On Feb 28, 3:08*pm, tommytoyz wrote:
I hate to drag up this topic again, because I know it is
controversial. But I can't stop thinking about it. This is an issue I
actively think about when flying in the mountains, which I mostly do.

Know let's simulate this for a second. Walk along any wall 1-2 feet
away or less - that's you flying along a mountain below ridge level.
Now something upsets you and start turning into the wall. What do you
do to not smack into it? What do you do if normal control inputs can
not correct in time?

Asking myself this, I simulated what it would take to make a quick
steep turn away from the mountain. Firstly, as we all know, making a
steep quick turn requires a steep bank angle, the more the better - so
long as we have the airspeed to do it.

So I figured that if my mountain side wing was pushed 45 degrees down
by the upset, I would only need another 46 degrees in the some
direction to be able to turn the other way, by pushing the stick. This
would only take maybe 2 seconds (maybe less if your being turned that
way anyway) in a 15 M ship with good airspeed, that should be carried
in close proximity to terrain anyway.

So the previous objections that it would take too long or be
disorienting, I find not a little overblown. However, once turned away
from the mountain, one would need to be careful in regaining a normal
flight position.

I'll be trying this with an aerobatic instructor and see what happens.
I just can't see any other way out of that situation when you are
asked - what do you do? when you're facing the mountain with a wing
down and probably tail high or rising.

Continuing the rotation another 46 degrees or more and pushing on the
stick to increase the angle of attack to turn, should turn the ship
away from the mountain quickest.

Soaring safety... more than anyone thinks, is a function of the pilots
mental control and reaction when things go wrong.

I may be more familiar with the mountains near Crystalair than almost
anyone except Henry Combs. Mr. Combs is a thinker and very deliberate
pilot. He reviews plans for his flights and mentally stores a flight
plan in his lower concioness. When something in his flight plan
happens he is mentally prepared to deal with it.
He has tried to get me to teach his recovery tecnique but I either
didn't understand it well enough to teach it or in most cases most of
our students are taught to maintain extra control speed, to be aware
that at 9,000 on a hot day, the glider will not have the same turn
radius and end up without enough room.

The mountains have claimed more airplane pilots than glider pilots
around here. Mountain flying is very rewarding but also very
demanding.

The atmosphere flowing over mountains is somewhat like water flow over
rocks...except that it is compressible. The compression and heating,
along with expansion makes the air flowing over and between ridges
hard to predict. It is a facinating subject to spend a lifetime to
master.

My advice is to learn as much as you can from an old hand, study how
the air flows, understand density and forever mentally be prepared for
the unexpected and have a preplanned escape route. I've been in sudden
upsets but always had room to recover without aerobatic skills.
Fortunately the number of spins and rolls I have done makes me more
comfortable, but I doubt that any of that skill would have saved me
from a sudden upset near terrain. Do some ridge soaring, but leave
room for the unexpected.

Fred Robinson








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