danlj wrote:

I write this not to analyze Mr. Funston's accident, but because the
concepts of "uncommanded roll" and "new obstacle" inspire me to remind
fellow soaring pilots that windy conditions are always accompanied by
significant turbulence close to the ground, exacerbated by nearby
obstacles. This turbulence is invisible, and can indeed roll our
aircraft enough to cause a tip strike or loss of control.

While this does not invalidate what Dan says, pilots may be interested
to know the "obstacle" was basically flags marking changes in the
runway, and would not affect the wind on the runway. They did add some
distraction for the pilot, however, as it was his first launch since the
new runway was marked on a portion of the ramp. Previously, the entire
width of the ramp was "available". My guess is the distraction was a
much bigger factor than the wind.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

* Updated! "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* New Jan '08 - sections on Mode S, TPAS, ADS-B, Flarm, more

* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org