I know at least one pilot who was saved from serious
injury or death by his ability to quickly recover from
an incipient spin at very low altitude (probably below
50 m). I watched it happen.

I am probably also in that category myself, having
once unintentionally started to spin a LS7 when flying
a very turbulent thermal close to a mountainside near
Orcierres in the Alps, and being saved by quick recovery
action.

As we are not perfect, we should try to have two (or
more) lines of defence whenever possible:
First line of defence: Have sufficient airspeed and
fly coordinated when you are low.
Second line of defence: Be able to quickly recognise
and recover from an incipient spin.

Regarding the value of training fully developed spins:
I think the main benefits are to (hopefully) eliminate
the panic effect in a spin, and also to learn how to
avoid overspeeding or overstressing the sailplane in
the pull-out phase. The pull-out is normally very different
after a fully developed spin vs. after the typical
quarter-turn incipient spin.

Geir

At 10:12 27 January 2004, Michel Talon wrote:
Arnold Pieper wrote:

Therefore, if you're maintaining the correct Speed
in the traffic pattern,
you can (and SHOULD) bank the glider as appropriate
for the turn. ALWAYS.
There is no exception.

A glider will not Stall/Spin from a coordinated turn
with the proper speed.

It will do so always from an uncoordinated turn, usually
with the Wings
close to level in a skidding turn and the stick aft.
Remember what I said about Wings level and the stick
full aft.

How true! I have NEVER spun unintentionally in many
years of practising
gliding doing that. Learning how to recover from spin
will not save a
single life when 99% of accidents are close to the
ground, either
landing or ridge flying. Learning to fly perfectly
coordinated in ALL
circumstances will save lifes. Learning to keep speed
and not stupidly
thermalling at slower speed than necessary will both
increase climb rate
and save lifes. I can unfortunately say that i have
seen instructors
learning to fly both too slow and with the rudder inside
the turn,
on a ridge. This is criminal. The argument was that
the aileron produces
more drag, that inverse effects suffice to bank the
glider and other
bull****. I always wondered how the instructor didn't
kill himself.
When i became more proficient, i discovered i could
exploit small lift
exactly as efficiently flying a little faster and with
correct banking
of the glider than he was doing with these dangerous
techniques.


--

Michel TALON