On 5/10/2014 7:24 AM, Jim White wrote:
Certainly in modern slippery gliders. Too much speed is much
safer than too little and costs very little in height through a turn.

From the standpoint of preventing stalls, I can only agree. But if
your goal is to actually make it back to the runway, that advice should
be tempered with a bit more information!

Remember that turn radius increases with the SQUARE of airspeed. That
means that a small increase in airspeed will result in a significant
increase in turn radius. As the pilot, your goal in that situation
should be to shoot for the proper airspeed for the situation. Not too
much, but certainly always keeping a margin above stall speed.

By all means don't risk a stall! But remember that too much airspeed
could add to your troubles.