Perhaps this thread could benefit from a first person perspective. (i.e. been there)

Situation: Mid air collision - major damage to left wing - glider turning left even with full right aileron and rudder.

Assessment: Glider minimally controllable - bailout imminent.

Action 1: Jettison doors (this was a Pratt-Read) to prepare for immediate egress.

Review situation: Left turn appears to be stable at 10 - 15 degree bank. Terrain 4000 feet below is flat and reasonably clear of obstacles. Glider is actually still climbing - is this good?

Conclusion: Bailout less than urgent. If glider can be made to descend into level terrain, it should result in a mild ground loop which might be less dangerous than a bailout.

Action 2: Initiate descent with full spoilers.

Result: Open spoiler on damaged left wing did not increase drag significantly but the one on the undamaged wing did - glider rolls level but still requires 75% right aileron and rudder. Glider is now partially controllable. Is it enough for a landing attempt?

Plan: Straight in approach to airfield. Review situation again before descending to 2500' AGL. If not good, initiate bailout above 2500'.

Result: Successful landing on airport property.

Review: Examination of damage revealed that the wing structure was significantly weakened. Had this been known in flight it would have likely resulted in a decision to abandon the glider.



On Tuesday, July 29, 2014 9:43:35 AM UTC-6, Dan Marotta wrote:
If you have the time and control:



Jettison the canopy

Release the harness

Trim full nose down

Release the stick

Pull the D-ring (after safe separation from the aircraft)



If you can do all of the above, why jump?� Unless you're on fire
or over unlandable terrain with nothing within reach.� And why
would any sane pilot be there?



If no control:



Do what you gotta do to get out.



Dan Marotta
On 7/28/2014 9:55 PM, Ramy wrote:



Pushing the stick hard forward (assuming you still have some control) is one of the best advice I heard for exiting the cockpit. Probably something to add to mental bailout practices, as it may not be intuitive during bail out. Thanks Kirk for that advice.

Ramy