Contest Safety

The USA Finish Cylinder is usually a 2 mile radius circle with a 500 ft
minimum with the center of the radius on home field. This simply means when
you enter the circle 2 miles out, you have finished. The glider is then
safely transitioned into a landing pattern at a slow and low energy pace.
However, even with this finish, you will have the occasional idiot that will
continue the descent and buss the field at a low altitude and high speed.
The best solution is to locate the finish cylinder a few miles away from the
home field.

Bob Fidler
F1

"Nick Gilbert" wrote in message
...
By the way, these are australian rules we are discussing.

Nick


"Nick Gilbert" wrote in message
...
Mal Wrote:
A Cylinder of 2000 meters from the middle of the airfield in effect a
finish line radius.

We were also instructed that going below 500 ft may bring a penalty from
the comp officials not that the rules covers it in detail.

It is not covered in detail to allow different procedures at different
locations. The 500ft penalty you refer to would be imposed by the contest
organisers at a particular comp. At some sites (such as Temora) they are
dead against it. At other sites, you are encouraged to do it, as long as
it is done safely.

Nick.

Mal,

You are making me send this to you for the second time in 2 days, but, we
have an exemption to the CASA rule you are quoting. Please don't speak as
though you are an authority on something you clearly know very little about.
I am not suggesting that it is mandatory, or even advisable, just that you
are incorrect in your statement.

It is from CAO 95.4 (http://www.gfa.org.au/Docs/airworth/cao954.pdf) and
reads:

4.3 Gliders, powered sailplanes and power-assisted sailplanes participating
in a
gliding competition which has been approved in writing by CASA may, when

within 5 kilometres of the finish line, descend below 500 feet above the
ground

whilst:

(i) keeping the finish line in sight; and

(ii) clearing all obstacles by at least 50 feet; and

(iii) then land straight ahead across the finish line; or

(iv) cross the finish line without descending lower than 50 feet above the

ground or any obstacle thereon and with sufficient energy to

complete a circuit prior to landing.



Nick.


"Mal" wrote in message
...
I am alive against it Nick in my youth I have partaken.

Either way I can still win without a beat up.

Besides who wants to trash a $180000.00 AUD worth of glider your dad would
not be happy or Bernard.

Let alone set a bad example to pilots who may try a beat up.

http://www.gfa.org.au/Docs/sport/ Plenty of reading for a cold winters day
such as today.

CASA says the following.
157 Low flying

(1) The pilot in command of an aircraft must not fly the aircraft over:

(a) any city, town or populous area, at a height lower than 1000 feet;

or

(b) any other area at a height lower than 500 feet.

Penalty: 50 penalty units.

(2) An offence against subregulation (1) is an offence of strict
liability.

Note For strict liability, see section 6.1 of the Criminal Code.

(3) A height specified in subregulation (1) is the height above the
highest

point of the terrain, and any object on it, within a radius of:

Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 327

Amended CAR - 2nd Ed Office of Legal Counsel

August 2003 Civil Aviation Safety Authority

(a) in the case of an aircraft other than a helicopter-600 metres; or

(b) in the case of a helicopter-300 metres;

from a point on the terrain vertically below the aircraft .

(3A) Paragraph 1 (a) does not apply in respect of a helicopter flying at a

designated altitude within an access lane details of which have been

published in the AIP or NOTAMS for use by helicopters arriving at or

departing from a specified place.

(4) Subregulation (1) does not apply if:

(a) through stress of weather or any other unavoidable cause it is

essential that a lower height be maintained; or

(b) the aircraft is engaged in private operations or aerial work

operations, being operations that require low flying, and the

owner or operator of the aircraft has received from CASA either a

general permit for all flights or a specific permit for the particular

flight to be made at a lower height while engaged in such

operations; or

(c) the pilot of the aircraft is engaged in flying training and flies over

a part of a flying training area in respect of which low flying is

authorised by CASA under subregulation 141 (1); or

(d) the pilot of the aircraft is engaged in a baulked approach

procedure, or the practice of such procedure under the

supervision of a flight instructor or a check pilot; or

(e) the aircraft is flying in the course of actually taking-off or landing

at an aerodrome; or

(f) the pilot of the aircraft is engaged in:

(i) a search; or

(ii) a rescue; or

(iii) dropping supplies;

in a search and rescue operation; or

(g) the aircraft is a helicopter:

(i) operated by, or for the purposes of, the Australian Federal

Police or the police force of a State or Territory; and

(ii) engaged in law enforcement operations; or

(h) the pilot of the aircraft is engaged in an operation which requires

the dropping of packages or other articles or substances in

accordance with directions issued by CASA.

I don't get it: Why on earth do so many people pull up and do a
circuit? There must be a difference in the US and the IGC definition of
the finish gate/line. Can someone explain? Why is it not normal (at
least judging from what I read here it isn't in the US) to land
straight in after the finishline?
In a paper by John Cochrane (Safer Finishes) there's a list of
accidents. More than half of them have nothing to do with the finishing
procedure. They could have happened just the same with any other
procedure, some even without a contest, some did'nt even happen at the
airfield. All the others (6) are the pullup-stall-spin type. So again:
why pull up?

After flying dozens of finishes at international comps and many more in
various versions at national and regional comps I am absolutely
convinced that a finishline at ground level at the beginning of the
runway and then landing straight ahead is the safest method, especially
when many competitors arrive at the same time. I'd hate to be in a
situation with ten or more gliders all on circuit at the same time not
knowing who's going to turn when and where because everybody has his
own idea of where the pattern is.

Marcel

Because it's fun.
If you don't like it, or are likely to spin in after the pull-up, just don't
do it. Even with a finish line, nothing prevents you from landing straight
in.

--
Bert Willing

ASW20 "TW"


"MaD" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
I don't get it: Why on earth do so many people pull up and do a
circuit?

MaD wrote:

I don't get it: Why on earth do so many people pull up and do a
circuit?

Because it's faster than a straight in. Ever tried to land on a short
runway after having arrived at the runway threshold with Vne and a full
load of water? That said, at the competitions I know, there is mostly a
minimal height at which the finish line must be crossed if you don't
land straight in.

Stefan

On 12 Aug 2005 04:16:57 -0700, "MaD" wrote:

Why is it not normal ...to land
straight in after the finishline?

Can someone explain?

Yes.

Many US contests are held at airports, not airfields. In many cases,
the only safe place to land is the runway.

The straight in finish you describe is safe as long as the area
between the finish line and the stopping point is landable, with
plenty of width available for simultaneous finishers.

All contest sites should be round grass fields of 1-mile radius.

-Pat

As we see, there are many possibilities and variations on finishes.

If you set a minimun finish altitude on a finish cylinder, you can do the
same for the finish line. No difference there.

It is good to have the line/cylinder so that you can finish and land
directly. But if there are no trees etc. before the airfield, you still have
the low high energy finishes. They just open the airbrakes in high speed
just after the finishline and land straight. So it can still be quite
dangerous.
The finish line should be before the airfield and you should have there a
minumum altitude limit. Or ?

Soaring is not a spectator sport, but we all go out to see the finishes. But
there is not much to see, if the gliders come in slowly and land straight.
Okay, you still have some drama in it, if you know the start times so you
can see who has flown fastest.

Sorry to disagree here. It is normally not faster. If it turns out to
be, it means you seriously misjudged your final glide or the last
thermal was something like 4m/s AND the runway is extremely short.
And yes, at most contests I've flown so far it was possible to land
straight ahead arriving with close to Vne at the beginning of the
runway. As mentioned, that speed is not the one you should try to have
at that point.

Regards
Marcel Duenner

Sorry to disagree here. It is normally not faster. If it turns out to
be, it means you seriously misjudged your final glide or the last
thermal was something like 4m/s AND the runway is extremely short.
And yes, at most contests I've flown so far it was possible to land
straight ahead arriving with close to Vne at the beginning of the
runway. As mentioned, that speed is not the one you should try to have
at that point.

Regards
Marcel Duenner

-But if there are no trees etc. before the airfield, you still have
the low high energy finishes. They just open the airbrakes in high
speed
just after the finishline and land straight. So it can still be quite
dangerous.
---

And what exactly is dangerous about that?