What is Reddit's opinion of XCSoar?

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Hey, glad things are going well! If you have an android device I can suggest non other than XC Soar. My first flight computer was Naviters' Oudie (the guys that make SeeYou). It worked well enough but it just didn't do it for me. I was told to try XC Soar out and I haven't looked back since, Best part about it is that its free!! My Oudie cost me almost $1000AUD which on a student budget was money I have regretted spending... Asside from the price difference, XC Soar managed to help me to fly a lot better, specifically on final glides and during AAT tasks - It also has a thermal assistant that works well, but you shouldn't really be relying on it... I cannot praise the software enough! If you dont have an android I'd say go out and get a small phone or tablet. Not sure what the prices are like where you are but in Australia you can get something quite decent for around $300-500. Enough of my rant... hers a link to the page for the software.

http://www.xcsoar.org/

Safe flying :)

I am going to say go with what you already have. you already have a smartphone and Bluetooth vario so why not utilise it. download and get to know XCsoar. it takes a little setting up to get maps, airspace, waypoint and settings to getting "feeling" right but it is a great bit of software. use your cash to buy an external battery pack for you phone/vario and you are good to go.

if you are doing tasks it will tell you how much height you need to get to the next waypoint, what speed you should be flying to make the most of the air, all the important info from the day like wind direction and speed, and what the average climb rate has been ect. it also marks the thermal when you are thermaling and will show you the centre including wind drift (great for when you loose a climb just look at the instrument to see where you have fallen out). the only downside is the maps arnt fantastic in some areas, when i am free flying and giving others reports via radio it is useful knowing what road/small town/area i am flying above particularly when flying somewhere new, the maps for Australia often dont have roads/small towns/ creeks marked which is why i also fly with a garmin gpsmap 76.

i have been using lk8000 on a holux gps, pretty much the same software just a little different layout, and i cant imagine flying without it (or xcsoar) again.

http://www.blueflyvario.com/index.php/buy there app works fine but if you got a few years you can learn to use XCSOAR http://www.xcsoar.org/

chuck it in an ereader for aother hundred and you have what majority of these http://www.redbullxalps.com/ guys were useing.

anyways BACK to useing these when kiteing. think i said this fair fw years ago now when accelerometers and baros started rocking up in phones the sheer number of these components being pumped out in such a small form factor ment people could just stick them in everything and everywhere. once mainstream production goes this way the hobbiest really luck out and had a fair bit to do with the attack of the drones were now seeing.

kiteing kiteing kiteing oh yes. so for 100$ far more accurate hardware WITH a whole world of people makeing crazy opensource shit for everything. that will allways be years beyong anything production wise. BUT entire purpose of this shit is that WOO and XENSOR are allready 30 years behind the curve here its nothing even remotely new.

as for all the 500-2k$ devices you see. that price is ALLLLLLLLL software. which is fine. just dont think its some crazy new hardware because if your reading this on your phone chances are youve had a woo for ahwhile