(Mark James Boyd) wrote in message news:40125065$1@darkstar...

Perhaps I have overstated the effect of a higher price glider on
caution. Thanks for the figures! I'm a bit surprised.
I'd have thought insurance would be more expensive than what
you have noted.

But then again, I'm still not quite to the point where I'm
ready to voluntarily land off-airport in ANY glider.
I'll need to do a few retrieves (of OTHER pilots)
before I get to this stage...

Mark, you actually get into an interesting situation; if you start out
with an inexpensive (read: low performance) glider, then you will
probably land out more often, but as XC experience mounts, and you
move up to a higher performance ship (trust me, L/D is real
addictive!) you will probably land out less off-airfield, due to the
greater options made available by the ship, and also due to greater
skill (assuming at least a basic maintaining of proficiency, which is
crucial to safety as in all aspect of aviation). No one wants to
damage a glider, or get hurt, and that is a big factor when flying XC
- but it is also a big part of the fun - the challenge of going places
safely! I feel now that an off-field landing (not just a landout; but
a landout in a "risky" location (you - as the PIC - have to decide
what is risky based on glider and skill) is the gliding equivalent of
running a powerplane out of gas - A REAL DUMB PILOT ERROR! But at
the same time, landing out safely once and a while is like falling
down while skiing - if you aint doing it, you aint trying, and it is
part of the fun; a real adventure some times...

I don't worry about cost because I now refuse to get out of safe
gliding range of a good landout place (which for me means known
airfields, known good dirt strips, and known good agricultural areas,
in that order). So I spend a lot of time (and money!) on good
navigation systems that give me a lot of info in real time on possible
and reachable landout locations. And during the off-season I get out
and explore for more safe landout sites to add to my data. Some people
joke about GPS, glide computers, and moving maps taking the fun out of
soaring - I think the exact opposite - they take away the worry! Plus
I enjoy setting up and using the toys - I find it fascinating that I
fly with more and better comm and nav systems than I ever did while
flying F-4s in the Air Force.

FYI, I fly with an Ilec SN10 and a Garmin GPS 3 Pilot (redundant
nav/glide info), and my backup vario is a Westerboer VW900. No
mechanical - but two separate and redundant electrical systems.

Absolutely go on as many retrieves for other pilots as you can - it's
the best way to check out a landout location first hand for when you
may need it - Plus it's a free dinner!

And someday you will have to help a friend put his (or her) glider
back into it's trailer in more pieces than it came out, and that too
will help you make smarter decisions in the air, believe me!

Cheers!

Kirk