Too-much-glider syndrome

[Ken Andrews]

It's no fun reading other people's sermons, so I apologize. But I can't seem to stop myself from writing down these thoughts.

There have been a few accidents and close calls recently that strike me as classic cases of too-much-glider syndrome. Following are two indicators of this dangerous condition.

The first is currency. I think most will agree that if one hasn't been flying in six months, a flight on a Falcon or a trip to the beach is in order. On shorter timescales, I find that my own little habits begin to fade after just a couple of rainy weekends. Having to walk around the glider an extra time during setup to remove a forgotten kingpost cover isn't a safety concern, but it suggests that similar habits are probably missing from my flight skills. Examples, rarely important but possibly vital, include landing with a funky VG setting, or entering a thermal without having noted which direction the pilots above are turning.

Some gliders forgive these little oversights more gracefully than others. In particular, the U2, Discus, LiteSport, and all topless gliders are thoroughbreds built for speed, not personality. They sure are fun to fly, but they can show their nasty dispositions in a hurry when their pilot makes a small mistake. I believe that a pilot must fly every other weekend at a minimum in order to fly these gliders safely. Of course some will exempt themselves from this rule based on years of experience, or benign weather conditions, or something, but I'm convinced that these are not appropriate gliders for pilots who see a month go by without a flight.

A second risk factor for too-much-glider syndrome is a new glider. Joe Greblo says that a pilot doesn't really know a glider well until after a hundred hours of airtime. I think that at least twenty flight hours are necessary just to get acquainted. These hours are best spent at familiar flying sites on otherwise ordinary days. A great way to get to know a glider is to spend a few hours ridge soaring at Avenue S. A riskier way is to fly cross-country over the desert in summer.

There's a much more fun way of saying the same thing: if you're ready to move up to a new glider, this is the time to do it! A glider ordered in the next couple months will arrive in January or February, hopefully on a north-wind day for a flight at Avenue S. A new glider will spice up the winter days at Kagel, and then one will be prepared for adventure as spring rolls in.

I should probably proofread this before posting it, but I'm busy right now studying new glider spec sheets....

[frosty]

Perhaps coincidentally, the pilot who tumbled last week had moved up from a Falcon to a Spectrum a few weeks prior to the accident.

BTW Ken, don't forget to check out the specs on the new Tuckspeed BS from Ill Wings.

[Malury]

Thanks for your thoughtful comments Ken. It did take about 100 hours to feel confident in my Falcon. I've got 5 hours on my new Sport 2, and 5 landings......