How to landout on a steep uphill final?
A runway that I frequent has no straight ahead option for a rope break at 100 feet AGL. There is a however a highly recommended hayfield with a 90 degree turn from the takeoff heading onto the landout final. The field is 100 feet lower in elevation than the departure runway, so it is reachable if you do all the right things. For example, you need to get over the tops of the trees on the near side of the field.
So let's say the landing area is steep, say it rises 20 feet for a 200 run. Depending on when the hay was last cut, the vegetation height ranges from stubble to 30" of consistent grasses. The ground is likely to be very bumpy. Boulders have been removed from this field to facilitate haying machinery. There may be some dips, but no ditches and no hidden branches or stumps. There are power lines running down the right side of the field and there is a two lane paved road on the other side of a ditch at the end of the run out. There is sufficient run out, but not much to spare. The field gets more and more level as you get closer to the road. On the far side of the road is a cornfield, so flying high over the road is not a good option.
So I want to touch down with minimum energy. My first thought is to flair to level flight much higher than normal, say 10 feet above the ground after the flair, pull the stick back gradually to bleed off speed until the ground comes to meet my level flight. Careful not to stall prematurely of course.
OR do I flair at a normal height and ride the ground effect uphill? I imagine that I might fly into the slope and touch down with more energy than I would like and possibly do a ground loop or otherwise damage the glider (and/or my body). The field may tilt a bit left to right.
The fact that the field is tilting up steeply in front of me is going to distort my perception and that is the other reason that I'm inclined to flair deliberately high. That gives me more time to see what is happening and adjust.
Opinions and suggestions? I'm thinking about a particular field, but I'd kinda like to know in general how to approach this type of field because level fields are rare in my area.
I will of course discuss this with knowledgable people at my club, but I'd like to think about it and get some ideas before I bring it up at the airport.
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