Robert Moore wrote:
Jim Logajan wrote
Demonstration of unpowered 180 degree turnback to the takeoff airfield
from altitudes as low as 200 ft was required of my fixed wing student
pilot training curriculum. I've done it in a real aircraft.
My experience was not rare, either. All the CFIs I've flown with have
done it.

Sure.....in a Sailplane with a 30:1 glide ratio,

Sure - you understood what I was talking about, but clearly Mxsmanic had no
clue or he wouldn't have made the sweeping claim he did.

As an aside, it is possible with an SGS 2-33A (the trainer our club has,)
which has a best glide ratio of only about 22:1.

Sure-as-hell not in a Cessna or Piper with a 9:1 glide.

Indeed - but Mxsmanic's opinion (presented as fact) was that circumstances
where you can safely perform unpowered turnbacks are "very rare" - which of
course isn't true in the sweeping way he put it.

As an interesting aside, I notice that some newer "glass" airplanes have
surprisingly high glide ratios (like the Arion Lightning with a L/D ratio
of 17:1) not to mention all motor gliders (though there would normally be
no need to practice low altitude "rope break" turnbacks for them!)