On Jul 22, 9:01*am, RL wrote:
What Gary said… Flying a glider without direct tow plane radio
communication is sheer foolishness. With today’s radio/battery
technology, or at minimum a handheld w/ PTT, there is zero excuse for
not having every glider and tow plane equipped with a radio. *We would
never allow a glider to launch from our airport without a working
radio and contact with the towplane.

In the case of open dive brakes, the often misinterpreted and
ambiguous rudder waggle becomes replaced by a simple radio call and
the problem goes away with no guessing on either end of the string.
There is little chance the FAA will address the issue, so here’s a
controversial thought… maybe we should encourage insurance companies
to “adjust” their rates based on having a radio on board… that will
get the anti-progress crowd fired up!

Bob

I don't disagree with RL in any way. However, AM simplex aviation
radio is an anachronism dating from before WW2 which has real
limitations. Every procedure in aviation has backups for radio
communication failure including tower light signals and IFR
communications failures among others. We're no different.

For aviation radio to work it must be:
1. Turned on. (Battery charged)
2. Set to right frequency.
3. Squelch set correctly.
4. Volume set correctly.
5. Selected frequency free of interfering radio traffic - including
that from the station you're trying to contact.

There's a lot of room for radio communications to fail in a critical
moment. Even with radios, we still need the rudder wag signal as a
backup - and pilots have to know it. If you don't, you're going to
bust your next checkride or Flight Review.