On Jun 26, 8:25*am, jb92563 wrote:
As I think about it, it might be best if there was a single array of
high output LEDs. *When both "colors" of the array are "on" then you
have a single visible color that means "ok" (red and blue make green in
concept, but in emitted light that combination doesn't work). *That way
the glider pilot can verify at the start that both signals "work" and
they stay "on" for the duration of the tow. *If either the "warning" or
"get off" switches are selected in the cockpit then only the
corresponding "color" is then visible to the glider pilot. *Perhaps with
the "warning" being a steady signal and "get off" being a rapid flash to
help with fast recognition and a sense of urgency.

Other thoughts?

People will misunderstand lights just as easily as a rudder waggle.

Its a training issue and they just need to know what the signal means
by practice.

It takes a bit of time to learn and mistakes WILL be made but that is
no reason to throw out the
standard signals becasue of a few.

Of the 10,000+ glider pilots I am sure only a couple dozen have
released on rudder waggles.

Thats 0.24%, and completely insignificant justification to change
anything but the rigor of those few pilots training who are
having problems.

Lights fail, radios fail, tow plane electircal systems fail and a Wag
or a Rock will still communicate with a glider on tow.

The signal system works just fine, its just that the receivers of the
signal are learning something new to them and sometimes
mistakes are made.

We should start a thread on Pilot Mistakes, and you can be sure there
will be 1000 hr pilots making entires there as well.

Ray

What matters is the percentage of pilots that get a waggle and then
release by mistake. Open spoilers on tow does not seem that common -
so how many pilots per year get to see a rudder waggle? Clearly a
signal system does not "work fine" if we are seeing multiple crashes
and people getting killed - I assume you mean it could work fine if
more pilots were better trained and proficient. So I agree with all
that, but just becasue a radio might not work all the time is no
reason not to try to have more operators and tow pilots adopt a
procedure where if possible they use the radio first. Tow pilots also
need to understand how apparently easy it is for glider pilots to
screw up and if possible tow them to altitude before waggling. Not all
tow pilots understand how apparently likely a waggle may be
misunderstood - some tow pilots spend a lot of hours towing and it is
easy for them to forget how less proficient the guy at the other end
of the rope may be.

As a community we need to stop saying things like "the waggle signal
works fine", people are being killed and hurt. The reality is there
probably needs a significant improvement in training of glider pilots
and tow pilots to improve safety on this. Glider pilots recognizing
signals, positive checks, including visual of spoilers, deliberate
spoiler open on ground roll procedures, better understanding of tow
pilot issues by glider pilots, better understanding of impacts of a
low rudder waggle by the tow pilots, better use of radio where
possible, improved BFR/spring checkouts to include actually
demonstrating/practicing these things, etc. etc.

Darryl