Bob Johnson wrote:
Hi Mot --

Could you give us your critique of the Gantenbrink essay? Does it cover
most of the bases for you, or do you have further concerns?

From the standpoint of a low time pilot the essay (and the other
material on the DG/LS Safety site) may not be quite the all-purpose
material I thought it was.

Thanks,

Bob Johnson


Hi Bob,

As a very low time pilot (13hrs glider, 11 aeroplane, soloed in both) I
found the DG Safety info and the essay useful reading.

Its often said that "you don't know what you don't know" and as a newbie
I'm critically aware of the volumes of theory and hours of practice that
I need to acquire. It seems to me (from what little I've read so far)
that safety is an issue closely intertwined with Airmanship and Human
Factors. Fortunately, on the theory side there are many volumes written
that I can read, learn from and discuss. Reading r.a.s is (mostly) an
enlightening and sometimes a very sobering experience. Compared to the
pioneers of this sport, I'm able to learn from the experience of others.
I've yet to being my formal training for the NZ "QGP" rating but am
looking forward to the theory and discussion with our club's instructors.

The Vector magazine published by CAA here in NZ has recently had a
series on airmanship following the catch-phrase "Detect - Determine -
Decide - Discipline - Do". I found the following comment in the Jul/Aug
2003 article on very useful: "There is a simple strategy that you can
can use to improve your level of discipline - pretend that every flight
you do is a check flight..."

I love flying (well except for the long haul 24hrs in the back of a 747
from Auckland to London via LAX). However, I love my wife and son
immeasurably more and they need to *know* that every time I leave for
the airfield in the morning, I'll be back in one piece in the evening.
Therefore its my duty to learn about and know the hazards, eliminate
risk where possible, minimise those risks I have no control over and
maintain the discipline of good airmanship at all times.

Best regards,
Neil

--
Neil Allison, Christchurch, NZ