Thread: How LOW can you GO?
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Old July 27th 11, 11:04 PM
Walt Connelly Walt Connelly is offline
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First recorded activity by AviationBanter: Aug 2010
Posts: 365
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobW View Post
On 7/26/2011 7:28 PM, Andy wrote:
On Jul 26, 12:04 pm, Walt ConnellyWalt.Connelly.
wrote:
Just picked up my parachute after a re-rig and jokingly asked if these
things actually work. The folks at Strong Parachute told me about this
accident a couple of weeks ago in England. Looks like this guy was
pretty low when he decided to get out. Probably had a full open canopy
below 100 feet or so. Looks like another save for the people at Strong.
I have this same canopy but in a different container. Be nice to your
rigger.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctYWSuwoYA

Walt

--
Walt Connelly


That's unforgivably poor formation flying.


....with an obvious (to me, anyway) soaring-related lesson.

Kids, can you spell, "thermaling etiquette"?

There was sufficient time for my brain to send an "Uh oh!" alarm when watching
the video, before I knew the outcome of the Skyraider pullup. This - IMHO - is
a classic example of 'trying to turn inside someone' before you're absolutely,
104.829% certain, you're in control of a path which the other (glider) cannot
intersect no matter how hard s/he tries.

Having been taught (not in those exact words) such, and having practiced such,
I've: 1) never gained a collection of peers who quietly slink away from
thermals when I join; 2) had but one fellow practitioner later come up to me
and express a safety-based concern about my thermaling etiquette; and 3) never
hit anyone else. OTOH: 1) there *have* been some pilots I quietly slunk away
from when they joined my thermal; 2) later had the back-seater of the PIC who
didn't approve of my thermaling technique come to me on his own and volunteer,
"I have no idea what {so and so} was upset about."; and 3) never been hit by
anyone else.

Bob W.

P.S. The 3 pilots in the aforementioned 'whining' incident were more or less
equally experienced XC types. I apologized to the upset pilot (without ever
really knowing exactly for what I was apologizing, other than somehow
triggering his 'upsetness.') Never thermaled with him again, either, since it
was clear his definition of thermaling etiquette was both different from mine
and not going to change.
Bob,

I may well be one of the least experienced glider pilots participating in this forum. (Commercial add on with about 100 hours in the last year and a half) What I know about flying thermals I have learned by doing, watching and of course what I heard while learning to fly. My first thermal experience was after I had earned my license. I learned to fly in the winter in Florida and lift was a rarity in December and January.

I have had some interesting experiences in thermals which resulted in my purchase of a parachute. I have also had the pleasure to thermal with some excellent pilots from whom I learned a lot. Aside from the very basics, first pilot in decides the direction of the turn and so on, I would be interested in the opinions of you and others as to what thermaling etiquette might be. The Glider Flying Handbook doesn't say much if anything about etiquette and the opinions of others with whom I have spoken are as varied as the opinions about the rudder waggle.

Walt