I am staggered that it's still felt necessary to use a flagman/forward
signaller
when use of radio is so ubiquitous and the norm almost everywhere else?



At 21:04 29 June 2014, Steve Koerner wrote:
It hasn't happened yet, but we are going to kill or maim the flagman if
we
=
don't change our ways. It's just a matter of time. =20

This has become my personal pet peeve. Over the years, I have personally
o=
bserved a lot of gliders drop a wing and veer off the runway. And
admitted=
ly a number of times my observation was from the driver's seat. My own
la=
unching technique is better now so my odds of staying on the runway are
not=
as bad as they used to be. Yet, I know it can happen again. It can
happe=
n to anyone. =20

The matter of how to avoid wing drop is not what this writing is about.
Th=
at's for another thread. This is about the fact that it does happen.
This=
thread is about a potentially serious consequence when it does. Having
a
=
serious veer off the runway is an uncommon event for sure. It's one of
tho=
se things where all goes well so often that it's easy to be neglectful of
t=
he low probability yet high consequence risk scenario that plays out at
eve=
ry contest launch. =20

We were all trained that there should be a safety cone in front of the
glid=
er when we launch. That being a zone in which there are no people or
objec=
ts that have the potential to convert an embarrassing non-event into a
smal=
l or large catastrophe. At US contests this important need for a safety
c=
one is routinely overlooked. The flagman stands and does his work in a
dan=
gerous location in front of the launch.

Our contest flagmen are volunteers. I, for one, am very appreciative of
al=
l of the contest volunteers. Without the dedicated work of the
volunteers,=
contests wouldn't happen. Certainly, there is a high obligation to not
pu=
t volunteers at risk.

The manner by which a glider can come off the runway varies dramatically.

=
Often, the affected pilot is faced with a real dilemma that plays out in
a
=
matter of seconds. A wing is low, perhaps dragging on the runway. He
beli=
eves he can lift the down wing if he simply persists a bit and waits for
ai=
rspeed to come up. In the mean time he's beginning to veer. If he
releas=
es early, the matter is low energy and low consequence. If he holds on
for=
a little longer, he thinks he can raise the wing yet his speed is
increasi=
ng and the potential for adverse consequences increase perhaps with the
squ=
are of velocity. Should the pilot fail to get to the release quickly
enoug=
h and the wing stays low, the resulting veer will be high energy. The
vee=
r off the runway can occur at speeds that can do real damage. I've seen
it=
happen.

In my, thus far, unsuccessful efforts to change contest practice in this
re=
gard, I've spoken to several different contest operations managers and
I've=
also spoken to flagmen about the issue. I'm routinely pooh-poohed. The
f=
lagman will tell me that he can run out of the way if a wing is coming at
h=
im. One flagman told me that he can jump over the wing if he needs to.
B=
ut wait a minute... what if the wing that is coming at him is coming at
30
=
or 40 MPH? What if it happens to be the high wing that is coming at him
or=
the fuselage?

What I observe at contests is that wing drops are sufficiently rare that
th=
e flagman always becomes complacent (assuming he or she is aware of the
haz=
ard in the first place). As the towplane and glider roar by, he'll be
sipp=
ing from his water bottle while maybe sauntering a few step out of the
way.=
=20

If it were the case that our flagmen were selected for sprinting ability
an=
d if their practice was to swing the flag then immediately begin
sprinting
=
for the sidelines then perhaps the present hazard wouldn't be. Yet, that
i=
s never what happens. Requiring a sprint from the flagman at every
launch
=
would be an unreasonable expectation for sure. At any rate, few would
have=
the endurance strength and athleticism to do 30 to 50 successive 25 yard
s=
prints in launch time summer heat.=20

It isn't as if there is no alternative to using a flagman for launch
contro=
l. There is an alternative that works extremely well and puts no one at
ri=
sk in the safety cone. The launch controller stands aside the sailplane
wi=
th a handheld radio as the glider is being hooked up and readied for
launch=
.. The launch controller gives particular radio commands to take up
slack
a=
nd then a particular distinctive word sequence command to commence the
laun=
ch. Barb Smith, who's served as operations manager at a few Parowan
conte=
sts in recent years, seems to have pioneered this method. This is
really
=
a very good scheme. There is no double communication required. The
launch=
controller is in a position to easily observe the towline slack and also
v=
ery well observe the readiness of the wing runner, the glider and the
glide=
r pilot too. =20

I urge that we adopt the radio method of launch control at US contests.
Le=
t's not wait until we've killed the flagman.