On Sunday, May 11, 2014 5:40:53 PM UTC-6, Don Johnstone wrote:
At 15:46 11 May 2014, Bill D wrote:

On Sunday, May 11, 2014 5:01:08 AM UTC-6, Chris Rollings wrote:

At 11:24 10 May 2014, Jim White wrote:



At 07:20 10 May 2014, Chris Rollings wrote:



All completely correct but there is one even bigger problem, most

pilots



when making a low level turn off a launch failure or to modify a



circuit/pattern that has got too low, tend to be looking for/at the



place



they intend to land with little or no attention to spare for the ASI,



attitude or slip/skid indicator, that's why these events are so



productive



of stall/spin accidents. Training needs to emphasise, GLANCE AT THE

ASI



EVERY 2 - 3 SECONDS IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES. Attitude is un

unreliable



indicator very near the ground, even the smallest undulations in the



terrain can give a false impression and just being low can make the



attitude look more nose down than it is.











Surely best practice is simply to keep the speed on until you have got

it



all sorted. Certainly in modern slippery gliders. Too much speed is

much



safer than too little and costs very little in height through a turn.







Isn't this what you taught us Chris?











Certainly a bit faster than optimum costs very little but you still

need

to



GLANCE AT THE ASI



EVERY 2 - 3 SECONDS IN THESE CIRCUMSTANCES to check what speed you

are



doing.



Being constantly aware of one's airspeed is nothing more than basic

airmanship. Why and where would this not be the case?



Maybe when you are distracted having been surprised by a launch failure.

A basic standard of airmanship requires a pilot to expect every launch to fail. One is allowed surprise only when a launch DOES NOT fail. Inattention to airspeed is never acceptable even with a pre-solo student.