. Like having the ETAs and RUCs. I feel the RUCs have been slightly more reliable in terms of their accuracy.

27 =========== ---------- *AT* Avenal, Ca
All of the wordiness at the beginning of the blipmaps are a bit daunting. Would like to see a notebook type format which explained each map in a general sense and then in further detail if one wanted to delve deeper into the map's complexities.

38 =========== Daniel L Johnson *AT* KLUM, Menomonie, WI
I miss the low-level cloud cover map; this was useful to separate cirrus from low overcast.

42 =========== Morgan Hall *AT* Plowshare Peak, New Cuyama CA
Most of my comments or lack of use are because of specifics to our flying site. What I've found is that combining BlipMaps with the Vandenberg Sounding and our club weather station on Plowshare Peak, I can build a reasonable idea of whether it is worth the 80 mile drive to launch. $20 a year for blips, and about the same for the weather station pays for itself time and again in gas money not wasted.

49 =========== ---------- *AT* Toronto ON & Clermont FL & State College PA
I use a tephigram program from Walter Weir to forecast wind, height, clouds etc.

57 =========== Jim Fryett *AT* Arthur East ON
I am an occasional flyer due to business and family constraints. I like to review the bit maps before making a decision to fly or not and have found the information very useful. I am gradually learning more of the technical interpretations as time goes on.

62 =========== john cochrane *AT* chicago glider IL
Overall the weakest part of blipmap based forecasting is clouds. The success of a soaring day here often depends on mid level and cirrus clouds, and info is spotty. I understand this is a boundary layer information so one has to complement it with other synoptic information to get that picture, but a one-stop place to see the relevant information would be useful.

68 =========== John H. Bisscheroux *AT* Hawkesbury, ON Canada
Taking all the information above should give a probability index. (high=reliable thermals etc)

72 =========== Bruce Barnard *AT* Ionia MI
I plan to learn the items currently not understood or not used, as I learn more about weather.

81 =========== Bob Gibbons *AT* Texas Soaring Association (TSA), Dallas, TX
In Texas, BLIPMAPS are particularily useful during the non-peak soaring months from October to May. Here we can have low inversions that make an otherwise beautiful day useless for soaring. In the summer, if the sun is shining, we will usually have excellent convection over wide areas.

92 =========== Davis Straub *AT* Quest Air, Groveland, FL
W, cloud base, height of lift, wind speed and direction used all the time. Others much less.

109 =========== Hugo Vifian *AT* Hollister
The parameter I start with is always BL Top and if looks interesting, for example >8000' at Avenal, then I look at some of the other relevant parameters, such as B/S in order to know if the lift is usable. And then I go on cloud forecast or OD potential. Once I decide to fly then I try to look at the satellite picture and the wind conditions at the levels I will likely fligh at.

121 =========== Philip Morgan *AT* Lawrence Field (Cherry Valley) AR
I do not have time right now to look at the photos to remind myself which ones I do not understand. Certainly, there is a lot for me to learn about all the photos.

124 =========== ---------- *AT* Adrian, MI (KADG)
My BLIPMAP analysis starts with W* and Hcrit. if they look favorable, i review the other factors to make sure that teh day is truly soarable. Analysis starts with 18Z and cross-check conditions at 21Z

132 =========== Bob Ireland *AT* Williams, CA
I take a cursory look at Blipmap most days, whether soaring or not. On days I expect to fly, I examine many more parameters, and more times of the day. Univiewer has been a useful enhancement for me, since I never really mastered the Multi-time viewer.

139 =========== fred wright *AT* heber, ut
I would like to better understand the information offered. I'm not certain I understand the data I claim to understand. The information has proved helpful in an overall sense but I would not rely on it. I would like to have information I could rely on and perhaps my unwillingness to place more stock in the info is due to my lack of understanding.

141 =========== ---------- *AT* Highland Aerosports / Ridgely MD - Quest Air / Groveland FL
I get a lot of what I need from the SkewT, so I don't delve much into most blipmap parameters.

147 =========== Rolf Beyer *AT* Harris Hill, Elmira, NY
I also use % cloud cover shown on ETA charts

155 =========== ---------- *AT* Boulder, CO
It is sometimes difficult for me to determine the colors on the various maps...I am color deficient (as about 7% of US Males) and it can sometimes be tough to interpret.

158 =========== ---------- *AT* 3M5 Al
There is a lot of technical information that requires a tutorial. It would be nice if some refences would be given where to learn the material.