On Wednesday, July 6, 2016 at 12:06:25 PM UTC+12, wrote:
As more & more pilots are aquiring self-launching or touring motorgliders they may find themselves flying from fields with private jet or tanker traffic.

Last weekend I was taxing my ASH-26e out to take-off from end of 34 at Minden. Most gliders are towed off of 30 so this usually isn't even an issue but because the 34 runway is so long many choose to self-launch mid field. I was taught you can't use the runway behind you & since I have to warm my engine before I take off, I used the time to taxi to the end of the runway..

About a minute before I reached the end of the runway, a Gulfstream landed on 34. As I taxied into position for take off, the Gulfstream was clearing the active runway. I proceeded with my take off roll and as I accelerated to about 45 kts, my left wing was slammed to the ground. Almost as quickly as this happened, I got the wings level and was airborne shortly thereafter. Obviously, I didn't think to wait a bit after the Gulfstream had landed but I hate to think what might have happened had I just gotten airborne!

Although we are all aware of wake turbulence, a valuable lesson was reinforced, fortunately without serious consequences.

When I did some powered training it was at a pretty busy airport (WLG/NZWN) with a B737/A320 about every ten minutes and lots of smaller but still pretty serious turboprops between.

The key thing drummed into us on every takeoff and landing was to never go through or below air that a big guy had been through in the last several minutes WITH A NONZERO ANGLE OF ATTACK.

That runway was short enough that the jets used 2/3 - 3/4 of the length before rotation, while we needed about 1/8 of the length (250m). Operating from the midpoint, you could avoid wake turbulence by making a small turn immediately after liftoff (into wind, if there was a cross wind), and by flying always above the big guys' approach path on landing and use an aiming point past the 1000 ft markers. Not too much past though, as with another jet usually not far behind they'd usually tell us to maintain 100 kts on approach and we did still have to slow down enough to land and turn off at the midpoint.