On Feb 23, 10:08*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Brad wrote:
A few of us spent 2.5 hours in close proximity to rocks and trees
yesterday for a spectacular ridge/mountain flight. To my knowledge,
none of the local instructors were there, or have done anything like
that in years, if ever.

So, are you telling me they are going to tell me how to fly safe?

SNIPPED by CB

I think Burt's point was "find an instructor that is able and willing to
find your weak points". For an experienced pilot, that might not be the
club instructors. Maybe you have find that instructor at Air Sailing,
Minden, Cal City, or elsewhere. All great places to fly! Make an
appointment, pack up the glider and the wife, do some soaring and get
good BFR!


Thank you to many who have contributed to this topic, and to Tom
for beginning it.

I agree heartily that 'more recurrent training and more taxing
recurrent
training' would be a great investment in personal safety.

I have several local and imported customers who visit for their
version
of the First Flight (annually with a CFI) concept. Usually it is many
flights,
mostly to work on landing skills and some with a focus on emergency
procedures.

I don't think that aviation medical certificates will predict future
medical
events. Most typical autopsies will conclude a glider death was
granted
by blunt force trauma, and not address anything miniscule in medical
events that might have contributed, eschemic strokes, clots, low
blood
pressure event, dehydration, arterial blockages, etc.
I think it is up to the glider peer community to continue to behave
in
a manner that precludes the FAA changing their minds, and forcing
medical certificates for glider airmen. We know that both Mike
Packard
and Dick Johnson had known cardiac conditions, and yet both flew.

We lose participation in soaring both short and long term through
exposure socially to these losses. I have had to pick up after a
loss,
and don't want to do it again.

Flying while medically unfit is GREEDY.
We lose a friend.
We lose a glider.
We lose a settlement in an insurance claim, and jeopardize the
health of the insurance business that allows us ALL to fly. Even when
that is "ONLY" a hull loss. Geez, a single seater can be easily over
a
hundred grand in a settlement. But, wasn't it great it was only in the
woods? NO.

We need to police ourselves. Singlely and collectively.
Love your buddy enough to tell him, hey, maybe you should consider
a two-seater, and I'll ride along and keep quiet.

Enough of the garbage about it being the XC guys that make the
losses, or the racers. Only two of the eight 'flyers' lost last year
were at contests.

Two were tow pilots at home fields;
one got midaired, one got kited/pitched on early launch.
Two lost were in low altitude launch screwups - one winch one aero.
One got hypoxic.
One spun.
One wasn't observed at all, but was a pretty old guy.
One probably had a heart attack. One midaired.

Out of the 2009 list, training could have helped at least three/four
glider pilots and one tow pilot. Peer counseling could have changed
the behavior of maybe the hypoxia and the heart attack pilots.

The SSF statistics tell us that the majority of accidents, about 65%
EVERY year, that are not fatals, are landings gone wrong at the
HOME airfield.
I can confirm that one popular item I stress on BFRs and dual
opportunities are spot landings. Touch after that place and halt
before that place on the airfield. I dread to report that usually,
the
private owner that tries this the first time with me, does NOT
succeed. He does NOT succeed because I use some
DIFFERENT place on the airfield than his normal spot. I allow
all systems to be used on the glider, hydraulic brake included,
and the soon-to-be-launching for XC pilot doesn't do so hot.

One pilot, after realizing his eroded skills told me, "I'd rather pay
the tow fees to you, than the repair bill to some shop after my
outlanding." I figured that was a successful training day.

Safety? You bet is it a personal choice.
And a collective choice.
Don't be passive, and don't be silent.
Get training. Talk to your friends if they worry you.
Let's all have this talk again next February.

With love,

Cindy B
www.caracole-soaring.com
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