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#1
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preferrred bank angle indicator?
Gary Evans wrote:
I have culled the collective wisdom in this thread to save any new followers time. Use of Trutrak T&B indicator for emergency cloud flying I'd say close but not quite accurate: 1) To fly in a cloud means certain death or worse. Clearly not, because pilots do it and survive. I'd say, to fly in cloud without proper planning, instruments and knowledge of what you're doing is very risky indeed. However, letting down through a cloud layer via a benign spiral (if you know there's plenty of clear air beneath) is likely to be comparatively low risk. 2) You should fly in clouds for practice. For intentional cloud flying, my limited experience and more extensive reading tells me you need to keep in practice. Unintentional entry I wouldn't practice for, but I'd have an emergency plan (airbrakes out, trim back to best L/D or thereabouts, and don't mess with the controls). Many glider pilots can't practice because cloud flying is generally illegal in their countries. 3) Special training is required to survive a cloud flight. Not to survive (see 2 above), but to fly intentionally and successfully in cloud you need either training or an effective self-teaching programme (see next point). 4) You can train yourself. In theory you can - my self-training programme is derived from the writings of pilots, some of whom who taught themselves. I can't say yet whether it's a successful programme, or whether I'll carry on cloud flying if I do manage to teach myself successfully. The only thing I'm comfortable about is that the way I'm approaching this is not excessively risky. 5) Special instruments are necessary for cloud flight. Definitely. The acknowledged minimum is bank indicator (e.g. T&S) and ASI. From previous posts, Tru-Trak is not a true bank indicator, which means that its limitations need to be understood when using it. An artificial horizon is clearly easier because it gives you bank and pitch simultaneously. However, as the earlier poster who actually uses one points out, you need a T&S as backup in case the horizon fails. This is why I'm starting with T&S/ASI alone - the backup's no good to me if I can't use it. My reading suggests that relying on a horizon alone (which is effectively what you're doing, even if you have a T&S fitted, if you can't use it) is riskier than I care for. 6) Instruments are worthless in a cloud. Definitely no, if you mean horizon/T&S/horizon. Other instruments (except, I understand, a Bohli compass in the hands of an expert) are little or no use for maintaining control in cloud. Following RAS for years this seems to be a fairly typical example of group guidance. The truth I suspect lies somewhere between the lines. Interesting to read however. Like all RAS postings, you get a mix of experience and hearsay. Looking back over the thread, only four posters (including me) stated they had any experience of flying in cloud, though from the comments of some of the others they might also have done this. I tend to give rather more weight to postings which come from the pilot's own experience, which is as good a way as any other of sorting the wheat from the chaff. My advice to the original poster, from someone with approximately 1 more hour/6 flights in total cloud flying than he has, is to save his money on the Tru-Trak. Practice the benign spiral instead, as you never intend to fly in cloud intentionally. My hour has taken me to the stage where I am not completely out of control in cloud, but definitely not fully in control. All this in the easiest of cloud - intentional entry, gentle lift, little turbulence. Caught out by a wave gap closing does not strike me as the ideal conditions to begin your own training programme. |
#2
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preferrred bank angle indicator?
Chris Reed schrieb:
Many glider pilots can't practice because cloud flying is generally illegal in their countries. In most countries, it's prefectly legal. France is an exception, also Spain and Italy, if I recall correctly. It's just not too common in most countries. 4) You can train yourself. For each and every activity, there has always been at least one person who had to train himself. It's just the survival rate which was sometimes less than desired, though. An artificial horizon is clearly easier because it gives you bank and pitch simultaneously. However, as the earlier poster who actually uses one points out, you need a T&S as backup in case the horizon fails. The T&S is more than a backup. It's absolutely indispesable for cross reference. Each artificial horizon has some drift over time (even if it doesn't tumble). (Only for those multi thousand dollar high tech ring laser systems drift can be neglected.) And then, these (mechanical) horizons were typically built for straight and level flight, not for tight circling in a bumpy cloud. Stay 15 minutes in such a cloud, which is a reasonable time, and most horizons will show more or less wrong bank. Only the T&S will *always* show the correct data, due to the construction principle (as long as it's not broken, of course). Definitely no, if you mean horizon/T&S/horizon. Other instruments (except, I understand, a Bohli compass in the hands of an expert) are little or no use for maintaining control in cloud. Definitely no. Of course you can cloud fly with minimal instruments, but it's the redundancy of a full panel (and you being able to use this redundancy) which makes it safe. And of course you need a compass (plain old whisky works fine, if you know how to interpret it) to leave the cloud in the desired direction. Stefan |
#3
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preferrred bank angle indicator?
At 21:30 27 May 2006, Gary Evans wrote:I have culled
the collective wisdom in this threadto save any new followers time. Use of Trutrak T&B indicator for emergency cloudflying1) To fly in a cloud means certain death or worse.2) You should fly in clouds for practice.3) Special training is required to survive a cloudflight.4) You can train yourself.5) Special instruments are necessary for cloud flight.6) Instruments are worthless in a cloud.Gary, you missed out no. 77) Any attempt a levity will be rewarded with a lengthy and very serious lecture. You have been warned! |
#4
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preferrred bank angle indicator?
At 21:30 27 May 2006, Gary Evans wrote:I have culled
the collective wisdom in this threadto save any new followers time. Use of Trutrak T&B indicator for emergency cloudflying1) To fly in a cloud means certain death or worse.2) You should fly in clouds for practice.3) Special training is required to survive a cloudflight.4) You can train yourself.5) Special instruments are necessary for cloud flight.6) Instruments are worthless in a cloud.Gary, you missed out no. 77) Any attempt a levity will be rewarded with a lengthy and very serious lecture. You have been warned! |
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