Glider Safety

On Feb 21, 4:57*pm, "Morgans" wrote:

To some, that may be the reason they fly, but that sure isn't the reason
many or most fly. *I want to be old and gray, and flying all the way till I
can't see straight in my upper 90's, at least!

This seems to be quite a common attitude toward glider flying.

I wonder how much better the glider fatality numbers would look if the
cases where the pilot was dead, or otherwise medically incapacitated,
prior to the accident were eliminated. Several US fatal accidents in
the past few years seem to fall into that category.

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

Right. Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. For the
children of course. If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

On Feb 22, 10:55*am, "
wrote:
Right. *Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. *For the
children of course. *If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...



Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy


I am unaware of any third party being injured from a glider accident
resulting from incapacity of the pilot. After all, sailplanes are
pretty light and don't burn. However, it's pretty unsettling to the
rest of us. I was at Parowan last year and was also personally
affected by one such incident. You'd get my vote for requiring a
medical certificate.

You could also make a case for requiring a medical certificate for
pilots instructing and carrying passengers, but again, I doubt that
there is much of an accident database to support the need for this.

Mike

Of course, there have never been holders of current medical
certificates suffering strokes, heart attacks, etc. Rubbish!
Keep the paperwork down, please.
Jim

On Feb 22, 11:11*am, Mike the Strike wrote:
On Feb 22, 10:55*am, "
wrote:

Right. *Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. *For the
children of course. *If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

I am unaware of any third party being injured from a glider accident
resulting from incapacity of the pilot. *After all, sailplanes are
pretty light and don't burn. *However, it's pretty unsettling to the
rest of us. *I was at Parowan last year and was also personally
affected by one such incident. *You'd get my vote for requiring a
medical certificate.

You could also make a case for requiring a medical certificate for
pilots instructing and carrying passengers, but again, I doubt that
there is much of an accident database to support the need for this.

Mike

Regardless of the FAA requirement to hold a medical for other
operations, pilots self-certify their medical condition every time
they fly. The FAA medical only demonstartes that you can see, breath,
have a normal heartbeat, and your blood pressure is not out of whack.
It also inititialy relies on the integrity of the airman applying for
the medical to inform the AME of any conditions that might be
disqualifying.

The FAA medical beuracracy is huge and any hiccup in your application
can send you on a frustrating and potentially expensive trip through
the system in order to regain your medical. This does not reduce the
responsibilities of pilots to honestly evaluate thier condition each
time they step into a glider, but let us leave well enough alone and
not get the FAA involved in a system that IMHO is not broke.
Mike

On 2/22/2010 1:11 PM, Mike the Strike wrote:
On Feb 22, 10:55 am,
wrote:
Right. Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. For the
children of course. If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...



Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy


I am unaware of any third party being injured from a glider accident
resulting from incapacity of the pilot. After all, sailplanes are
pretty light and don't burn. However, it's pretty unsettling to the
rest of us. I was at Parowan last year and was also personally
affected by one such incident. You'd get my vote for requiring a
medical certificate.

You could also make a case for requiring a medical certificate for
pilots instructing and carrying passengers, but again, I doubt that
there is much of an accident database to support the need for this.

Mike
Why would it be more unsettling to someone for a glider pilot to have a
heart attack while flying and have a quick end doing what he/she loves,
vs having the same heart attack on the ground, which depending on the
circumstances may leave the person with a miserable quality of life.

I can understand the argument that we should protect innocent bystanders
from being injured as a result of a pilot's medical condition. That
same argument applies to automobiles, where an accident resulting from a
medical event is probably a lot more likely to injure a bystander than a
glider accident.

The reality is that there are a lot of glider pilots (myself included)
who ended up in the sport because it became too much of a hassle to keep
our medicals. If we start requiring medicals for soaring, it will
devastate the sport.

Personally, I'd love to live my final moments doing what I love, and
hope that all of my friends and family will share in that joy and be
thankful that I had a quick and uncomplicated end.



Mike Schumann

--
Mike Schumann

On Feb 23, 5:23*pm, Mike Schumann
wrote:
On 2/22/2010 1:11 PM, Mike the Strike wrote:



On Feb 22, 10:55 am,
wrote:
Right. *Let us inflict more restrictions on ourselves. *For the
children of course. *If it is a good idea for contests then it is good
idea for everyone...

Is there a case for requiring a medical certificate for SSA sanctioned
contests?

Andy

I am unaware of any third party being injured from a glider accident
resulting from incapacity of the pilot. *After all, sailplanes are
pretty light and don't burn. *However, it's pretty unsettling to the
rest of us. *I was at Parowan last year and was also personally
affected by one such incident. *You'd get my vote for requiring a
medical certificate.

You could also make a case for requiring a medical certificate for
pilots instructing and carrying passengers, but again, I doubt that
there is much of an accident database to support the need for this.

Mike

Why would it be more unsettling to someone for a glider pilot to have a
heart attack while flying and have a quick end doing what he/she loves,
vs having the same heart attack on the ground, which depending on the
circumstances may leave the person with a miserable quality of life.

I can understand the argument that we should protect innocent bystanders
from being injured as a result of a pilot's medical condition. *That
same argument applies to automobiles, where an accident resulting from a
medical event is probably a lot more likely to injure a bystander than a
glider accident.

The reality is that there are a lot of glider pilots (myself included)
who ended up in the sport because it became too much of a hassle to keep
our medicals. *If we start requiring medicals for soaring, it will
devastate the sport.

Personally, I'd love to live my final moments doing what I love, and
hope that all of my friends and family will share in that joy and be
thankful that I had a quick and uncomplicated end.

Mike Schumann

--
Mike Schumann

well said..........

Brad

On Feb 23, 8:23*pm, Mike Schumann
wrote:

Personally, I'd love to live my final moments doing what I love, and
hope that all of my friends and family will share in that joy and be
thankful that I had a quick and uncomplicated end.


You ever help clean up a wreck in the woods after a fatal?

It ain't exactly a treat.

-Evan Ludeman / T8

T8 wrote:
On Feb 23, 8:23*pm, Mike Schumann
wrote:

Personally, I'd love to live my final moments doing what I love, and
hope that all of my friends and family will share in that joy and be
thankful that I had a quick and uncomplicated end.


You ever help clean up a wreck in the woods after a fatal?

It ain't exactly a treat.

Since that is a point applicable to all fatal accidents (train, plane, and
automobile) and all causal chains leading to those accidents, its non-
uniqueness effectively makes it irrelevant to requiring a glider medical.

On Feb 23, 8:50*pm, Jim Logajan wrote:
T8 wrote:
On Feb 23, 8:23*pm, Mike Schumann
wrote:

Personally, I'd love to live my final moments doing what I love, and
hope that all of my friends and family will share in that joy and be
thankful that I had a quick and uncomplicated end.

You ever help clean up a wreck in the woods after a fatal?

It ain't exactly a treat.

Since that is a point applicable to all fatal accidents (train, plane, and
automobile) and all causal chains leading to those accidents, its non-
uniqueness effectively makes it irrelevant to requiring a glider medical.

I don't support requiring glider medicals. I took the previous
poster's comments to be a version of John Denver's "I wanna die in my
airplane". I take issue with sentiments like these. Messy, bad for
the sport. It's a sh!tty thing to wish for.

-Evan