SURVEY COMMENTS-USEAGE

14 =========== ---------- *AT* Avenal, Ca
Jack, feel need for a comment here. Have been between planes and busy adding on a rating. Only recently have started using blipmaps steadily and basing flite plans on them. So a survey one year from now would have a lot more validity from me.

19 =========== Ivan Jaszlics *AT* Boulder, CO
Would have made MORE decisions based on blipmap if I had the ability to relate forecast batter to geolocation - say within 15 min of lat/long.

26 =========== ---------- *AT* Idaho Falls, ID/Driggs, ID
I'm a low time soaring pilot, will probably use the blipmaps more in the future.

34 =========== ---------- *AT* Lake Elsinore CA
The chief flight instructor for our club (Lake Elsinore Soaring Club) posts the BLIPMAPs every Sunday on the club house door for all to see.

39 =========== Steven Wertheimer *AT* Crazy Creek, CA
I get it emailed to me every day; usually I just read the subject line because I'm not going flying that day, but I like the entire report very much.

43 =========== Miguel Flores *AT* Holllister, CA
Since I fly locally from Hollister and do not routinely use a computer at home (away from work), BLIPMAPS are not generally useful to me for local soaring. But I do use BLIPMAPS to practice reading the weather and getting the larger picture for the eventual day when I do decide to go cross-country.

45 =========== Bill Geiger *AT* Keystone Gliderport Julian, PA
The graphic presentation of the Blipmap offers the forecast so quickly and completely that is a first source consulted on the morning of the flight and is sometimes the only source which I use to make the determination as to whether or not to make the drive to the field.

47 =========== Greg *AT*
It is the primary go no go infomation I use.

48 =========== Dieter Bibbig *AT* ase; CO; Aspen
The maps are not clear to me, possibly because I have not gotten into them. i think differently. Look at the weatherchannel and the sky. Need to be simpler for me.

49 =========== Jim Phoenix *AT* Ephrata, WA
Sometimes, I did not look at a blipmap and flew cross-country (successfully) but I would not have if I had looked at a blipmap prior to the flight - based on a later review of th eblipmap for the time period of the flight.

62 =========== ---------- *AT* Fremont, CA
I fly a lot, these are just guesses. I use Dr. Jack to decide whether to fly the local sites, especially when the weather is changing day to day. For weekend trips out of town, I check the TIPs and Blips but will go regardless. Like many, I make the decision emotionally and rationalize it with data. Also remember that I use other weather information too; I use Blips/Tips primarily for W*, B/S and Hcrit; I get precip and wind speed/dir from other places.

63 =========== ---------- *AT* Waller TX 89TA
Intend to start longer x-country flights this season. Hope to figure directions from BLIPMAPS.

66 =========== Jim Fryett *AT* Arthur East ON
The BLIPMAP is a welcome tool which I value tremendously. It has helped greatly on my decision making re flying or not, and whether I was going cross-country or staying local with a friend on an intro. All of the cross-country pilots that I fly with reference the maps. At a small contest last year, the maps were printed out for the weather briefing.

70 =========== Scott Seebass *AT* Owens Valley, CA
I mainly use the blipmaps to see how the conditions are in general in the Owens Valley. If things are starting to crank, I plan a trip and go. If we are flying horseshoe we camp right below so we don't have internet access so I never have been able to check on the day, but I think that would make them much more useful for me.

73 =========== Linda Salamone *AT*
I look at them all the time and other forecasts so it's hard to say when I used just BLIPMAPS or another forecast to go fly

74 =========== ---------- *AT* Byron, CA; Truckee, CA; Air Sailing, NV
The 50 days flown indicated above is for gliders. I also flew power planes an additional 60 days. I used BLIMAPs on about 10 of those days.

76 =========== Julian (Tim) Tuck *AT* Gatineau Gliding Club, Ottawa, ON
I would definitely use BLIPMAPS to select days to take of work if I COULD take days off work

81 =========== Ron Gleason *AT* Groveland, FL plus many others around the US
I found that the BlipMaps for FL and TX are very accurate in the spring and summer seasons. The accuracy during the months of November-January (2003-4) were 50% at best. No worries as this time of year flying is to stay current only, not to set records or compete.

82 =========== John Downiing *AT* Hemet, CA
I have purchased a cell-phone with data capability for the explicit purpose of gathering info. over the internet and Bitmap, when it is available, is the most accurate source I have found. I always attempt to get Blitmap when ever I am considering to soar. I usually check in the morning and later at the airport after assembly or other preparation.

83 =========== Frank Spital *AT* Sterling MA.
I fly when I have the time, so Blipmaps neither get me to the field nor keep me away. They just alter my anticipation!

91 =========== ---------- *AT* Gadsden, AL
Newbie Hang Glider pilot who does not really need the BLIPMAP, yet.

98 =========== Mark Stump *AT* Magazine Mtn, AR
Can't say how Many times I have gone flying because of a GOOD Blip forcast but it's been alot. I also take off from work because of a GOOD Blip forcast.

99 =========== ---------- *AT* Joplin, MO
100% of my use is for soaring activity. I have not used it for power plane flights.

103 =========== ---------- *AT* Hammonton, NJ
Would use times other than 18z if they were available (NE Blipmap).

105 =========== Michael Stringfellow *AT* Lake Pleasant, Peoria, AZ
I run a soaring forecast web site and make predictions for local pilots based on all information I have available. Blipmaps and the Blipspots are a very important part of this, but I also use FSL soundings, satellite and radar data.

106 =========== ---------- *AT* Morrisville, VT
I look only at the 18z forecast but I look at it several times as it tends to change as the real time approaches. Being able to look at it during the previous evening is especially important to me, thus the loss of previous-evening RUC-based forecasts will affect me negatively.

107 =========== ---------- *AT* Ames, IA
On Memorial weekend 2003 I completed a 300k out and return and a 400k triangle in Iowa establishing several records and qualifying for (not winning) the Eastern Division Hilton Cup flying a Woodstock. Blipmap forecasts were essential in my planning an preparation. At a glance I can tell if the day is worth attempting a major flight, what to expect on a fun XC flight, or if I should concentrate on making a living instead. I've consistantly found the Blipmap forecasts to be very accurate.

109 =========== Gary Rubus *AT* Buena Vista, CO
I am a telecommuter, i.e. I must be "in the office" in Denver some number of days a week. I use the BLIPs to pick my work days, vice take days off. Very useful. All the sailplane pilots who do any cross-country at all in the Arkansas River Valley (Buena Vista and Salida airports) use BLIPs. There are other sailplane pilots who fly in the area locally, don't know if they use BLIPs. When I arrived in the ARV four years ago the ONLY routes anyone would talk about for badges/records were to the south, along the Sangre de Cristo mountains toward Santa Fe, NM. This I suspect was due to pilot experience and the greater outlanding possibilities along the valleys to the west of that range -- though that assessment should be run by some more experienced pilots than myself. In any case, I personally have been led to consider -- and attempt -- some flights to the north solely based on analyses of the BLIPs. I know of one other pilot who has taken the same approach. So, not only have the BLIPs enable us to pick the days to fly, they have opened up a complelely new and previously ignored area of operations. My assessment does not rely on nor take advantage of the experience base in the three large cross-country soaring establishments in CO: Boulder, Black Forest, and Owl Canyon. Maybe those guys knew this all along. Might want to ask them formally. Huge help for me, flying in a non-club, non-commercial environment withtout much infrastructure. You might want to assess the impacts/utility of BLIPs for my kind of pilot: on his own, no club, no commercial operation, limited time to fly. Very helpful.

122 =========== Bob Johnson *AT* Odessa TX
I seem to have the only color printer hooked up, and since I go to the airport club site at least every Saturday,I frequently take THERMAL STRENGTH and CLOUD BASE printouts with me and post them on the hangar wall. I'm the winch operator as well, so I haven't really managed to calibrate the maps with the thermals much. The rest of the club e students or an inststuctor, so we're really not much help for your survey yet

126 =========== ---------- *AT* Bass Harbor, ME
Since I live and fly often in Maine, I find it a little disconcerting that the Blipmaps for the NE do not actually include Maine.

132 =========== Herbert Kilian *AT* Hinckley, IL
I always combine BlipMap info with the virtual sounding for a nearby airport (Aurora, IL)from FSL at http://www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/mab/soundings/java/ The combination of the two is then extremely useful (to use your above term) for evaluating soaring conditions.

134 =========== Mark Koepper *AT* Serling MA
I get the most current blipmap available every time I fly and sorely miss it when unavailable on occasion. I compare blipmaps to cumulous observations and when possible soaring reports throughout the season.

141 =========== DAVID mULDERS *AT* TORONTO SOARING, CONN, Ontario
I am a bit dumb about weather I would like to be able to plan time off work for a good flying day But I get very very frustrated wishing the weather better So now I just get passive and try my luck whenever I can

142 =========== John H. Bisscheroux *AT* Hawkesbury, Ontario, Canada
At my club, the Montreal Soaring Council, there are about three of us who regularly provide blipmap info in addition to AOPA weather and Environment Canada local forecasts. We also look at satellite tephigram data for Bancroft and Montreal and use all od this to form an idea of what to expect. There is a 50/50 chance the conditions come to fruition as I have had many times when local conditions were affected by geography (river valey affect, hills vs flats etc),and did not experience the "boomer" conditions forecast by blipmap and/or satellite data.

144 =========== ---------- *AT*
I have a long drive to fly, so generally I have to decide before the BLIPMAPs are up for the next day. I have been able to make a couple of better informed late decisions based on BLIPMAPs that have changed my mind in the right direction.

145 =========== ---------- *AT* Avenal, CA
Technically I flew over 100 days last year, but these were powered flights and only a few of them (maybe 10) relied on BLIPMAPS (mainly for turbulence issues in the Sierras or locally or to predict conditions for flights from coast to coast). On the days I did not get a BLIPMAP, it was because of limited (no modern graphics) internet access on the old computer at the soaring club.

147 =========== bruce breidenbach *AT* eagleville nashville tn
still learning to use for r/c flying purposes i am using the blipspot charts.

149 =========== Andre de Baghy *AT* Caddo Mills TX
if BLIPMAP forecat could be read 12 to 18 hrs ahead it would allow the rescheduling of work days (but this nay be wishfull thinking)

152 =========== Chet Meyerson *AT* Chilowee TN
The above pertain to my glider flying, not the flying I do for the airlines (although I have used the Blipmap forcast for that as well)

155 =========== ---------- *AT* Hollister
I use blipmap in conjunction with other meaningful forecast or observation data.

156 =========== Larry Ortega *AT* Blair, NE
I can't say how I'd use it, but I have been very carefully calibrating what is reported with walking outside and looking. It has been an extremely accurate forecast for the general conditions.

159 =========== Richard M. Maleady *AT* Lancaster, SC
I have HCRIT as my home page. Many times, if I have a choice of flying days, and the first looks questionable, then I will choose the second. This doesn't always work--the second may be bad as well. I have gone down to the field though and not flown because of the BLIPMAP and the way the day looks.

160 =========== ---------- *AT* Alexandria Indiana (formerly Terry airport)
I have to make tentative arrangements a few days in advance to take a day off, but before I blow a valuable vacation day on flying I make a point to check the BLIPMAP first thing that morning. If the BLIPMAP looks bad, I just head on in to the office.

162 =========== Discus Flyer *AT* Hinton, OK
Useful because they are general in nature. The forecasts are somewhat accurate but not extremely accurate.

164 =========== ---------- *AT* sterling, MA (3b3)
BLIPMAPs are my PRIMARY way of looking at weather conditions. I fly weekdays based on blip maps. They are great, fairly reliable, and only seem to fail me when there is a high cirrus coverage that negates any projected lift. I can not imagine going soaring without them.

166 =========== James Gaar *AT* Ottawa, KS
I just got the hang of using the BLIPMAPs this winter! I have one other pilot that will use the service this 2004 season and I plan to show it to another

167 =========== Davis Straub *AT* Quest Air, FL
It use BLIP when I'm here at Quest - Groveland

177 =========== ---------- *AT* Hobbs, NM - Hobbs Industrial Airpark
When available early enough

179 =========== ---------- *AT* Ellenville, NY near Wurtsboro, NY
Used along with other weather predictions. My primary is the RUC2 wind/temperature plots.

183 =========== Gary Haynes *AT* Boulder CO
There is a lot of variablity in what is predicted and what actually occurs while flying in the Rockie Mountains west of Boulder/Denver, CO.

188 =========== ---------- *AT* CYYJ
None

196 =========== ---------- *AT* Middletown CA / crazy creek
I'm not expert at using blipmaps, and not always sure I use them to best advantage.

199 =========== ---------- *AT* Cushing Field, Newark IL
The BLIP maps are an invaluable resource. I have a web page at home which links to 6 of your blip maps together to give me one screen with all the info (I want) for my area. I think this would be a useful addition. My prefs stored on your site so that I can always pull up the same 6? images in the same way.

211 =========== ---------- *AT* Lookout Mt. Flight Park Rising Fawn GA
I"m not very computer savy, but use my magic box to look at weather and forcasting sites. The blipmap is the most useful site I check on a regular basis. I call my buddies and give them the forcast as we plan the day. We fly some decent XC here and flind the blipmaps useful when picking the launch site on travel days.

213 =========== Alan Paylor *AT* Moore, ID
Its one of the tools we use,especially during contest.

217 =========== ---------- *AT* Harnett County Apt, Erwin, NC
I have not "trained" myself to check your BLIPMAPS yet. I'm still in the mindset that soundings and forecasts aren't available until after 0900 hrs local (Eastern time) and I'm on the road to the airport by, typically, 0800 hrs. Now that BLIPMAPs can forecast the Saturday weather on Friday night, I've just got to train myself to begin checking in the evening prior to the flight. For 2003, our soaring weather was terrible due to excessive amounts of rain. So, I wasn't too enthusiastic about checking the forecasts. Seems like all they said was "RAIN and MORE RAIN." It was depressing.

220 =========== ---------- *AT* Kelly Airpark, Denver, CO
The Colorado 'Front Range' is a strange area. So actually, I've gone flying in spite of a marginal forecast. But overall, the blipmaps provide a good indication of what will be happening. I find the blipmap provides an excellent overview of what type of conditions I can expect.

221 =========== Bill Whelan *AT* FDK MD
Look at for trend (i.e. better or worse over time)/thermal strengths/crit hts/BS/wind speeds primarily

227 =========== Jim Wolf *AT* Avenal, CA
I am a very low time new sailplane addict. Lots to learn!! I can certainly see tremendous potential for planning future badge flights. I wish that I understood some features of Blipmap better, particularly the graphic representation of Bouyancy/Sheer and the Cumulus prediction I don't understand at all. Also, the terrain representation seems to me to be excessively 'smoothed' but maybe I'm unrealistic.

229 =========== ---------- *AT* sunflower aerodrome, yoder, ks
The last blipmap for the day is not available at the time I leave for the field. There is no phone at the field. I need to leave the house by 10 CDT.

231 =========== ---------- *AT* Sterling, MA
I really can't remeber how many times I played hooky or stayed home because of BLIPMAP forecasts. It's too long ago. I usually look at the 1800Z forecast first. If that's discouraging, I'm likely to look at the otheer times subsequently.

232 =========== ---------- *AT* ASE
I am retired - do not work

236 =========== John Lawton aka Sequatchie Soaring Society *AT* TN89 Whitwell, TN
I am the owner/operator of the Sequatchie Soaring Society located near Whitwell, TN,. We operate from the center of the Sequatchie Valley in SE Tennessee. We primarily use your forecasts to predict thermal activity on the plateaus which define the valley.

238 =========== ---------- *AT* Middletown, CA
Daily use for trend and confirmation purposes and cross-check with webgroup experience. Extraordinarily valuable for saving time and effort in soaring forecasts... I've nearly forgotten how to calculate my own forecast from skew-t. Big Thanks.

239 =========== ---------- *AT* Minden, NV
I use blipmaps for all soaring flights, but not for all or even most power aircraft flights.

241 =========== Alan Hoar *AT* Black Diamond, Alberta, Canada
Guessing on the number of days questions above. I have printed out the blipmaps for others to refer to maybe 8 times.

246 =========== ---------- *AT* Alexandria I99
I only fly locally at the moment, so I only need to know local thermal forecast.

248 =========== ---------- *AT* Caddo Mills, TX
Due to work and family responsibilites, I have not been able to fly as often as I would have liked in the past several years. However, I'm retiring soon and expect that to change. Hopefully, I will log 100+ hours this year and will make extensive use of the Blipmaps

250 =========== Bob Koehler *AT* Flying X Ranch Gliderport, Montevallo, AL
I post weekend soaring forecasts on our club website that are based in part on blipmaps.

253 =========== Hartley Falbaum *AT* Monroe GA
Would use multiple times if closely spaced and available

254 =========== ---------- *AT* kerry
I fly a coastal/desert blow down site, Elsinore. In the summer we get inverted and it blows down at launch early. With the blip map, I can plan an elarly or late launch. Plan for retreve ecttt...

255 =========== George M. Hernandez *AT* Woodford's Tully, NY
I check BLIPMAP before going to bed each night, then again in the morning. I've used forecasts of good flying to succesfully encourage other club members to come out and fly with emails the night before or early that day.

257 =========== ---------- *AT* Richmond Field, Gregory, MI
I wasn't able to fly much last year due to other commitments, but I did a lot of "wishing" based on BLIPMAPS while I was at work!

260 =========== ---------- *AT* Chipman, Alberta Canada
Jack, my club (home field) is right at the northern limit of your model coverage. My usage to date was at a soaring camp further south (Cowley, Alberta), where it was demonstrated to me. I live a further 300 miles north of my home field. Come the 2004 season I will definitely use BBLIPMAP as one of my resources in planning my flying, despite the coverage of only a small portion of my typical task area. I will also definitely use it as a resource in deciding whether or not to head out on a Friday night for a weekend at the club.

262 =========== Hal Chouinard *AT* Truckee, ca
Recently learned about java blipmaps so probably will use that for cross country planning. Still use tip forcast because it forcasts multiple days in future and actually seems to work for me.

269 =========== Paul Summerskill *AT* St. Catharines, Ontario
My use of (W*) was for 7 days a week for 75 days during spring migration and 90 days during fall 2003 raptor migration. Indications are that countless hawk watchers within all Blipmap regions will be using (W*) beginning this year as they become familiar with its relationship to raptor migration. Within North America some phase of raptor migration takes place for ten months of the year.

272 =========== Sam Fly *AT* Texas Soaring Association TA11
We have a group at Texas Soaring Association that race every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and find the Blipmap very useful for direction to fly a task. We used to only use Soarcast but now it is Blipmaps.

274 =========== Bill Vickland *AT* Front Royal, VA
Was not aware of more than daily BLIPMAP.

275 =========== ryszard krolikowski *AT* Blairstown,NJ
I usualy have priblem getting multiple times of the day for northeast

277 =========== Richard Stone *AT* Sun Flower Aerodrome, KS
Didn't know you could get anything other than current forcast maps or previous forcast. I am fairly new to soaring and discovered your maps form SSA magazine, though I've just started going X-country I think they will be very useful for help to select directions to fly. I have found the forcast to be 85-90% accurate.

278 =========== Reb Byrne *AT* Cherry Valley, AR
I don't have the flexibility to fly when the BLIPMAP is good or I would!

282 =========== Jim Hays *AT* Air Sailing, NV
I am retired and also a tow pilot at my glider port. I print the blipmaps and take them to the club house and do some "briefing" with them. I have been doing this for a couple of years and most of our pilots now are BLIPMAP users - the rest listen to us and watch for our print-outs. Some do not utilize the internet at all, so will never be subscribers. Since I can soar most any time, I generally use the Blipmap products to guide my decisions on when and routes.

285 =========== Fran k Davis *AT* MEV
I am a low time glider pilot and use BLIPMAP to get a general picture of the soaring conditions. I do not use it for serious task planning. (I don't do serious tasks!) I'm a retired USAF pilot and this is an enjoyable way to keep fying.

287 =========== Richard Holzwarth *AT* Caesar Creek Gliderport, Waynesville, OH
Not really certain the number of times I have cancelled due to blipmaps, I know I have. Some weekends, knowing I couldn't fly both days, I may have looked at the blipmap and decided to try the next day.

291 =========== ---------- *AT* Hemet Ryan/Hemet Ca.
I find the BLT and convergence plots of most value. Sometimes use cloud base and BL wind plots as well. Have found that if the thermal tops look good no real reason to look at predicted lift values. Convergence plots used to get a basic view of potential cross country routes and prefered aareas for even local flying..

295 =========== Carl Anderson *AT* Kars ON Airport ID PL3
Would appreciate an identifyable point for our airport or for Ottawa CYOW

299 =========== ---------- *AT*
blipmaps are better for large scale forecast. I seldom get opportunities to go long distance

300 =========== Clay Thomas *AT* Kelly Airpark, CO
I love to go xc so blip maps tell me where to go.

303 =========== Bill Ricker *AT*
My usage of BLIPMAP is fairly small. Usually when I going to a site that does not have BLIPSPOT support. BLIPSPOT I use for virtually every flight. (My home sites are in the SF bay area.)

305 =========== John Seelig *AT* Warner Springs, Ca
BLIPMAP is a extremely useful tool in flight planning and in Flight Instructing. It helps my students understand predictive meterological tools and helps them understand regional weather forecasts and how those tools relate to flight planning.

306 =========== ---------- *AT* Mission Peak -- Fremont, CA
I actually only look at the BLIPMAPs when I am at a location where BLIPSPOT's are not available. More in the overall comments section.

311 =========== Larry Hood *AT* Williams
Always used to get an overview then used with other weather data for specific planning ie launch time, go north? or south?, badge day??, thermal or convergence? etc.

323 =========== ---------- *AT*
not a pilot, i would use to examine hawk flights adn why they choose different routes

326 =========== ---------- *AT* fd40
Airport is located far from home, I stay several days and have no access to web after arrival

330 =========== Cliff Hilty *AT* Turf Soaring Peoria, AZ
I use a site created by Mike Stringfellow that links to your site as well as a blipspot at Turf soaring. He has combined a number of forcasts with your blipmaps.

332 =========== ---------- *AT* Crazy Creek, Middletown,CA
Some pilots have commented that they can't tell where Crazy Creek is on the BLIPMAP. I just follow the 2K line, and that works fairly well.

336 =========== David Grah *AT* Bishop, CA
I look at a range of times and mostly look at just lift strength and height and cloud information.

337 =========== ---------- *AT* Kelly Airpark Elbert, CO
I use them whenever I can determined by availability of computer resources.

344 =========== JOHN GONZALEZ *AT* CRYSTAL LLANO CA
VERY USEFUL TOOL IN PLANNING LONG FLIGHTS. THE CRYSTAL SQUADRON USES THIS INFORMATION THROUGHOUT THE WEEK TO GET A BETTER IDEA OF FLIGHT DIRECTION

346 =========== Ken Hanford *AT* Chicago Glider Club, Minooka IL
During the soaring season, I review BLIPMAPS just to torture myself stuck at work with no chance of making it to the glider port. I like to think it gives me a better understanding of the BLIPMAPS and the trends going into the weekends.

347 =========== ---------- *AT* (BSB) or S_Butte_ID
My answer for task planning was dampened by the fact that I also use NOAA surface forecasts and DUAT upper air for task planning. The 3 combined are extremely useful.

351 =========== ---------- *AT* Sky Soaring / Hampshire, IL
At our field we will hear of other pilots mentioning that the Blipmaps show a good day. This tends to bring more pilots out.

356 =========== Jeff James *AT* Clewiston,Fl
Your forecast is intertwined with the Florida Ridge HG park so I would assume that just about everyone takes a look before they go. I do other ridge type soaring at the beach which of course doesn't really need the Blip as much. Anyway thank's for all your research and info. JJ

360 =========== Ian Cant *AT* Tehachapi CA
Blipmaps are not a fly/nofly decision tool, but they are a XC/no-XC indicator. They do affect my choice of launch times, equipment carried and so on.

361 =========== ---------- *AT* Crazy Creek, Middletown, CA
Unfortunately I do not have a very flexible work schedule, so I do not schedule days off around the forecast. I fly on my days off if it is flyable. However, I use the BLIPMAP to figure out tasks, and compare my day to the predicted day quite often. Thanks again for this wonderful tool, Ginny

364 =========== ---------- *AT* crystal airport,llano, ca
I usually fly on Sat & go xc, I will go no matter the forcast. I fly with the crytsal squadron & we get an excellent weather briefing in addition to my own survey.

369 =========== ---------- *AT* Waynesboro, VA (W13) and Front Royal, VA (FRR)
They are very useful. Keep up the good work.

374 =========== Paul McClure *AT* Decatur, TX
I can only fly one weekend day. I try to pick which day based on BLIPMAPS.

377 =========== ---------- *AT* Wurtsboro, NY
Answers for questions #2 and #3 are guesstimates. BLIPMAP forecasts have caused trips to the airport to be cancelled, but it is impossible to say how many times this has occurred. I have heard talk of BLIPMAP forecasts at my soaring site, but have no idea how many pilots are currently using them.

381 =========== Ben Rogers *AT* hernandez
we just discovered 3 new sites near hernandez/panoche. this spring we will start using the maps more for our xc.

382 =========== John Daly *AT* Ephrata, WA
I landed out in May 2003 and broke the tail boom so missed the amjority of the season. Otherwise, use would have been much greater

383 =========== ---------- *AT* Hood River, OR
Still not quite up to speed on all this

384 =========== ---------- *AT* Tehachapi, CA
I have provided Blipmaps for posting on the bulletin board for other pilots.

385 =========== Steve Leonard *AT* Sunflower Gliderport, Hutchinson, KS
I have notcied that there is a time of day during which the afternoon forecast goes completely to heck (indicates little to no chance of lift). This is between about 9 AM and noon, central time. Wonder why?

386 =========== G. E. (Tim) Wood *AT* Arthur, ON
I rely on it now for all my flights. When away from home, as I don't own a lap top computer, I call a friend at his home each morning to get a second-hand read on the Blip map

387 =========== ---------- *AT* 0B7 -- Warren, VT
I find Blipmaps too coarse for task planning and use actual soundings instead.

388 =========== Bob Davis, SSA state governor *AT* (DKX) Knoxville Downtown Island Airport
BLIPMAP has a good use to encourage soaring pilots to train on days the lift is good and with this knowledge have more flights that are more than just a short glide.

390 =========== Larry Roberts *AT* Crazy Creek, Middletown, CA
I have flown hang gliders for years and just started flying sailplanes August, 2003. I did not use Blip maps before then. I did use the TIP index. I still need to learn more about using the Blipmaps and hope to use them this soaring season while I work on XC. Many times I do not see the report until I am at the airport.

392 =========== ---------- *AT* MEV
I find the trending blipmap loops provide to be particularly helpful.

396 =========== George Burns *AT* W73
Didn't know you could use it at multiple times of the day. I'll start doing that right away. Thanks for the info.

397 =========== Dan Shoemaker *AT* Caddo Mills, TX
As a meteorologist, BLIPMAP is not my only tool, but I think it's the best presented soaring tool out there. If I could only use one package on the web, this would be it. I would like to see BLIPMAPs go out to three days, so Thu I could plan a weekend, and Fri could do final adjustments and head out. We tend to camp in Oklahoma (3 1/2 hour drive) and don't have internet access while we're out. When WRF spins up, could longer range forecasts be in the future? Now that I've been to the bottom I see you're going to use the ETA to 84 hours...that's excellent!

401 =========== Dean Chantiles *AT* Warner Springs CA
A fantastic resource for soaring pilots.

402 =========== ---------- *AT* Canton, GA
Usually look at the latest forecast. I live in the EST and am not real clear on the 18/21Z time.

407 =========== ---------- *AT* El Tiro - Tuscon, AZ
A wonderful tool. Don't know how we got by without it before! Makes the go/no go decision for XC flights much more efficient! Keep up the good work.

411 =========== ---------- *AT* Brokenstraw P-15, Youngsville, PA
Sorry that I don't keep the stats you need. The only time that I use Blipmap info that someone else tells me about is if I go to the airport before the full day's Blipmaps are posted, or if there is a computer problem.

417 =========== ---------- *AT* Fairfield, PA
Last year was a non flying year for me for a number of reasons. I used BLIPMAPs extensively in 2002, and plan to be using them extensively in 2004.

419 =========== Rolf Beyer *AT* Harris Hill, Elmira, NY
Since I retired, therefore I can fly almost any day when it's nice, not just "work days" Question 2 & 7: I only counted X/C and pilots, who fly X/C

420 =========== Ray Wood *AT* Rockton Ontario Canada
I an an instuctor at our club, I flew many days as aninstructor that I would not have rigged my own glider for. My time was limited by bussiness this past season.

424 =========== ---------- *AT* Moriarty,NM
I don't know if forecasting is possible on BLIPMAPS. I probably need to spend more time on the site trying to figure this out. Blipmaps don't change my flying plans much because I need to plan 5-7 days ahead and I haven't seen a seven day forecast to help me pick the best day that far ahead. So when I use the BLIPS I'm already commited to a day at the airport and they just assist with picking the best local flight area.

427 =========== Tom Hardy *AT* UBS - Columbus, Mississippi 39705
I'm the only glider pilot at my site.

428 =========== Bob Roth *AT* Fingerlakes/NY
for some reason the only time I can view a map is for the 'current' time

431 =========== Eric Westphal *AT* Houston, TX
Soaring conditions were terrible here last year, so most of my flying was power flying. However, I did use the BLIPMAPS often to decide not to go soaring. I'm hoping for better this year. BLIPMAPs have been invaluable to me!

434 =========== Paul Rehm *AT* Fredrick MD.
There have been a couple of noteable days where soaring forecasting my other way had told me to stay home only to receive a call from a friend who had seen the blipmaps predict tremendous conditions.After seeing that the maps were in fact correct, they gained much more acceptence.So much so that a fellow club member put on a program to introduce other members to their use!

435 =========== Todd Herzog *AT* ADG, MI
Almost always look at Blipmaps the evening before a planned flying day. Often may fly/no-fly decisions based on teh early forcasts.

438 =========== Roque Serpa *AT* Avenal, CA
I plan on pursuing badges this season and to enter a few contest next season. I expect my use to go up. I am unable to reschedule work days, otherwise I would have based on the blipmap forcasts.

441 =========== ---------- *AT* La Grange, GA
Goal for this year: take off a workday ...

445 =========== Dave Piotrowski *AT* Was Wurtsboro, NY
I live a long way from the airport, so I have to look when I get up, then make the go/no go decision.

455 =========== Daniel Ruegemer *AT* Hollister, CA
I use the BLIPSPOTs rather than the BLIPMAPs. I hardly ever use the actual BLIPMAP. I like seeing the raw numbers at the BLIPSPOTs. I also use the TIPs in additon, because of the 'graphical' representation of the expected temps/adiabats. That, in combination with the BLIPSPOTs, and a look to the sky it all I need for my decision making to soar or not to soar. All my above and below feedback is not for BLIPMAPs but BLIPSPOTs.

456 =========== Daryl Seibel *AT* Little Rock, AR
My access to soaring activity is limited therefore my utilization is somewhat unusual. I fly at Minden once or twice a year for wave and thermal activity. However I fly produciton flight test for corporate jet aircraft out of KLIT. Therefore I quite often access the BLIPMAP just to see the environemnt I will be flying in.

457 =========== ---------- *AT* Mt Magazine Havana, Ar.
I use the BlipMaps and Skew-T to form my soaring forecast for the day. Love it when they agree with each other, which they do most of the time. I find this more reliable than the online forecasts I get from the big weather sites.

461 =========== Finbar Sheehy *AT* Warner Springs CA
I mostly fly near the home field, not doing XCs yet. I use Blipmap and the FSL sounding model to decide whether to drive to the airport (long drive). I have not used Blipmap for power flying, which is where route planning might be useful, but it might prove useful for turbulence & wind planning.

466 =========== Eric Greenwell *AT* Richland, WA
I use blipmaps daily, because I can usually fly any day; primarily, I'm looking for >500K days, or state record days.

467 =========== John Medley *AT* Crystalaire Llano, CA
I have to fly by the calendar, meaning whenever I can get a kitchen pass and am not working, almost regardless of the conditions. Therefore I have never cancelled a day due to a blipmap forecast. I do use it DAILY to fantasize about how good it would be and where I could probably go on any given day, and can use the predictions to reinforce my contention that it is a good day to fly and justifies a kitchen pass. When I do get to fly, I use it to help predict what kind of day to expect and when I should leave home (1.5 hour drive to gliderport) to best take advantage of the predicted conditions.

468 =========== ---------- *AT* Austin, TX
My percentage of times I "obtained a BLIPMAP" was the percentage of times I *attempted* to do so, but the site was not always available when I tried to bring it up (I don't mean that the data was not yet available, I mean there were site problems). After a while, I quite trying until recently.

469 =========== ---------- *AT* Statesboro, GA
used Blipmap along with other forecasts to get overall picture of how the weather is shaping up.

475 =========== ---------- *AT* Batavia, OH
Just got started with system as of 2004.

479 =========== ---------- *AT* hemet, ca
I generally get ruc profiles and make other analyses besides blipmaps, but more and more as confirmation rather than primary

483 =========== ---------- *AT* Saratoga County Airport, Ballston Spa, NY
I fly almost every day that is flyable but I am also a power flight instructor so the majority of my flying, during the week, is in powered aircraft. That may explain the unusual numbers.

486 =========== Martin Hellman *AT* Hayward, CA
I'd look at BLIPMAP 100% of the time I go flying, but when I'm on safari, I usually don't have Internet access. That's when I try to use the "secondhand" BLIPMAP as you call it above. BLIPMAP actually influences close to 75% of the days I fly, though the above questions don't necessarily reflect that.

487 =========== ---------- *AT* Lake Elsinore, CA
The BL Convergence map is great for predicting convergence conditions at my home hang gliding site, Kagel Mt.

491 =========== Doug Haluza *AT* Julian PA
For long record flights, can only use in early morning prior to launch usually near dawn. Am using ARL READY weather site for longer range info needed to plan time off from work and travel to soaring site. Would like a long range BLIPMAP option based on the GFS model. This could be national in scale for planning purposes.

497 =========== ---------- *AT* Boulder, CO
Most of my flying is teaching and I teach students to look at blip maps. Other times I use it personaly to go xc which is never enough.

499 =========== Tom Hardy *AT* UBS Columbus, MS
I am the only glider pilot flying from my site, hence the 100% usage by active pilots.

504 =========== ---------- *AT* Invermere BC
Have found the trigger time very acurate

506 =========== ---------- *AT* Durango, Colo
Mainly because I've not taken the time to understand how to use the blipmaps to their full potential....

507 =========== ---------- *AT* Warner Springs CA
My flying schedule in 2003 was very limited. I had very little opportunity to actually take advantage of the blipmap data as a criteria to schedule flights.

510 =========== MAJ K. Mason Smawley *AT* Highland Aero Sports, Ridgely MD
Did not fly much since I was deployed to Bosnia from Jan 03 to SEP 03. Will be heading back to BiH in 7 days until OCT 04, again! I fnd your forcast very useful in my flight planning.

513 =========== Walter Gleason *AT* Lake Village IN
As a CFI-G, I fly when scheduled regardless of lift. I use Blipmap to decide if I will plan my day to include some fun flying for myself.

514 =========== ---------- *AT* Elsinore
Excellent

517 =========== Mike Parker *AT* El Tiro Gliderport Tucson, AZ
Please don't pass out my email address with comments. I get enough spam already.

518 =========== George Hamilton *AT* Rancho Murieta, CA
I am a hang gliding instructor. Most of my "flying" is spent working with students.

520 =========== Burt Compton *AT* Marfa, TX
I report the daily BLIPMAPS to our visiting pilots each morning.

523 =========== Heinz *AT* Arlington, WA & Ephrata WA
Look at BM and compare to local AWO Wx. But my local flight are too small in scale. Hope to take "bigger steps" in future

524 =========== ---------- *AT* Middletown/CA
Last year was an anomoly for me since work prevented me from flying as much as usual. In normal circumstances I fly 15-20 times a year and now that BLIPMAPs are available I use them religiously to determine whether or not to go on a particular day. Also, it helps me determine which of sat/sun is the day I will go (TIP is involved here). Even if I don't fly, I often look just to see what I might be missing or what I didn't miss (and to dream :-).