"Eric Coleson" wrote in message
om...
"Bill Daniels" wrote in message
...
Cindy, perhaps you would address that bit of nonsense in the Private
Pilot
Practical Test Standards about no-spoiler accuracy landings. (I've
always
thought it was there in order to make the PTS 2-33 specific.)

Bill Daniels

That would have to be "Schweizer specific" at the very least wouldn't
it, Bill? I was once forced by reason of a 2-32's spoilers being
frozen solidly closed to slip from 28,000 ft MSL near Pikes Peak to
land without them at old BFGP. (Not much of an accuracy landing
challenge there, of course, but my feet were pretty cold and I was
grateful for the rate of descent). FAA's aircraft registry lists at
least 1335 Schweizers having spoilers or divebrakes of similar
configuration, of which 2-33's of all varieties number only 375.

I'm embarassed to admit that I've also inadvertently jettisoned the
drag chute on a Salto on the base leg to a much smaller landing site
where I really could have used it, and an agressive slipping turn to
final made the difference between an otherwise certain overshoot and a
merely memorable pattern. Modern sailplanes don't ordinarily present
as much flat plate to the airstream and plummet from altitude quite as
dramatically as the Schweizers, but they all descend a bit more
steeply flying sideways and there are any number of reasons that extra
little increment of drag may be useful.

As training exercise, I'd argue that no-spoiler slipping patterns to
an accuracy landing can be uses to develop advanced levels of both
judgement and command of the aircraft in maneuvering with attention
focused largely outside the cockpit. In that sense, is demonstrating
proficiency in it any less "practical" a test item than some of the
ground reference maneuvers found in the airplane PTS?

I've watched pilot attempt a no-spoiler approach in a Grob 103 and the only
way that a reasonably accurate landing could be done was to fly way too slow
for comfort because the 103 floats so far in ground effect. My Nimbus 2C
(No tail 'chute) floats so far that if the air brakes don't work, I'll need
several kilometers of runway to get stopped.

If you have a glider that exhibits a pronounced float in ground effect, I'd
advise against a no-spoiler approaches. I think this may be where accidents
due to training will be greater than those due to a real spoiler failure.

Bill Daniels