#paragliding.
Posts on the Alpisto engineering blog filed under #paragliding.
- 01#flybeeper #fanet #flarm
FLARM, FANET and ADS-L — where the line actually is
Why I won't ship FLARM on hardware that could technically transmit it, what the licence actually permits, why FANET's adaptive interval matters in a gaggle, why LoRa means FANET can never be the EU conspicuity standard — and why ADS-L is a better bet than it looks.
8 min read - 02#flybeeper #variometer #barometer
Why I don't put an accelerometer in my vario
A phone's barometer isn't bad — it's read badly, and that's most of why phone-only varios feel laggy. Why I poll a dedicated baro at 60 Hz instead, why an IMU costs more than it gives, how it lies to you in a spiral, and where sensor fusion actually belongs.
7 min read - 03#flybeeper #fanet-vario #fanet
See and be seen — a solar FANET vario you never have to charge
The FlyBeeper FANET Vario is a wireless, solar-powered FANET beacon and barometric variometer in one. No GPS inside — it reuses your phone's, works as a plain radio driven by the app, and puts you on the map for nearby pilots. Full app, BLE protocol and specs. A quiet pre-order at €149 with free shipping.
13 min read - 04#flybeeper #machine-learning #reinforcement-learning
Machine Learning for Thermal-Soaring Optimisation: a Survey of Approaches, Architectures and Open Problems
A survey of deep learning and reinforcement learning for autonomous thermal soaring — LSTM/GRU/TCN/Transformer architectures, POMDP and PPO/TD3 formulations, Kalman + ML hybrid filtering, and a concrete five-stage plan for an on-board AI co-pilot for paragliders.
17 min read - 05#flybeeper #sun-vario #variometer
FlyBeeper Sun Vario: a Solar-Powered Bluetooth Variometer Under 8 Grams
A solar-powered BLE variometer that weighs under 8 g and never needs a battery change. Supercapacitor energy buffer, USB-C emergency charge in 60 seconds, 500,000 cycles, operating range -15 °C to +70 °C — designed as a primary vario for hike-and-fly paragliding.
6 min read - 06#flybeeper #fanet #lora
FlyBeeper FANET: a Bluetooth Bridge to the FANET Radio Network
An always-on BLE bridge to the 868 MHz FANET data network. No on-board GPS — the smartphone provides position, the device just radiates. Solar-powered, years of standby, full radio configuration over GATT so apps can transmit FANET, ADS-L or anything else on the same radio.
6 min read - 07#flybeeper #tas #airspeed
FlyBeeper TAS: a Bluetooth True-Airspeed Sensor with a Purpose-Built Pitot Tube
A purpose-built BLE true-airspeed sensor for paragliders and hang gliders up to 103 km/h IAS. Custom CFD-designed pitot tube with a 4% correction coefficient versus 50% for hobby tubes, four PCB revisions ending in USB-C supercap charging, and standards-compliant BLE GATT services.
9 min read - 08#flybeeper #ps1 #pressure-sensor
FlyBeeper Pressure Sensor: an Always-On Bluetooth Barometer for Flight Apps
An external BLE pressure sensor for paragliding flight apps like xcTrack and SeeYou Navigator. Always on, pair once and forget — wakes the moment the app subscribes to ESS pressure notifications. ±2 cm/s vertical-speed resolution from an SPL06, 5-year standby on a single CR2032.
5 min read - 09#flybeeper #rc4 #remote-control
FlyBeeper Remote Control 4: a Bluetooth Four-Button Remote with Multi-Year Battery Life
An always-on four-button BLE remote for paragliding flight apps. No power switch, deep-sleep when idle, automatic wake when an app connects — battery life measured in years from a single CR2032. Built on Nordic nRF52, exposes the standard Automation IO Service.
3 min read - 10#flybeeper #mini-bt #variometer
FlyBeeper mini BT: a Tiny Bluetooth Variometer Built on Zephyr RTOS
A dwarf-sized BLE 5 variometer on nRF52 + Zephyr RTOS, exposing pressure, temperature, altitude, four-button remote and OTA updates through standards-compliant GATT services. The entire stack — GPIO, SPI, PWM, ADC, FLASH, OTA, DFU, BLE, GATT, plus the OS — fits in 200 kB.
18 min read - 11#flybeeper #f1 #test-flight
FlyBeeper F1 Field Test Report (May 15, 2022)
Five hours, three F1 units, two GPS antennas, one RF interference incident over Cividale. Notes on GPS lock quality, vario behaviour, BLE companion app, and a Tagliamento-crossing flight across the Julian Alps.
3 min read - 12#flybeeper #f1 #fanet
FlyBeeper F1: a Compact FANET-Capable Flight Instrument
A pocket-sized paragliding flight instrument with GNSS, barometer, 868 MHz LoRa FANET, BLE 5.0 and on-board logging. Built as both a FANET tracker and the main vario, with a long development log covering hardware, firmware, FAI-recognised IGC validation and a Web BLE configurator.
8 min read - 13#flybeeper #horn #variometer
FlyBeeper Horn: a Variometer-Whistle for Paraglider Pilots
The smallest variometer in the FlyBeeper line, doubling as an emergency whistle and acoustic distress beacon. A demanding miniature project that combines tight PCB design, a composite CR2032 holder, and a 3D-printed enclosure that has to actually whistle.
2 min read