I sure think we are close to the slippery slope when we start making
comments that imply certain things should ALWAYS be done the same way...ALL
the time.

Low Energy landings are great, when the weather is nice, but in a big stiff
blustery crosswind, you dang sure better know how to fly your machine onto
the ground or you are going to learn all about this pretty little manuever
called the "ground loop".

We may as well just face the music that NO single methodology is ever going
to be 100% correct and that every instructor is going to have his pet peeves
and that's the way life is. So I'd suggest we'd do well to explain and
demonstrate the multitude of different methods to students...I'd further
assert that there are plenty of pilots who simply shouldn't be flying in on
the brink of a stall, because they are not keenly enough attuned to the
voice of the sailplane and it's subtle ways of letting us know what it needs
to keep us flying. There are many safe club pilots however, who fly their
gliders onto the ground and while they may not perform flawlessly in an
outlanding scenario, most of them will probably never pursue cross-country
flight and have the need arise to truly utilize those skillsets. I have met
MANY pilots...who are uncomfortable flirting with the stall, and the main
reason is a general lack of understanding and training...we should help them
work on those skills.

For Every flight...there are a hundred different methods to accomplish the
same thing...we should just patiently teach and share the information we
have and particularly share with a person why we think the way we do, when
we see a pilot do something that we think they would be better served by
being enlightened by additional information. I've never yet met a pilot who
wasn't willing to tell you why they do the things the way they do them...and
discuss differences...


Steve.