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LOUISVILLE SOARING CLUB ---Good
Judgment Is Usually the Result of Experience… Take a look at some recent events: --- Over the past few weeks, two separate club members thought it was OK to land in the grass while another glider was staged for takeoff at the far end. Even though the runway was clear, a grass landing seemed prudent because they ‘knew’ they could land and stop with no problem. The first case ended with no problem. The second case ended with a problem. --- Last weekend one of our pilots entered the pattern low, felt an updraft on downwind and thought it reasonable to turn away from the field for one turn before landing in the grass. He was not concerned. Everyone on the ground was. --- Within the last week or so, one of our pilots surprised another by sneaking up on him and dusting him off as he flew by at high speed. (Ask me about an AF incident like this where one of my friends was killed). --- Last weekend, one of our pilots let a guest run his wing on takeoff. He got lucky. Last year a guest doing this almost put one of our gliders in the ditch. Lady and Gents - our enthusiasm is clouding our judgment and we’re starting to do stupid things. It’s time to slow down and cultivate a safer, more conservative, professional approach to our sport before we bend metal or worse: 1) Come prepared to fly. The sport’s standard practices are well spelled out in our flight manuals, the FAA Glider Handbook, Soaring Magazine, etc. If your friends on the field get even the slightest hint that you’re not prepared or your brain isn’t engaged - you’re not going to fly. 2) Take the time to preflight. We must never have a takeoff with a tail dolly still attached or a solo 2-33 flight with the back seat not tied up. Forget about the glider entering the pattern. Slow down and attend to your own business. 3) Use your checklists. Always, always, always. Slow down. Do them out loud, do them in sequence. If interrupted, start over. Crew chiefs - feel free to ask. Make sure the dive brakes are locked. Make sure the L-33 canopy is locked. Have a rope break game-plan already prepared and adjusted to the day’s conditions. If you think this is overkill, see me. 4) Pay attention on tow! Do it by the book: stay low until the tow gets airborne; use proper crosswind techniques; stay in position; use proper signals. Tow pilots should refuse to tow anyone not prepared or not paying attention. 5) Pay attention to the winds. Do not get caught downwind. If you do, a well executed off field landing is always better than a questionable return. 6) Clear. Clear before release, clear in thermals, clear near the IP and in the pattern. 7) If the grass is occupied, land on the runway. If the runway is also occupied, land WELL short using an off-field landing technique. A runway landing gets an Atta-boy. A close call gets you grounded. 8) No thermalling in the pattern! This has been preached for years! Once you enter the pattern, commit to landing. 9) No low, flat, slow finals. Manage your energy to remain in the sweet spot - a descent angle requiring half dive brakes from base to final is perfect. Make your pattern decisions based on the angle and distance to your touchdown point - not on a geographic position. This will change daily with the winds. 10) Watch those guests! They aught to be under the tent or closely supervised. The only people permitted to be a crew chief or wing runner is an appropriately checked-out club member. Lastly, I need some help. Gentle ribbing for certain soaring indiscretions worked well in the past, but I think we’re now in need of a more active, collective approach until we arrest this trend. Speak up! A culture of enforcing adherence to safe procedures will only come from a group effort. Cheers MC |
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LOUISVILLE SOARING CLUB After a year of experience with the Scout, our tow pilot union has identified a couple of areas where we can enhance safety. Many of these are tow pilot only issues, but we in the gliders can help by using radio calls to supplement the normal visual signals. On the ground, the tow pilot’s view of the rope and hook up activity is often blocked by the Scout’s vertical stabilizer. As a result, the tow pilots have had to rely on the crew chief’s signal to take up the slack. Normally this works well, but a new (or distracted) crew chief may not be as fluent with the standard SSA hand signals or potential hazard areas as they would normally be later in the season. Another situation occurred on several occasions last summer when we had “helpful” visitors raise the sailplane wing while people were still standing in front of the sailplane. The Scout visibility issues don’t go away once airborne. If the glider is riding a little low on tow, it’s hard for the tow plane to see him in the mirrors. On a smooth day, the tow pilot can usually feel the glider release, but turbulence or a ‘soft’ release, can leave the tow pilot unsure if he’s still got the glider in tow or not. To close the loop on glider/tow communications, we’re requesting that the glider pilots use their radios at three specific times during the launch - and when doing so use the following specific language:
Use of the radios is intended to supplement the normal visual signals - not replace them. Glider pilots, tow pilots, and crew chiefs should continue to use appropriate visual signals on every launch as we have done in the past. Radio calls will confirm the visual signals that are seen and fill in for those that might otherwise be missed. That way, if a glider’s radio is inoperative or someone is clogging up the freq with chatter, our launch sequence, expectations, and habits don’t change. One last item - as we try this out there will undoubtedly be times when something goes awry. Glider pilots - remember that you have a sure-fire way to remedy a situation if things start happening you do not intend or are not ready for - PULL THE RELEASE. Safety does matter! |