Borgelt B50 Vario User manual

Borgelt B50 Vario Guide
Ballast
Adjusts wing loading for speed to fly in cruise mode. Setting the dial to 1.3 equals sailplane wing
loading at minimum cockpit loading. Maximum cockpit loading is equal to dial setting at 1.6.
Macready
Speed to fly setting in 2 knot increments to 8 knots in cruise mode.
Bugs Adjustment
Sailplane performance is degraded by bugs or rain on the wings which changes the polar and hence
makes the speed to fly command inaccurate. The bugs control may be adjusted to reflect the
degradation in best L/D up to a maximum 30% degradation.
Bugs
Adjustment
Ballast
(Wing Loading)
Averager
Voltage
Temperature
Display
Volume
Vario
Response
Macready
Vario Dial

Volume
Adjusts audio volume.
Averager/Voltage/Temperature
Switch selects the data shown on the digital display.
AV = 23 second variometer averager in climb mode, 23 second netto averager in cruise mode
V = battery voltage
C = Outside temperature as measured by probe (if fitted)in degrees Celsius.
Vario Response
Selects speed of response of the variometer.
Up = Fast Response Down = Slow Response
Vario Dial
In climb mode total energy rate of climb is displayed. In cruise mode NETTO will be displayed.
Cruise/Climb Switch (Not Pictured)
Switch situated on instrument panel that changes to cruise or climb mode.
Using the B50
On power up the vario needle will go up momentarily before going full scale down for a few seconds
and then slowly return to zero. This is the normal warm up cycle.
Climb Mode
With the Cruise/Climb switch in CLIMB position the digital readout is a 23 second AVERAGER and the
Vario dial is a standard vario. The digital averager shows achieved climb rate over the last one to two
circles providing a good guide as to when the thermal is weakening.
Cruise Mode
In CRUISE mode the Vario Dial becomes a RELATIVE NETTO variometer. You will see the rate of
climb which would be achieved if the sailplane was circled at its normal circling speed regardless of
the actual airspeed at the time. (The airspeed and hence glider sink rate is compensated for in the
RELATIVE NETTO setting)This is useful when deciding whether or not to circle. The cruise audio will
change to climb sound if the indication exceeds the current Macready setting.
The rest of the time you need to remember that you are in still air when the round meter indicates
approximately 2 knots sink and that the AIRMASS that you are flying in is rising for any indication
above about 2 knots sink. This is regardless of the actual airspeed at which you are flying.
The AIRMASS indication is most useful for picking the best path through the air between thermals
and for meteorological awareness of what the AIRMASS you are flying in is doing. The digital display
shows NETTO(AIRMASS) average over the last half minute or so.
The AUDIO in cruise mode is `slowly alternating tones' for fly slower and `rapidly alternating tones'
for fly faster. The audio silent band increases in width with airspeed. The change from CLIMB to
CRUISE and back again occurs instantaneously with the throwing of the mode switch, so don't feel
inhibited about using the switch to get the instrument to give you the most useful information when
you need it.