After the recent incident involving a helicopter rescue, the board of directors wanted to review the rules of "landing now" and remind all pilots exactly what they are. In doing so in last night's meeting, Joe Greblo noted that our rules had changed somewhat due to better communication with the aerial emergency pilots. He notes that sometimes the rescue pilots are willing to work around the glider pilots. However this situation requires radio communication with the hg/pg pilots so they can be informed that they are allowed to continue flying. Without this express permission all Kagel pilots must land if a hovering helicopter is seen in our flying area.
A special committe will be meeting in the next couple of weeks to get our rules better defined. We will use the Crestline model as our starting point and then define our rules and possible exceptions. If you have any comments on this, please post a reply or contact our safety director Fred Ballard directly.
Watch for the rules to be posted in the next few weeks and in the meantime please DO follow the Crestline policy as noted in OP's post. Obtaining and flying with a radio is also a good idea.
Rob
Kagel rules for landing NOW
Moderator: Chip
I suggest the following SOP:
1 - When multiple pilots have been flying and on radio, any pilot who lands please take your radio out and leave it ON w/ the volume turned up so you can keep communication open w/ the remaining airborne pilot(s).
2 - When a pilot on radio lands, please inform the airborne pilots that you have landed and whether or not it was safe. Sometimes are best rescuers in an emergency are the pilots in the air and not the pilot(s) on the ground.
It is no secret that I do a fair amount of XC flying. It is my personal practice to remove my radio and hand it from the nose of my glider after I land in order to stay in communication w/ other pilots still in the air. This practice has prevented potential accidents and injury to other pilots when surface winds were grossly different than winds aloft. There is no limit to the number of reasons to keep that radio working after you land.
I also keep a collapsible 1/2 wave antenna in my harness for better ground comm.
1 - When multiple pilots have been flying and on radio, any pilot who lands please take your radio out and leave it ON w/ the volume turned up so you can keep communication open w/ the remaining airborne pilot(s).
2 - When a pilot on radio lands, please inform the airborne pilots that you have landed and whether or not it was safe. Sometimes are best rescuers in an emergency are the pilots in the air and not the pilot(s) on the ground.
It is no secret that I do a fair amount of XC flying. It is my personal practice to remove my radio and hand it from the nose of my glider after I land in order to stay in communication w/ other pilots still in the air. This practice has prevented potential accidents and injury to other pilots when surface winds were grossly different than winds aloft. There is no limit to the number of reasons to keep that radio working after you land.
I also keep a collapsible 1/2 wave antenna in my harness for better ground comm.
In reference to Rob's comment about having a radio:"Obtaining and flying with a radio is also a good idea."
IF you get/have a radio AND you plan on BROADCASTING on it, you MUST have a HAM license.
It just isn't that hard to get your HAM license--after all, I have one!
Having the visual as Crestline does would be hugely beneficial however.
lw
Since there is no requirement for having a radio, I suggest that maybe we adopt something like the competitions use. Many pilots in the air during comps have different frequencies. Lot of reasons for that beyond not listening to all of the chatter.
When the task for the day has been stopped, other pilots in the air remove their legs from the harness and begin acting as if they are riding a bicycle. Now one can imagine how odd that would look. So odd that it will likely get your attention.
We could designate that kind of activity means land immediately. We could also specify it means leave the Kagel launch area. It's complicated about what meaning we place on it. Probably best to just say land NOW.
Comments welcome .....
When the task for the day has been stopped, other pilots in the air remove their legs from the harness and begin acting as if they are riding a bicycle. Now one can imagine how odd that would look. So odd that it will likely get your attention.
We could designate that kind of activity means land immediately. We could also specify it means leave the Kagel launch area. It's complicated about what meaning we place on it. Probably best to just say land NOW.
Comments welcome .....