Spoiler Signal

Last year, I wrote articles regarding this and other topics which are
widely distributed through the SSA's Soaring Magazine:

"Preventing Launching Accidents" and "Preventing Landing Accidents."

Further, I presented the same topics at the FAA Safety Facility at
Lakeland Florida. These presentations (and others) are available on
DVDs and printed booklets from our web site, WWW.EGLIDER.ORG

Both the DVDs and the printed booklets are inexpensive and make
excellent source material for club safety meetings.

These two issues dominate glider accident statistics.

The real problem is getting people to take the few minutes to become
educated and to adopt the simple, life-saving practices that will save
their lives. The well-known 5 hazardous thoughts, Anti Authority,
Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho and Resignation dominate glider
accident causes.

I will be conducting several FAA approved, Flight Instructor
Revalidation courses begining in November. (First in Minden, Nevada,
Nov 12/13.) Any pilot interested in learning about safety issues and
standardized procedures can attend.

Tom Knauff

On Jul 26, 8:14*am, Tom wrote:
Last *year, I wrote articles regarding this and other topics which are
widely distributed through the SSA's Soaring Magazine:

"Preventing Launching Accidents" and "Preventing Landing Accidents."

Further, I presented the same topics at the FAA Safety Facility at
Lakeland Florida. These presentations (and others) are available on
DVDs and printed booklets from our web site, WWW.EGLIDER.ORG

Both the DVDs and the printed booklets are inexpensive and make
excellent source material for club safety meetings.

These two issues dominate glider accident statistics.

The real problem is getting people to take the few minutes to become
educated and to adopt the simple, life-saving practices that will save
their lives. The well-known 5 hazardous thoughts, Anti Authority,
Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho and Resignation dominate glider
accident causes.

I will be conducting several FAA approved, Flight Instructor
Revalidation courses begining in November. (First in Minden, Nevada,
Nov 12/13.) Any pilot interested in learning about safety issues and
standardized procedures can attend.

Tom Knauff

Some thoughts for Tom Knauff and others...

Why do we have a wing-rock signal? The tow pilot could just
release.

There are two possible answers I can think of. First, it's a courtesy
"heads-up" signal to the glider pilot to start thinking about a
premature termination of the tow since it's going to happen soon no
matter who releases. Second, it's a request for the glider pilot to
release so the tow rope returns to the airport with the tug and can be
used again. Neither of these reasons are critical enough to require
an instant, thoughtless reaction from the glider pilot. If it's
really time-critical, the tow pilot will release without a warning.

Given there's a few seconds to think after a wing-rock, why not use
one of those seconds to check for open spoilers? If you've mis-
identified a rudder waggle, a spoiler check saves the day. If it's
really a wing-rock, you don't want the spoilers open anyway. Since on
most gliders the release is near the spoiler handle, your hand will be
near the release after checking the spoilers.

Spoilers open on tow is always a real life threatening situation.
Some spoilers-open aerotow experiments with Condor flight simulator
shows a 200' release with an attempted return to the runway almost
never works - it's the equivalent of an engine failure turnback with
an airplane. Even waiting until the tug turns back over the airport
at pattern altitude makes for a problematic landing. If the glider
pilot doesn't know the spoilers are open, it's unlikely a close & high
pattern will be flown.

At the risk of inciting the anti-technology crowd, I think there's a
good case to be made for an LED annunciator panel. Today's gliders
have enough electronics no one is likely to initiate a flight without
a fully charged battery. A simple spoilers open switch and light
circuit may well save a life or two. While thinking about an
annunciator panel, lights for unlatched canopy and tail dolly are also
possible. (The tail dolly switch would be a magnetic reed switch
inside the tail boom and a magnet on the tail dolly.)

Bill raises some good issues and, while I'm one of the "anti technology"
crowd, I'd install such simple circuits. I just never thought of such
things (slapping forehead).

He also mentions that a high and close pattern is unlikely with spoilers
untentionally open. I've always wondered why everyone does not always fly a
high and close pattern and use the spoilers to come down. This way the
pilot is much less likely to be caught by wind shears, sink, etc. When I'm
towing I fly my pattern high and close enough that I can pull it to idle and
not touch the power again until I need it to taxi to the ramp (or if I'm
caught by an unexpected gust). I often wonder where those who fly a B-52
pattern will land if they have a power failure (power plane) or unexpected
sink (glider). My Mosquito has superb dive brakes so I can land from any
altitude. I can also bring the tow plane down if I'm dumb enough not to
lock them for takeoff.


"Bill D" wrote in message
...
On Jul 26, 8:14 am, Tom wrote:
Last year, I wrote articles regarding this and other topics which are
widely distributed through the SSA's Soaring Magazine:

"Preventing Launching Accidents" and "Preventing Landing Accidents."

Further, I presented the same topics at the FAA Safety Facility at
Lakeland Florida. These presentations (and others) are available on
DVDs and printed booklets from our web site, WWW.EGLIDER.ORG

Both the DVDs and the printed booklets are inexpensive and make
excellent source material for club safety meetings.

These two issues dominate glider accident statistics.

The real problem is getting people to take the few minutes to become
educated and to adopt the simple, life-saving practices that will save
their lives. The well-known 5 hazardous thoughts, Anti Authority,
Impulsivity, Invulnerability, Macho and Resignation dominate glider
accident causes.

I will be conducting several FAA approved, Flight Instructor
Revalidation courses begining in November. (First in Minden, Nevada,
Nov 12/13.) Any pilot interested in learning about safety issues and
standardized procedures can attend.

Tom Knauff

Some thoughts for Tom Knauff and others...

Why do we have a wing-rock signal? The tow pilot could just
release.

There are two possible answers I can think of. First, it's a courtesy
"heads-up" signal to the glider pilot to start thinking about a
premature termination of the tow since it's going to happen soon no
matter who releases. Second, it's a request for the glider pilot to
release so the tow rope returns to the airport with the tug and can be
used again. Neither of these reasons are critical enough to require
an instant, thoughtless reaction from the glider pilot. If it's
really time-critical, the tow pilot will release without a warning.

Given there's a few seconds to think after a wing-rock, why not use
one of those seconds to check for open spoilers? If you've mis-
identified a rudder waggle, a spoiler check saves the day. If it's
really a wing-rock, you don't want the spoilers open anyway. Since on
most gliders the release is near the spoiler handle, your hand will be
near the release after checking the spoilers.

Spoilers open on tow is always a real life threatening situation.
Some spoilers-open aerotow experiments with Condor flight simulator
shows a 200' release with an attempted return to the runway almost
never works - it's the equivalent of an engine failure turnback with
an airplane. Even waiting until the tug turns back over the airport
at pattern altitude makes for a problematic landing. If the glider
pilot doesn't know the spoilers are open, it's unlikely a close & high
pattern will be flown.

At the risk of inciting the anti-technology crowd, I think there's a
good case to be made for an LED annunciator panel. Today's gliders
have enough electronics no one is likely to initiate a flight without
a fully charged battery. A simple spoilers open switch and light
circuit may well save a life or two. While thinking about an
annunciator panel, lights for unlatched canopy and tail dolly are also
possible. (The tail dolly switch would be a magnetic reed switch
inside the tail boom and a magnet on the tail dolly.)

Some thoughts for Tom Knauff and others...

Why do we have a wing-rock signal? *The tow pilot could just
release.


Response from Tom Knauff:

Well, let's see:

* Without a wing-rock signal all flight training manuals would have to
be re-written.
* The FAA would have to dream up some other item during flight tests.
* Glider pilots would have less to pay attention to during tow.
* Instructors would have less to teach - therefore earn less money.

* If the glider pilot insists on flying very much too high or too low
so I am running out of elevator control.
* Of course there are the less common items such as a less than
catestrophic emergency such as engine overheating when it would be
better if the falling-asleep glider pilot could assist by releasing.
* For those who ask questions such as this, it is a way for a tow
pilot to signal, "The lift is here, dummy!"
* When the glider pilot has jerked the towplane all over the sky by
inept flying, and the tow plane pilot has simply had enough of it.

Those are a few that come to mind.

Of course, if I have a real emergency, while piloting the towplane,
don't expect the courtesy of a "release now" signal. Your signal may
be the rope disengaging from the towplane.

Tom Knauff

How about a short mental check list for the wing rock? At least if
it's confused with a tail wag they will have checked the spoilers
first.

STAY

S - Spoilers?
T - Traffic? (A quick look before releasing)
A - Altitude for safe landing?
Y - You can release

Should take only about 3 seconds.