On 4/23/2015 12:51 AM, krasw wrote:
On Thursday, 23 April 2015 04:52:26 UTC+3, Steve Leonard wrote:
I would throw out everything you have got and DON'T LET GO OF THE STICK.
The plane's stick free pitch stability is MUCH worse than its stick fixed
stability. When you let go, you are a passenger, accepting whatever the
upset brings you. Stay active, and aware of what is happening, and you
have a chance. Even if Active is just holding the stick in one
position.



Where does this "let go of the stick" comes from? Never seen it in any
glider flight manual. Is there some magical airplane that does right
control inputs to get you out of trouble?


For SSA members, check out the "Soaring" archive: November 1979, p. 28.

http://www.ssa.org/Archive/ViewIssue...nth=11&page=28

Attributed 2nd-hand to Einar Enevoldson (I couldn't find a direct writeup from
him, though maybe it's there); bullet 5 begins: "Take your hands and feet
completely off the controls..." The succinct article also contains "all the
expected caveats" known to the author at the time, while additional "benign
spiral mode" references within the archives elaborate on the points raised.

For many years (most of his career?), Einar Enevoldson was a NASA test pilot,
in addition to being a 3-diamond sailplane pilot, eventually sparkplug behind
the Perlan Project, and current world sailplane record altitude co-holder.

Bob W.