On Wednesday, 8 April 2015 17:08:36 UTC+3, son_of_flubber wrote:
So I'm flying in a blue hole in wave lift of 5 m/s, trimmed to 50 knots, in clear air with a cloud layer upwind and downwind, cloud top above and cloud base below. Suddenly I find myself in IMC. What are my options?

My glider is capable of benign spiral. I open the spoilers, (already trimmed to 50 knots) and let go of stick and rudder. Then I mentally rehearse my bail out procedure and expect to come out below the cloud (or possibly above). It seems like I should decisively and without hesitation initiate the spiral ASAP, while the glider is still relatively level and at cruising airspeed.

Suggestions?

Standard procedure in cloud flying instruction for loss of control is to open airbrakes immediately. And you will loose control very soon, so better to pop them open right away, well before VNE. I would probably set flaps as much positive as possible (landing flaps being best option) if airspeed permits. Idea is to restrict your speed as much as possible during those loops, spirals and all that scary stuff your glider will do inside cloud. And it will, believe me, there is no such thing as bening uncontrolled manouver in cloud if you are flying modern glider.

Intentional cloud flying with artificial horizon that comes with modern variometer is plain suicidal. They are not designed to be as rugged as imc flying requires. Simple disturbance in GPS reception is enough to make your AH to reboot in cloud.