Joeri Cools wrote:
I've been thaught the two methods. In Belgium an instructor told me to make
S-turns when high on final, in France this seems to be illegal and a steep
dive with full spoilers is recommended. About aiming between the trees, this
makes me wonder. In a glider with a span of let's say 15 to 18 m you
probably end up hitting a tree with one or two wings.

The intent was to get the fuselage between the trees, not the entire
glider (the trees are too close to do this, judging from the pictures of
the field). The wings would take most of the impact, and the cockpit
might be spared entirely.

An article in our club
magazine about outlanding mentioned that stick full forward and
intentionally ground-looping as the method of choice. The stick forward
would bring the tail up and prevent it from snapping off. Speed would be
down and the glider and more importantly yourself would survive. Anyway,
there is no more damage than hitting a tree with a wing.

A ground loop might be even better, especially if there is a fence. I
also wonder how well the glider could be steered, if the nose is down
and full wheel brake is applied. In that position, a ground loop might
happen even without the pilot's efforts. Since there was a tail wind, a
wing might already be on the ground.

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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA