Examples of the questions include:

During a left turn on aero tow, which side of the towplane should the
glider pilot see?

A. Left side
B. Right Side
C. Both sides equally
D. Which side does not matter as long as the glider is not too high.

During a steep, continuous left hand turn, how are the controls held?

A. Left Aileron, right rudder, back stick
B. Left aileron, left rudder, back stick
C. Right aileron, right rudder, back stick
D. Right aileron, left rudder, back stick

During an off field landing, what color farm field is generally most
desirable?

A. Light green
B. Dark green
C. Dirt color
D. Color is not important


OK, what are the correct answers, those are questions I have seen
before and they lead to a good discussion, but I would like to read
your opinion, always good.

Q#1: If you were on a passenger train rounding a left bend in the tracks
and looked out a window at the locomotive, the only side you could see is
the left side. Like a passenger car on a train, a glider should follow the
same path in the sky as the tow plane (locomotive) so you see the left side.
(Answer: A)

Q#2: This one needs a some qualification since it depends on the glider.
Obviously, into-the-turn aileron (left in a left turn) would never be used
in a continuous turn so the choice is between C and D.

I find many gliders, once stabilized in a turn, will track nicely with the
string centered with my feet off the pedals indicating no rudder is needed
at all. Only opposite aileron (right in this case) is used to hold off the
overbanking tendency - this right aileron provides all the left yaw (adverse
yaw) needed to center the string. Gliders with less adverse yaw will need
some into-the-turn rudder (Answer: D). Gliders with a lot of adverse yaw
may need a little out-of-the-turn rudder (right) (Answer: C).

One must add that the Dick Johnson technique of using a slight slip also
works nicely and adds a little to the performance. Dick holds
out-of-the-turn rudder to oppose overbanking and keeps the stick centered.
In my experience, this works best on gliders with generous dihedral and
without winglets or polyhedral.

Q#3: Any uniform green color indicates a growing crop. This could be
alfalfa, corn or something else. You can land in freshly cut alfalfa or hay
but not much else. Green usually means some form of irrigation which adds
additional hazards like sprinkler pipes. Landing in a crop is likely to
cause some irritation among the farm folk. Dirt, if it's reasonably smooth,
level and large enough, is always landable. (Answer: C)

Bill Daniels