On 26 Jan 2004 14:29:29 GMT, "Ian Johnston"
wrote:

On Mon, 26 Jan 2004 00:15:20 UTC, Mike Borgelt
wrote:

: Many experienced pilots I know flat out refuse to do full spins during
: annual checks as being an unnecessary risk. They will happily
: demonstrate stalls and incipient spins.

I would hate to have somebody as nervous about their flying skills as
that above me in a thermal.

Ian


It is called risk management. They fly gliders to go soaring not to do
aerobatics. Most of them have thousands of hours of flying cross
country and in competition. They consider it far riskier to do spins
in gliders of uncertain history with instructors of little experience
and training who typically seem to them to demonstrate dangerous
overconfidence.

And they won't spin down on you from above.

Some of the attitudes revealed in this thread make me despair that
anything will ever happen to improve the soaring safety record.

Mike Borgelt