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Old March 18th 17, 01:59 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Default Will circular runways ever take off?

On Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 7:38:03 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Thursday, March 16, 2017 at 2:18:32 PM UTC-4, wrote:
has anyone ever tried landing on a curved flat road


I hear that if you need to landout in a field that slopes left to right, you drop the right wingtip a bit during a curving final and then you hold the bank during the curving roll out. The bank keeps the uphill wing tip off the ground until you're stopped.

I've never done it, but the fella that told me this claims that this is the best way to landout in one of our 'better' neighborhood landout fields, and that 'lots of people' have done it in that particular field. As I understand it, you set it up so that at touchdown, you're rolling somewhat uphill and simultaneously across the slope, and you try to stop rolling before you start to roll down hill. I've walked the field and tried to visualize the pattern and the roll out, and it kinda makes sense provided you can also thread your way between a couple of big trees on the leading edge of the field.



My very first landout was like that. Landing in a nice long field that had a pronounce slope (except the slope was right to left). Landed diagonally going up the slope, left wing down with some opposite rudder to keep the nose headed uphill. And, yes, the glider did start rollng back down the hill and wheel brake would not hold it. Frantic activity for a second or two as I "bailed out" to stop the glider before it built up speed going backward. Luckily, the glider rolled into a slight hollow that slowed us down while I scrambled out.