GLIDING INTERNATIONAL -- RESEARCH

No doubt a hang glider can land in much more restricted area. But the idea is that you don’t have this umbilical cord from day one. At least this is how I felt. The longer you stay connected to your airfield (or couple airfields in the area) the harder it gets to get comfortable to cut the umbilical cord. You need to get comfortable flying cross country and land out from early on. (But never too comfortable which may turn into complacency).

Ramy

FFS most of the rest of the world uses a tried and tested way of
training for off airport landings - the use of a motorglider -why do you
North Americans have to do everything the hard way.........

Why? Because we can and we always do things our independent way lol.

EU uses motorgliders because GA aviation is only for the very rich over there and your not gonna find any tom-dick-harry with a light plane, only clubs, rick guys and partnerships.

Here in North America for $150 bucks or a bbq lunch for a friend with a plane, a guy can spend an hour up in the air scouting fields and simulating off field approaches. It being a motor glider is not essential.

And we dont have two place motor gliders at every club but EVERY club over here does have members who also own a light GA aircraft.

wrote on 11/11/2019 4:42 AM:
And we dont have two place motor gliders at every club but EVERY club over here
does have members who also own a light GA aircraft.

And many clubs own a multi-seat towplane that could be used for field selection
experience in the morning before launches, or anytime it's not soarable. No
multi-seater? Pay the rent for one, and have a tow pilot (or CFIG with a power
rating) fly the students around the area for an hour or so, as needed.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

On Monday, November 11, 2019 at 9:01:24 AM UTC-5, Eric Greenwell wrote:
wrote on 11/11/2019 4:42 AM:
And we dont have two place motor gliders at every club but EVERY club over here
does have members who also own a light GA aircraft.

And many clubs own a multi-seat towplane that could be used for field selection
experience in the morning before launches, or anytime it's not soarable. No
multi-seater? Pay the rent for one, and have a tow pilot (or CFIG with a power
rating) fly the students around the area for an hour or so, as needed.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

I've been teaching field selection and land out planning using a Super Cub for about 20 years.
Works fine.
UH

You guys are both right and we dont need no stinking Europian ideas, but we will still accept their sailplanes and sailplane engineering lol.

"North Americans have to do everything the hard way........."

Really? I'm not sure what part of Europe or South America you might be from, but this type of comment is so simplistic it becomes irrelevant and laughable.

In the U.S.A. flying gliders or powered aircraft is open to a broader population than other countries where recreational flying is typically only obtainable by the wealthy.

Being able to enjoy the wonders of flight, without having to be wealthy as in other countries, is a fantastic opportunity in the U.S.A. not available in many other parts of the world. I appreciate that aspect of american life.

That does mean however that those of us who fly on a budget may not be in a club that owns an expensive motor glider. We have a mixture of clubs in the U.S., some with more resources than others.

The previous post that suggested taking a powered flight and training in off airport landings makes the most sense in the U.S. market in my opinion.

Even if you are not a power pilot, spending a few hours with a power instructor just practicing off airport landing procedures will benefit glider pilots.

That training is all about the fundamentals of off airport landings (land outs). Determining wind direction, picking a suitable field, slope, setting up a pattern, etc. Then actually simulating an approach to land.

$.02 paid in full. YMMV.

Le lundi 11 novembre 2019 18:39:21 UTC+1, Mike N. a écritÂ*:

In the U.S.A. flying gliders or powered aircraft is open to a broader population than other countries where recreational flying is typically only obtainable by the wealthy.


Maybe you should visit Europe once to see what it means to have soaring open to a broader population AND to provide decent club gliders.

At 17:39 11 November 2019, Mike N. wrote:
"North Americans have to do everything the hard way........."

Really? I'm not sure what part of Europe or South America you
might be
from, but this type of comment is so simplistic it becomes
irrelevant and
laughable.

In the U.S.A. flying gliders or powered aircraft is open to a broader
population than other countries where recreational flying is
typically only
obtainable by the wealthy.

Being able to enjoy the wonders of flight, without having to be
wealthy as
in other countries, is a fantastic opportunity in the U.S.A. not
available
in many other parts of the world. I appreciate that aspect of
american
life.

That does mean however that those of us who fly on a budget may
not be in a
club that owns an expensive motor glider. We have a mixture of
clubs in the
U.S., some with more resources than others.

The previous post that suggested taking a powered flight and
training in
off airport landings makes the most sense in the U.S. market in my
opinion.

Even if you are not a power pilot, spending a few hours with a
power
instructor just practicing off airport landing procedures will benefit
glider pilots.

That training is all about the fundamentals of off airport landings
(land
outs). Determining wind direction, picking a suitable field, slope,
setting up a pattern, etc. Then actually simulating an approach to
land.

$.02 paid in full. YMMV.


Maybe Africa or Asia eh? they soar there too. Just an opinion from
many years of observation...when it comes to soaring.
Your statement that flying gliders is open to a broader population
than other countries where recreational flying is typically only
obtainable by the wealthy is just pure B/S. There are many more
clubs in Europe that allow cheap glider flying in decent equipment.
Have you ever actually visited a European gliding club?
Look at the active youth scene in Europe compared with the USA for
example, look at some of the club gliders that most Europeans can
fly at reasonable cost, off a cheap winch launches - then compare it
with the POS Schweizers most clubs use in the USA. Power flying is
another matter granted- its cheaper in the USA, but then that's not
gliding - but a Scheibe motorglider is hardly what I'd call an
expensive aircraft and cheap to run. Derek Piggott did try to convert
you all many years ago.