Steve,

John Cochrane hit many of the key points. I'll just add a few
thoughts of my own.

Over the years, I've run many ground schools on XC Soaring. On
average 6-8 folks show up. A year later, I'll follow up with
them. Fully 75% (say 6 of the 8 in the above example) would hem
and haw before admitting that they still haven't gone out of gliding
range of the home airport. There's always a long list of excuses -
time, weather, availability of equipment, availability of crew etc.
(sound familiar?). So, you're not alone.

On the first day of class, I would ask people to privately write down
3 reasons they haven't gone XC. Invariably the following would be at
the top of the list:

1. Fear of landing out.
2. Fear of getting lost.
3. Confidence in my soaring skills (thermalling in particular, but
also including choosing the right clouds, final gllides, etc).

Item 2 is much less of an issue with GPS being ubiquitous. Yes, you
still should know how to read a map and maintain situational
awareness, but it's clearly not the same issue it was even 10 years
ago.

Item 3 is easy to practice at the home field. A combination of dual
instruction, comparison in gaggles, and pure, focused practice is the
key.

That leaves us with item 1. You can practice many of the aspects
of landing out right at home. Try landing on different parts of the
airfield with real (or imagined) obstacles to make it intersting. See
if you can routinely land your 1-26 in say 700 feet after crossing a
50 foot imaginary tree (imaginary trees are much more forgiving then
real ones when you're practicing).

Pick local fields from the air, including the approach you would fly,
where you would touch down, etc. Then, drive out and look it over.
Was the field as big as you thought? Did you judge the slope, crop,
obstacles, etc. correctly? Do this over and over until you have a
good track record of choosing safe fields.

I would also add that the fear of landing out is not the least bit
irrational. I've told myself and students that you can assume that
1 out of every 10 field landings will result in some sort of minor
damage to the glider. That means torn gear doors (if you got 'em),
busted tailwheels, belly scrathes and dings, etc. You can just tell
your club mates that you skewed the odds in your favor for the next
9 !

Seriously, if the club or operation where you fly isn't solidy behind
you, then you're at the wrong site. In our club, we have a wonderful
group of active XC pilots. You know you're in the right group for XC
when:

- People ask "how far did you go", not "how long were you up?"
- There's an annual award for the best retrieve.
- People lavish attention on trailers, even if the aircraft
themselves are ratty.
- They make you do your silver distance in a 1-26.

Anyway, there's really no simple answer. I'd say that the confidence
comes when you know you've got all of the building blocks in place.
Couple that with a supportive team around you, and it's really a lot
of fun.

Erik Mann
LS8-18 P3

126Driver wrote:
I would like to fly more cross country flights but have to admit I
usually come up with a list of excuses for not going on any particular
day. The weather is never good enough, or I have a dinner engagement,
or my battery seems low, or something. Some of this is a general
concern about personal injury, but I think I am also just afraid of
landing out and having to put up with the inconvenience of a retrieve
and getting criticism from other pilots in my club. (I did some damage
to my glider on a land out last year and I have lost a lot of
confidence.) I thought I would get over this, but have not so far.
Has anybody else been through a period like this, and if so, how did
you work it out?

thanks,

Steve