On Monday, June 3, 2019 at 9:58:43 AM UTC-4, Charles Ethridge wrote:
Hi, everyone.

I searched but couldn't find the posts just now, but I think I remember reading posts from some of you who said that you have successfully "flown" your glider on the ground in a thunderstorm after a landout.

Having been a CFI and charter pilot in Nebraska, I'm quite familiar with landing and taxiing in very high winds (50-60 mph one day in Wichita in a Cessna 150 - basically flying the plane on the ground)

Since I haven't read about this technique in any of my glidering books, I got curious about what exactly is your technique.

In powered planes, one can use the engine to stay in place, but with a glider, assuming that you do not have a hammer and a "claw" ground tie-down to tie down the nose of the glider, wouldn't the strong wind move you backwards, perhaps breaking the tail assembly?

And if you get lifted off by a gust, couldn't that technique prove deadly?

But then if that technique is inherently dangerous, what is a less dangerous technique? Quartering the glider into the wind and sitting on the upwind wing? I don't remember reading that one either in any of my glidering books. For that matter, I don't remember reading about ANY approaching thunderstorm landout techniques in any of my glidering books.

What have you done in this situation that has worked out well...and not?

Ben

My 2 worst ones were handled in different ways:
#1 at Littlefield TX involved running along the storm until it was hopeless, then turning downwind to get away and pick a field. On final I had about 20MPH ground speed. The gust front hit less than a minute after touchdown. I stayed in with full brakes and hoped not to get blown over. I resolved not to do that again.
#2 at Mifflin. I got on the ground with about 3 minutes before the gust front. I turned the glider 90 degrees to the wind with the brakes tied open and laid on the upwind wing. The rain that came was the coldest rain I think I ever felt. Gusts were over 50 in that one. It was uncomfortable, but I'm convinced it was safer. My other ship, flown by one of the juniors I was sponsoring, ended up about 30 miles away with an uneventful landing and easy retrieve. He did it best.
FWIW
UH