Landing with one spoiler

I committed one of the worst errors - an incomplete preflight check.
I did not check the hotelier locks to the spoiler rods with enough care
before takeoff. Coming into the pattern I extended the spoilers and
noticed immediately that something was wrong. The glider (SparrowHawk)
was pulling to one side and the rate of descent was not as much as I
expected. However the glider was easily controllable. A few seconds and
I saw that the right spoiler was not deploying. What to do? A couple of
attempts to close and open the spoilers did not actuate the right
spoiler. Then, oh well, lets check and see the effect of landing with
only one spoiler. The situation was less dramatic than expected.
Maximum sink rate was halved and the SparrowHawk needed some cross
control to fly straight but no problem. The landing was easy and
controllable. The lessons to be learnt from this are 2 fold: 1) landing
a glider with only one spoiler should be easy for most pilots and 2) do
a serious preflight inspection especially after assembly.
Dave

You did better than a very experienced local club member who had the
same problem many years ago in a DG300. He had one air brake open on
tow, released early instead of gaining altitude and time, misjudged the
approach and rolled it up in a ball.

In the worst case you should be committed to an approach and landing
with both airbrakes full open. Don't we practice that?

Andy

Andy wrote:
You did better than a very experienced local club member who had the
same problem many years ago in a DG300. He had one air brake open on
tow, released early instead of gaining altitude and time, misjudged the
approach and rolled it up in a ball.

In the worst case you should be committed to an approach and landing
with both airbrakes full open. Don't we practice that?

Andy

Same thing happened to my partner in the ASW17/23m we had due to a
universal coupling failing at one of the rod ends in the left wing.
Ground checked okay, but failed on final. Some damage to the wing
underside and a hunt for parts, but we were flying the mighty 17 again
before long.
Rich

rich schrieb:
Same thing happened to my partner in the ASW17/23m we had due to a
universal coupling failing at one of the rod ends in the left wing.
Ground checked okay, but failed on final. Some damage to the wing
underside and a hunt for parts, but we were flying the mighty 17 again
before long.
Rich


We had the same happen in a ASK-21 on final. Looked spectacular, but
fortunately the rear-pilot was experienced enough to keep calm.
Touchdown was a bit sideways but rather normal - no damage.

Reason: after rigging the plane it was checked by someone who did not know the
(then new) Hotelier connections on the '21. ouch... and the person he asked to
check his work later forgot....

Cu around and happy landings!

Markus

On 21 Sep 2005 21:16:29 -0700, "Andy" wrote:

You did better than a very experienced local club member who had the
same problem many years ago in a DG300. He had one air brake open on
tow, released early instead of gaining altitude and time, misjudged the
approach and rolled it up in a ball.

Hmmm... the DG-300 has fully automatic control hookups for the flaps.
How could that happen?


Bye
Andreas

In article , Andreas Maurer
writes
On 21 Sep 2005 21:16:29 -0700, "Andy" wrote:

You did better than a very experienced local club member who had the
same problem many years ago in a DG300. He had one air brake open on
tow, released early instead of gaining altitude and time, misjudged the
approach and rolled it up in a ball.

Hmmm... the DG-300 has fully automatic control hookups for the flaps.
How could that happen?


Bye
Andreas

I didn't think the DG 300 had flaps.
--
Mike Lindsay

My! In the DG-300 it is impossible to misrig the flaps.
So far I've never seen a flapped -300...
On the other hand, it's impossible to misrig an automatic hookup bird. If
the wings are in place, the controls are ok. You can forget to screw the
tail in place, as in the ASW-24, but it is not possible to leave the
ailerons/spoilers unconected.

"Andreas Maurer" escribió en el mensaje
...
On 21 Sep 2005 21:16:29 -0700, "Andy" wrote:

You did better than a very experienced local club member who had the
same problem many years ago in a DG300. He had one air brake open on
tow, released early instead of gaining altitude and time, misjudged the
approach and rolled it up in a ball.

Hmmm... the DG-300 has fully automatic control hookups for the flaps.
How could that happen?


Bye
Andreas

J.A.M. wrote:

My! In the DG-300 it is impossible to misrig the flaps.
So far I've never seen a flapped -300...
On the other hand, it's impossible to misrig an automatic hookup bird.

There are a few older gliders where this is possible.

If
the wings are in place, the controls are ok. You can forget to screw the
tail in place, as in the ASW-24,

Schleicher has a simple retrofit (for many of their gliders - not just
the 24) that keeps the tail bolt with the elevator and reduces the
chance of this happening. It's worth doing.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

We do practice that here.
But many places do not practice for this.
Full spoilers deployed ( to achieve symmetry) through approach, from
the point of unlocking through flare/round out and touchdown. The
typical error we find made by pilots in this configuration is the
tendency to "hurry" on approach, with extra airspeed, and not
understand how it will affect their glide slope.

It should be much less of a handling worry to make the glider
symmetrical, and control the approach in a regular configuration, than
to begin to think of all the "different" things you could do to
accommodate the asymmetry.

Just because there are several stories reported here of pilots who
either "didn't notice" their configuration issues, or handled
them with aplomb, remember that this is frequently Not The Case for
just as many others.

We also practice/teach approaches with spoilers completely closed, but
that is a different thread.

Cindy B
Caracole Soaring