Cloud Flying/ATC Issues, etc...

wrote:
I'd love the ability to cross large blue areas, and I know it would be
glorious to pop out the side of a towering cumulus at 20,000 and glide.
Chances are the only thing you'll be doing after entering a towering
cumulus is looking for the rip cord after your beautiful 26 has come
apart around you Eric. The last guy we know of that went IMC in a
glider was quite rudly ejected from his 26 and he's a high time power
pilot that's paid to fly IMC.

And I'm sure he'd quickly point out that inadvertent IMC near Vne
without a gyro running is a heck of a lot different that a planned,
stabilized entry into the bottom of a cloud at thermalling speed.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed getting my
instrument rating and flying IFR, but I think glider pilots that are
not trained to and are flying aircraft not designed to do the job of
cloud flying are going to become statistics furthermore proving our
beloveid sport is more dangerious as thought of before.

The way you've stated it, you are right. But...every year, people in the
UK and Europe do get that training and do fly in gliders that are
designed to do the job, and they don't even get instrument ratings. I'll
bet some of our USA pilots can get up to the same standard.


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Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

www.motorglider.org - Download "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane
Operation"