The current BGA instuctors manual does not recommend
the use of 'downwind checks' or the use of a mnemonic
for pre landing checks. As soon as a pilot decides
to land the glider should be configured for landing.
With the exception of the RAFGSA, who you would think
would know better, (RAF pilots are restricted in the
number of touch and goes they can do because of the
danger of automatic response to checks) this is what
should be taught.
The big problem with 'challenge and response' checklists
where the challenge is chanted automatically is that
the response tends to become automatic too. Given that
most two seat traning gliders in the uk have a fixed
undercarriage, do not carry water and have no flaps
large numbers of students happily chant Water - not
carried, Undercarriage - fixed, Loose articles - stowed
Flaps - not fitted. This is fine until they fly a glider
which carries water, is fitted with a retractable undercarriage
and has flaps. In moments of stress, when it is all
going wrong they can revert to their early days when
they did not have these extras. Personally I would
rather rely on good airmanship to configure the glider
correctly for the phase of flight intended, and teach
that than rely on a chant which can become automatically
wrong.

WULF checks as they were are out. Some bright wag once
told me that they were W Wheel down and locked, Undercariage
- down, Landing gear - extended and Firestones - out
of the bay. :-)

At 16:36 04 September 2004, F.L. Whiteley wrote:
Is this a troll?

Personally I can't believe a UK basic instructor is
saying this publicly.
Are you still giving ab-initio lessons? Perhaps you
should chant this, or
something like WULFSTALL, in the circuit and think
about what each item is
and what the implications are if you don't do each
one. You seem to already
know about one, but the others are so embarassing they
can kill you.
Doubtless you do this appropriately during your annual
club checks, but lack
of clarity of what each item reflects or the need is
disturbing. Please
re-read your post, print a copy and hand carry it to
your CFI at Rattlesden.

Frank Whiteley
Colorado

'Chris Reed' wrote in message
...
I quite like the 'lookout' element of USTALL (though
I don't actually
chant
the checklist to myself on circuit). What I use it
for is a reminder that,
in addition to my normal lookout, I also need to pay
attention to the
other
side of the circuit, look for aircraft on long, straight
in approaches,
and
look at what's happening on the ground. This is a
different mode of
lookout
to XC or local soaring, and I usually find myself
muttering 'lookout' at
some point to remind me of the change of mode.

But I take the point - if the pilot doesn't lookout
except in response to
a
checklist, I'd like to be in a different part of the
sky.

S (straps or speed?) is pretty useless on downwind,
T (trim) ditto, and A
(airbrakes I think) is wierd - if you can't find them
you're in trouble,
though if I flew a flapped glider or had the UC lever
on the same side as
the airbrake (LS4s excepted) I'd add a mental note
to check which lever I
intended to use for approach control.

U is quite clear in my mind, having landed wheels
up once already, and
hoping not to do it again.

'Ian Johnston' wrote in message
news:cCUlhtvFIYkV-pn2-zikdWvOGpoiF@localhost...
You should see some of the downwind checklists/mnemonics
in use in the
UK. They include things like 'trim' - for people
who wouldn't normally
think of using the trimmer, I presume - and, most
bizarrely of all,
'lookout'. I'm not sure that I want to share the
sky with people who
need a mnemonic to remind them to look out...