Pete Zeugma wrote in message ...

Would you also want to practice landing a glider full
up with ballast as well?

Possibly, but you'd better have plenty of runway and make sure your
wings are equal. You'll simply find that it lands more like a typical
light plane and flare angles are reduced and extended longitudinally.
No big deal.

In the experimental Sigma, modified by Dr. Marsden, then further
modified by myself, there's no choice. The 900 lb. wings are always
fully ballasted and 5/16" aluminum plate skins equate to 12.65 psf.

However, we are able to achieve a measured max CsubL of 2.4 and
therefore the landing speeds are moderate. Still quite an adventure to
land out, which I have done once, much to the chagrin of my friends...
well, some of them now ex-friends!

On the general thread of practicing for emergencies, I used to own
helicopters for personal transport in a business. In my Hughes 500D,
I always made it a point to practice an engine-out autorotational
landing on one of two legs of any round trip. As a result, I was
thorougly prepared and practiced when I was returning from a personal
trip with my wife and experienced a complete flame-out at minimum
downwind altitude after take-off. Contaminated jet fuel. Textbook
landing, with no damage to aircraft or us. Even so, FAA required
disasembly and trailering to regional service center for complete
inspection. Quite a hassle. Real damage was to my wife's psyche. Poor
thing.

Best Regards,
Gary Osoba