Options for disabled glider pilot

[Allan Smits]

I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I
am not sure of how to proceed given the challenges of flight control
operation, primarily dealing with simultaneous flight stick and spoilers
on final approach. Are there any other disabled glider pilots out there
with similar challenges that might provide help and advice?

Thanks, Allan

[root]

Allan Smits wrote:
>
> I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I
> am not sure of how to proceed given the challenges of flight control
> operation, primarily dealing with simultaneous flight stick and spoilers
> on final approach. Are there any other disabled glider pilots out there
> with similar challenges that might provide help and advice?
>
> Thanks, Allan

Im my club, there is a glider, an ASK21, equipped for disabled persons, although
not in the same way as yourself, but rather for persons having lost the use
of their legs. However a part of its disposition may apply to your case. In this
glider a lever on the left side, operated by the left arm, is used as a substitute
for the rudder pedals. As the left hand in this way is needed for both rudder and
spoilers, the spoiler lever has notches allowing to be left it in a given position
without further intervention. This last disposition may be useful in your case.
However when you have to move this lever, your left hand will leave the stick free,
so it should be perfectly trimmed before that. This should be possible on an ASK21,
where the trim lever is just on the left side of the stick, so you should be able
to actuate both simultaneously with your left hand, but on all other gliders I have
flown the trim is on a separate lever. Even gliders like the LS-X (1 < X < 8) or
ASW24 with a kind of trigger on the stick allowing the trim spring to move freely
and lock in the position where the trigger is released don't work really this
way and need an action of the left hand on a left "reminder of position" in order
to obtain a neutral stick in a given position.

[Mark James Boyd]

>> I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I

I heard a rumor about a one-armed man getting his multi-ATP.
If the one hand is fast enough, there you go!

Someone on this group also mentioned the idea of putting
an extra notch for "half" spoilers in the Blanik L-13.

I'm willing to bet the FAA would bend over backwards to
help you and a mechanic and an examiner to make this happen.

Please let us know how it turns out...

[Bob Greenblatt]

in article , Allan Smits at
wrote on 8/24/2003 10:58 PM:

> I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I
> am not sure of how to proceed given the challenges of flight control
> operation, primarily dealing with simultaneous flight stick and spoilers
> on final approach. Are there any other disabled glider pilots out there
> with similar challenges that might provide help and advice?
>
> Thanks, Allan
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Alan,

I do not know where you are located, but check out:
http://www.freedomswings.org/

--
Bob & Lynne Greenblatt

[Martin Hellman]

Allan Smits > wrote in message >...
> I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I
> am not sure of how to proceed given the challenges of flight control
> operation, primarily dealing with simultaneous flight stick and spoilers
> on final approach. Are there any other disabled glider pilots out there
> with similar challenges that might provide help and advice?
>
> Thanks, Allan

One of the other responses mentioned the hand control for the rudder
for pilots who have lost the use of their legs. One of my good friends
flies both power and gliders this way and, on final approach, has the
same problem you do -- one hand too few. One hand is on the stick and
one on the rudders. So how does he handle the spoilers? He has several
notches of spoilers that he can cut in and leave there. It takes
better piloting (or more runway) to deal with an infrequently changed
spoiler setting, but it can be done.

Wishing you good luck Allan,

Martin

[E. A. Grens]

Allan -

If you own the glider and can make modifications, you could benefit from
some modern technology. As you probably know, modern military aircraft use
buttons, etc. , on the control stick to perform many functions. A rocker
switch on the stick could control your spoilers through a solenoid. Another
could control the trim, if necessary. Others could control additional
functions (gear?). Since these activities do not occur frequently they will
not impose excessive loads on your battery.

Ed Grens





> Allan Smits wrote:
> >
> > I've just gotten bitten by the glider bug, but as a right arm amputee, I
> > am not sure of how to proceed given the challenges of flight control
> > operation, primarily dealing with simultaneous flight stick and spoilers
> > on final approach. Are there any other disabled glider pilots out there
> > with similar challenges that might provide help and advice?
> >
> > Thanks, Allan
>

[root]

"E. A. Grens" wrote:
>
> Allan -
>
> If you own the glider and can make modifications, you could benefit from
> some modern technology. As you probably know, modern military aircraft use
> buttons, etc. , on the control stick to perform many functions. A rocker
> switch on the stick could control your spoilers through a solenoid. Another
> could control the trim, if necessary. Others could control additional
> functions (gear?). Since these activities do not occur frequently they will
> not impose excessive loads on your battery.
>

I would not like to fly a glider where some control depends on the power of
a battery to operate. Battery failures are the most common incident in the
gliders in my club. Of course early preventive replacement may lower the rate,
but in case of a defective new battery with an abnormal short lifetime, you
can detect it prior to its failure to keep its charge.

If I had to design from scratch some control disposition for people with only
one hand, I thing I would like to have the three basic controls (ailerons,
rudder, elevator) actuated by the hand, leaving the feet for trim and spoilers.
E.g. the hand could actuate the kind of yoke you find on most light power planes,
mounted on top of a stick with the 2 usual degrees of freedom. Tilting the
yoke left or right would act on the ailerons, moving the stick left or right
would act on the rudder, moving the stick back and forward would act on the
elevator. Another possible disposition coming in my mind is a rotating handle
like those found on motorbikes at the end of a standard stick, but in this
case I can't chose which among handle rotation and stick left/right should
operate rudder and ailerons. The most natural would be ailerons as usual by
stick left/right and rudder by handle rotation, but you would probably not
have a sufficient force to operate the rudder by direct mechanical transmission
in this way. The tow hook release should also be operated by a button on the
yoke or the stick.

[Dave Martin]

The problem in making modifications to the construction
of the aircraft is getting the modifications approved
by the various authorities. Even simple modifications
can be time consuming and costly to develop. Failure
to do so may render airworthiness certificates and
insurances invalid.

There is a school of thought that says you should try
to adapt the pilot to the aircraft not the other way
round, as this enables the disabled pilot to fly other
aircraft rather that a specially adapted one. I realise
that this is not always the case.

The pilot here should be encouraged to fly and learn
the limits of what he can achieve with one hand until
the time comes for the need to use two. Simply gripping
the stick with the knees provides a simply way to the
free the hand for other short tasks, but may not be
very good for tasks such as airbrake and approach control.


A useful contact is the British Disabled Flying Club
at

Email
Website http://fly.to/bdfc


At 14:18 28 August 2003, Root wrote:
>'E. A. Grens' wrote:
>>
>> Allan -
>>
>> If you own the glider and can make modifications,
>>you could benefit from
>> some modern technology. As you probably know, modern
>>military aircraft use
>> buttons, etc. , on the control stick to perform many
>>functions. A rocker
>> switch on the stick could control your spoilers through
>>a solenoid. Another
>> could control the trim, if necessary. Others could
>>control additional
>> functions (gear?). Since these activities do not
>>occur frequently they will
>> not impose excessive loads on your battery.
>>
>
>I would not like to fly a glider where some control
>depends on the power of
>a battery to operate. Battery failures are the most
>common incident in the
>gliders in my club. Of course early preventive replacement
>may lower the rate,
>but in case of a defective new battery with an abnormal
>short lifetime, you
>can detect it prior to its failure to keep its charge.
>
>If I had to design from scratch some control disposition
>for people with only
>one hand, I thing I would like to have the three basic
>controls (ailerons,
>rudder, elevator) actuated by the hand, leaving the
>feet for trim and spoilers.
>E.g. the hand could actuate the kind of yoke you find
>on most light power planes,
>mounted on top of a stick with the 2 usual degrees
>of freedom. Tilting the
>yoke left or right would act on the ailerons, moving
>the stick left or right
>would act on the rudder, moving the stick back and
>forward would act on the
>elevator. Another possible disposition coming in my
>mind is a rotating handle
>like those found on motorbikes at the end of a standard
>stick, but in this
>case I can't chose which among handle rotation and
>stick left/right should
>operate rudder and ailerons. The most natural would
>be ailerons as usual by
>stick left/right and rudder by handle rotation, but
>you would probably not
>have a sufficient force to operate the rudder by direct
>mechanical transmission
>in this way. The tow hook release should also be operated
>by a button on the
>yoke or the stick.
>