What does "practically speaking" or for that matter realism have to do
with anything? We're talking about aviation regulations here!

I keep a the hard copy of my flight manual on board when I'm flying
but I too have tried to imagine how it might be of use in a single
seat glider. Damn, I'm in a spin! How do I recover from it again?
*rustle rustle rustle* Ah! Here it is: "Full opposite rudder
and"...CRASH!!!

I've been helping a friend import a glider and the geniuses
responsible for the type certificate decided that the minimum
equipment they required in it have to be a SPECIFIC MAKE AND MODEL of
ASI, altimeter and seatbelt! The Canadian TCDS for the Slingsby
Kestrel includes "a back type parachute" period. I'm glad my 15's TCDS
just says "an airspeed indicator, an altimeter calibrated in feet, a
magnetic direction indicator, seatbelts including shoulder straps and
a parachute or a back cushion if no parachute is worn" and leaves it
up to the owner's discretion as to what equipment is installed in
order to fulfill those requirements.

On Jan 18, 1:07*pm, Eric Greenwell wrote:
On 1/18/2012 11:51 AM, Bill D wrote:



On Jan 18, 11:26 am, *wrote:

What is the definition of an AFM? *Wouldn't a copy of the AFM that
came with your glider (has glider s/n on it, for example), be the same
as the original AFM? *And how would a reduced size (but obviously
still readable) copy not also be an AFM?

Curious minds want to know!

Kirk
66

AFM = Approved Flight Manual. * The reason they want the original AFM
on board is so it can (and will) be regularly updated with new pages
from the manufacturer and thus will be the only "official" AFM. *A
copy would only be current at the time the copy was made. *AFAIK, a
copy can be used for "educational" purposes.

Is there a requirement that the pilot be able read the manual while
flying, or only that it be carried in the aircraft?

Legal requirements aside, I'm trying to picture myself needing to know
something from the manual while flying, fishing out the manual from
wherever, and then finding that nugget of information I'm after. That's
something I can barely do the ground, because if I don't know it from
memory, it's going to buried somewhere that might take me 5 or 10
minutes to find.

Practically speaking, in thousands of hours flying gliders, I've never
wished I'd had the manual in the glider while I was flying, nor was
there ever a situation where it would have helped to have it.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what
you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz