On Monday, May 25, 2020 at 7:16:00 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Monday, May 25, 2020 at 5:35:28 PM UTC-4, Charles Ethridge wrote:
Hi all.

I'm a former cfi-i/mei and commercial glider pilot, but I've never gone cross-country in my PW-5 glider. Training up for it though. A question:

If you are in an area where the fields are small, but there are several private airfields around, which should be your priority?

Seems to me that the private airport would be safer, assuming you have enough altitude to overfly it. Also I notice that my (new) Oudie2 shows all the private airstrips around as potential landout spots.

Will you get in trouble (legal or financial) if you have to landout at a private airport (assuming you aren't declaring an emergency, of course)?

Ben

It might be useful to call or visit the airports you are considering.
Most airport owners are very welcoming.
You may also find that some are "Cessna" airports that are not wide enough for a glider. Others may be locked and not attended.
All that said, it is easier to apologize for landing on an airport than explain to the insurance adjuster why you broke your glider landing in a field next to a usable airport.
An airport tour on a non soarable day would be a useful exercise.
Good luck
UH

Yeah, Cessna (or Piper Cub) airstrips, watch out for them. If they only mow the middle 30-40 feet then a glider wingtip is likely to catch in the tall grass - bad! Research the facts in advance, and expect conditions (e.g., mowing) to change over time. If you have to land in an airstrip that looks iffy, plan the landing carefully. E.g., if narrowly mowed, land off-center and keep one wingtip high.

All landouts (other than at big wide public airports) are somewhat risky. Ag fields have their own risks, such as unseen rocks or ditches. But some are pretty clearly low risk: if it's a freshly mowed hay field with uniform pattern and color, for example.

Ideally, local XC glider pilots share the local knowledge about the available fields. To some extent this knowledge makes it into the downloadable waypoint files that you can get on the web, but don't count on that.