On Mar 25, 12:26*pm, Tony wrote:
On Mar 25, 12:15*pm, "vaughn" wrote:

"soartech" wrote in message

....

I think the solution is that every new power pilot should be required
to have 20 flights in gliders before even stepping into a plane with
an engine.

I have a lot more time in gliders than in airplanes, but I wouldn't brag too
much in advance about my likelihood of making a safe power-off emergency landing
in an airplane. *Flying a 7 to 1 airplane with little or no glide path control
takes a somewhat different skill set than doing the same with a 30 to 1 glider
with good spoilers.and (likely) a lower approach speed.

Vaughn

this.

all my power flying friends seem to think i don't have any reason to
sweat an engine failure in an airplane now since i have glider
experience. *not so. *having an engine failure at 500 ft in an
airplane and ending up with a successful landing is something to be
proud of, I think. *You have, at best, 60 seconds to make all the
right decisions from that altitude. *You'll probably spend at least
1/3 of that time realizing what went wrong and then recovering from
the mistakes you made during that realization period. *then you have
(at best) 40 seconds to determine a course of action and execute.
I'll take a real glider any day.

Agreed. A normal approach in a glider is very similar to a power on
approach in a plane - as long as you don't need to go around.

If you want to simulate a power off approach, take a glider with real
effective spoilers (the old L13 Blanik will do nicely, not sure if the
L23's spoilers are as good), get off tow over the field, pull on full
spoilers, then fly the pattern at 60 knots or so (without closing the
spoilers). Even more dramatic with a glider like a 1-34 or 2-32 with
terminal velocity dive brakes.

Actually, its a pretty good training maneuver, and fun - but remember,
in a glider you can still close the spoilers if you pooch it; but in a
power plane with an engine failure, you have to get it right the first
time.

This difference may be why power-only pilots think glider pilots are
either 1. Stupid or 2. Extremely Skilled!

Kirk