Wow, so many aircrafts...
In the 7 years and about 2000 hours I flew my LS4, I never saw
commercial traffic close by, and I fly most of the time in the Reno
area. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am using a transponder?
I had one close call over airsailing with an airliner in the short time
I flew club gliders without transponders (I believe they all have
transponders now).

Ramy

kirk.stant wrote:
Eric Greenwell wrote:
Would you write an article for Soaring magazine about your techniques?
It seems like an appropriate time. I know I don't see fighters soon
enough, and I'm sure I could miss aircraft coming up behind me. I often
see aircraft in the distance, but I know I haven't seen some airplanes
of various types that were potential threats.


Eric, it's not so much a technique as paranoia about other traffic.
There are some tricks that all pilots should know and use: have an
absolutely clean canopy (inside and out - I'm amazed by how filthy most
pilots let their canopies get), minimize reflections and obstructions
(PDA's, big compasses, etc.), keep "inside the cockpit" tasks short,
refocus at inifinity often while scanning, look for threats, not just
passing airplanes (low or high is not very critical, what's on the
horizon is dangerous!, and ALWAYS CLEAR YOUR FLIGHTPATH), look for
motion or lack of it in the forward quadrant.

Use every tool available - call out passing planes to other gliders and
vice versa, listen to tower when passing a busy airport, look for
shadows on the ground (good in the pattern), smoke trails or glints in
the air, and sound - if anything makes the hairs on the back of your
neck stand up, the turn and look around.

Think about where the traffic will be coming from. When you are
cruising and are near the VFR hemispheric altitudes, look in the
direction the traffic will be coming from. Most power pilots will fly
at "easy" altitudes (multiples of 500').

Avoid hanging around VORs, intersections, and following major
interstates - lots of power traffic there, flying IFR (I follow roads)!

Due to the speed difference it is hard for a glider to get away from a
fast mover at close range, but if you are seen there is a good chance
he will maneuver to avoid. And your cross section is basically the
same whether turning or flying straight - it's just oriented different.
But whip into a steep turn (45 degrees either way) and you will
probably be seen - and you get to see other planes maneuver out of your
way. I've seen everything from King Airs, 737s, and F-16s respond to a
wing flash.

Of course I've also seen a 737 fly right through my thermal just
outside of Class B airspace (acturally right next to an
approach/departure extension of the B airspace. I was carefully
thermalling outside the Class B, watching the arrivals, and watched as
one guy approached from the West. When it was obvious he was going to
join me in my nice 7 knot thermal, I moved out of his way, let him by
(no noise by the way) then re-entered the thermal and continued the
climb.

I've also heard jet noise, done a check turn, and been rewarded with
the sight of 2 F-16s about a half mile away maneuvering hard to go
around me.

Final tip - if you see one jet fighter, start looking real hard for the
other one, and for the additional two in trail. And if the one you
see is going to pass about a mile to your side, then be real scared of
the one you don't see that is in one mile spread formation, watching
his leader, just like you are. Fighters almost never fly alone.

Anybody else got good suggestions/techniques/tips?

Kirk
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