View Single Post
  #91  
Old August 19th 15, 10:18 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Nigel Pocock[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 53
Default How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring ?

Some random thoughts.
Our club has a briefing every day that covers weather, Notams etc. but
also briefs inexperienced pilots on cross country. This might be a task
with several turning points within gliding distance of the home airfield,
up to a 500k task for diamond distance.

We also have the "Compass" scheme where an experienced cross
country pilot will fly with you a high performance 2 seater. You can
learn a lot flying with an ex world champion in a Nimbus 3dt!.

The club culture is cross country orientated. Three weeks ago we had
over 80 club gliders on a club grid to fly cross country (on top of
normal training flights) We do field landing practice in a Faulke motor
glider that allows an instructor to put the pupil in a situation such as
"OK we have run out of lift choose a suitable field an set up a circuit to

land".
Fear of outlandings.
Once a year one of our members who is a farmer invites the club to
use one of his fields for outlanding practice. We take a 2 seater and
tug and do training flights with the altimeter obscured. This
encourages circuit planning and approaches in a strange environment.

Being a club it is quite a sociable environment. I was sat at a table
outside the club house the other day nattering to some cadets, some
members in their 80s still flying vintage gliders, some low hours cross
country pilots (like myself,) and 2 world champions! It is great to learn
from such wide ranging experiences.