in article , Terry Claussen
at wrote on 2003/10/01 14:59:

This was after his pointed briefing on the ground about that we needed
to be clear about who was in control, and that whoever was would
announce / confirm it.

Not to condone this behavior..., may I offer a possible
rationale for it?

Frequently a CFIG may be flying for the first time with a pilot and
until an assessment of skill is completed, the instructor is
protecting his assets until a safe altitude/airspeed/position is
attained. My first few students in the glider suffered from my own
ham-hand until I became more confident in my own ability. Now, I
place my index finger lightly on top of the stick as I know where I
want the ship to go and as I feel the student input, I am able to
relax.

I am not a glider instructor, but having been an instructee in many
different types of aircraft, from gliders to 757s, and an Instructor in both
light civilian aircraft and in the USAF T-38, I believe scenarios where the
student and the instructor should be on the stick at the same time are rare.

Either the circumstances permit the student to control the aircraft or they
do not. The Instructor may certainly "guard" the stick (e.g., place a
protective ring around it with his hands) in order to prevent gross
over-control in circumstances such as aerobatic/formation flight when the
student is not yet proficient or the Instructor is unsure of the student's
level of proficiency.

The classic Instructor's admonition, "When I say 'I've got it', I mean I'VE
got it, and when I say, 'You've got it', I mean WE'VE got it", indicates
only that the student should stay completely off all controls when the
Instructor has taken control of the aircraft, and that the student can
expect intervention when necessary but should continue to fly the aircraft
to the best of his ability until commanded otherwise.

There are few things more annoying than feeling someone else's unbidden
control inputs. An instructor who "rides" the controls is not yet ready to
instruct.

If CFIGs out there feel that gliders present a special case, I invite your
further clarification.



Jack