Cross-country soaring is a thrill, and a challenge. N97MT is right enough,
there is almost always somewhere 'acceptable' to land out and we should (at
some point) show novice pilots how to do that so they don't fear it.

But this misses the elephant in the room. Today its true we are a cash
rich and time poor society. I think most of us just want to go fly and
then go home - we really do not want to land out. Take an afternoon off
work, go fly cross-country for 3 or 4 hours, come home, fantastic. Land
out miles away, what follows, not so much fantastic.

With the thread subject in mind.....To make cross-country soaring more
attractive and accessible, to encourage more to just go fly more, and
cross-country, the gamechanger is engines.

Roger H


At 03:02 28 August 2015, N97MT wrote:
Some of the replies here are truly uninspiring contrary to the title of
thi=
s thread.

You are always within gliding distance of some landing spot. There is a
tru=
e psychological barrier preventing new students from understanding this
con=
cept unless you have helped them to overcome this. They think that the
home=
airport is the ONLY landing spot. Yes, some will do cross-country once
and=
then never again. That's OK. At least they will have the experience to
pro=
perly size up real landing spots along the way.

But many more will be grateful to you in the realization that the anxiety
t=
o never leave home base was all in their head. This is where real
inspirati=
on is born.

If you don't do this with them in practice, you are doing your students a
t=
remendous disservice. Unfamiliarity is dangerous, and can lead to
disaster.=
There is a reason why student airplane pilots are taught to practice
instr=
ument flying for emergencies - because they will eventually encounter VFR
f=
lying into IMC. It will save their life.

The same applies to practice cross-country soaring.

At the very least, the glider instructor should fly with the student to
an
=
unfamiliar airport and use that as an out landing spot. Or better yet,
pick=
out three unfamiliar airports and do it. Teach them everything they need
t=
o do to size up the landing as if it were off-airport, like it is
described=
in the Glider Flying Handbook.

Doing your first out landing alone (even close to your airport) after
getti=
ng your Private ticket is exactly the wrong time to be experiencing it
for
=
the first time.