Can gliders and powered aircraft co-exist on the same runway?

The SAME runway? I think you are asking for trouble. A glider cannot do
a go around. There are lots of ways for things to go bad in this
scenario, but I think the most frequent is a plane taking off does not
see an incoming glider and takes the runway. The glider cannot do a go
around and an accident ensues. And probably several temper tantrums for
every accident. Maybe the glider will land safely but it still will
anger everyone involved. And don't count on radios fixing this. Neither
planes nor gliders are required to have radios.

The gliders really do need a seperate runway just for them. Anything
else is just asking for trouble.

Ron Lee wrote:
Can anyone identify and airport where gliders and powered aircraft use
the same runway? Do they use opposite traffic patterns? Any other
operational issues?

Ron Lee

Doug, a "properly trained" glider pilot will always have an alternate
landing area available just in case some one blocks the runway while he is
in the traffic pattern. I will agree that such incursions onto the runway at
too low an altitude to effect a divert to the alternate landing area may
result in an accident.

In that instance the offending pilot, whether power or glider, will be shot
at sunset if not sooner so as to be a lesson to other pilots that do not
know how to use their god given calibrated Mk-1 Eyeballs.

If the landing glider pilot is injured in the accident, his glider pilot
flying mates are empowered to execute the offender. We do "adjust" the
punishment with the full knowledge that "everyone makes mistakes", we need
to train properly to handle those that "always make mistakes".

Yes it is nice to have a separate parallel runway, we do, and we still have
problems with runway incursion. Mostly by transients that do not know what
an "airfield directory is" or even how to look up the runway numbers or the
fact that there are parallel runways or even gliders in the area, or the
jump zone, or the designated acrobatic box.

The runway can be used by anyone, it is not a "glider only runway".

BT

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...
The SAME runway? I think you are asking for trouble. A glider cannot do
a go around. There are lots of ways for things to go bad in this
scenario, but I think the most frequent is a plane taking off does not
see an incoming glider and takes the runway. The glider cannot do a go
around and an accident ensues. And probably several temper tantrums for
every accident. Maybe the glider will land safely but it still will
anger everyone involved. And don't count on radios fixing this. Neither
planes nor gliders are required to have radios.

The gliders really do need a seperate runway just for them. Anything
else is just asking for trouble.

Ron Lee wrote:
Can anyone identify and airport where gliders and powered aircraft use
the same runway? Do they use opposite traffic patterns? Any other
operational issues?

Ron Lee

Yeah, nice airport crowd. Make a mistake and you are "shot". And you
are advocating this type of operation?

Why not make a design that MINIMIZES conflict, not maximizes them?

Get serious. YOUR airport has a seperate runway for gliders. I wonder
why?

BT wrote:
Doug, a "properly trained" glider pilot will always have an alternate
landing area available just in case some one blocks the runway while he is
in the traffic pattern. I will agree that such incursions onto the runway at
too low an altitude to effect a divert to the alternate landing area may
result in an accident.

In that instance the offending pilot, whether power or glider, will be shot
at sunset if not sooner so as to be a lesson to other pilots that do not
know how to use their god given calibrated Mk-1 Eyeballs.

If the landing glider pilot is injured in the accident, his glider pilot
flying mates are empowered to execute the offender. We do "adjust" the
punishment with the full knowledge that "everyone makes mistakes", we need
to train properly to handle those that "always make mistakes".

Yes it is nice to have a separate parallel runway, we do, and we still have
problems with runway incursion. Mostly by transients that do not know what
an "airfield directory is" or even how to look up the runway numbers or the
fact that there are parallel runways or even gliders in the area, or the
jump zone, or the designated acrobatic box.

The runway can be used by anyone, it is not a "glider only runway".

BT

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...
The SAME runway? I think you are asking for trouble. A glider cannot do
a go around. There are lots of ways for things to go bad in this
scenario, but I think the most frequent is a plane taking off does not
see an incoming glider and takes the runway. The glider cannot do a go
around and an accident ensues. And probably several temper tantrums for
every accident. Maybe the glider will land safely but it still will
anger everyone involved. And don't count on radios fixing this. Neither
planes nor gliders are required to have radios.

The gliders really do need a seperate runway just for them. Anything
else is just asking for trouble.

Ron Lee wrote:
Can anyone identify and airport where gliders and powered aircraft use
the same runway? Do they use opposite traffic patterns? Any other
operational issues?

Ron Lee

"Doug" wrote in message
oups.com...
Yeah, nice airport crowd. Make a mistake and you are "shot". And you
are advocating this type of operation?

Why not make a design that MINIMIZES conflict, not maximizes them?

Get serious. YOUR airport has a seperate runway for gliders. I wonder
why?


Doug, obviously you did not catch my "tongue in cheek". But yes, we do have
serious conversations with those that transgress and we have politely not
renewed some club members based on their flying inabilities.

Short of using two different airports separated by miles, Parallel design is
the safest that minimizes conflict.
We run parallel operations, we have left and right traffic patterns, we talk
on the radio and we train everyone that radios fail.

We have 3 power flying schools at neighboring airports that come here for
touch and go practice and first solo operations, plus 2 nearby helicopter
schools that use our airport for training, two Jump Businesses on airport
and two Commercial Glider "joy ride" operations on the field in addition to
our club operations. Plus the local Acro club has the designated Acro Box
just outside and above the west downwind, we use it too, for spin training.

Everything works just fine, What we cannot protect against is the transient
that never checks NOTAMs and never looks at an A/FD.

We have two runways because the club was here on a dirt strip and we hauled
in our own fuel. When the county came in to "upgrade", we were able to
convince them the wise and safe aspects of building a second runway. The
second runway has no lights, is 60ft wide and 3500ft long with 600ft gravel
under/over runs at each end, and the infield from the runway to the taxiway
is bladed smooth to the same elevation as the paved portions.

BT