A very good point but, in this case, I was aware of my surroundings.
The G-103 was the only glider other than my own in the immediate area.
He had a better thermal than I did, so I moved over to join from below.
He increased his turn rate just as I was entering, putting us on
possibly conflicting paths. To dodge him I could have: rolled out
slightly and gone under him to the outside of his turn, but that would
have been too close and he would not have seen me; increased my bank
angle and pulled inside his turn, but that would expose my belly and I
would have lost sight of him and, quite frankly, would have been rude;
put the nose down and seek lift elsewhere. Doing the last maneuver I
never lost sight of him until I was speeding away. That sounds like a
lot to consider in a short time but maintaining situational awareness
makes this less of an issue than it might sound like.



On 7/21/2015 5:04 PM, Charlie M. (UH & 002 owner/pilot) wrote:
On Tuesday, July 21, 2015 at 12:35:47 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
Yup... Only a week ago, I did a quick unload and bottom rudder to
avoid a conflict in a thermal.

Dan Marotta

Not saying right or wrong in your case (wasn't there, didn't see it....), but, "for others", keep in mind there "may" be a glider just under your belly!!
While you may have missed one "issue", you may have created another "issue".....

Stated from a comp pilot/CFIG...... just think before acting.... I know time is short at times, but try.

Please?


--
Dan Marotta