Two die in Glider mid-air

On Sep 11, 9:41*am, Darryl Ramm wrote:
I think we have pretty good interest in PowerFLARM adoption in the USA
soaring community now. We could have been a lot further along and have
fewer dead pilots had we all, including the SSA, worked to more actively
encourage FLARM to enter the USA market years ago.

Be aware, I'm in a curmudgeonly mood today:

Perhaps 4 or 5 pilots have died in the past decade in the US in glider/
glider or glider/towplane accidents. During that same period, I
suspect 50 or 60 pilots have died from more mundane issues, like
collision with terrain, stall/spin, failure to connect the elevator,
etc.

As anyone who has been around the US soaring scene for a while knows,
when Joe Glider Pilot hits the rocks, fails to notice that the
spoilers are open on takeoff, or spins in the pattern, it was because
he was inadequately trained or should never have been a pilot in the
first place. When Famous Racing Pilot runs into another glider, or
crashes in trees and can't be found for 24 hours or so, however, it is
obviously an issue that requires an immediate technical solution.
While I encourage people to equip themselves with PowerFLARM, ELTs, or
anything else they think helps, I will suggest that we have a very odd
attitude towards safety here in the US. It's far too difficult to do
some things, like examining whether changes to the tow signals are
appropriate, making sure tow planes have working radios, or
encouraging CDs not to set tasks which result in gliders encountering
each other head-on at cruise speed. But, if there is a fancy safety
gadget to be bought, we all need to be with the program. That is the
American way.

Speaking as a pilot who has (hopefully, temporarily) grounded himself
due to concerns that real life has become too much of a distraction
from flying safely,
Marc

Marc

As you know I am in a curmudgeonly mood all the time.

I am all for addressing the other issues. They are areas I worry about
personally. I use written checklists, deliberately purchased gliders
with auto control hookup, I like to do BFRs and spring checkouts with
different instructors. I have a VHF radio that works well and I use it.
I choose where I fly and will not fly at some locations that are just
don't have a strong safety culture. Being a technology geek I am going
to speak up on the technology stuff and hope that experienced
instructors etc lead on the other stuff--nice to see UH and Tom's posts
recently.

And at a completely callous level if those other folks go kill
themselves elsewhere and not run into me in a thermal etc. at least I am
alive. Hopefully there is not too self denial of my own other safety
risks going on here.

Too many times have I been surprised by other gliders and GA aircraft
and that is when trying to keep a good lookout. Given that I am actually
surprised we have as few mid-air fatalities as we do. And statistics be
damned, after losing friends in midairs that PowerFLARM could likely
have helped avoid (and yes so could radio use etc.) its very difficult
not to think that these are pretty cost effective and justifiable. Of
course Flarm is not a replacement for the eyeball or an excuse to not
think about things like safe task setting etc.


Darryl

Marc wrote:
On Sep 11, 9:41 am, Darryl Ramm wrote:
I think we have pretty good interest in PowerFLARM adoption in the
USA
soaring community now. We could have been a lot further along and
have
fewer dead pilots had we all, including the SSA, worked to more
actively
encourage FLARM to enter the USA market years ago.

Be aware, I'm in a curmudgeonly mood today:

Perhaps 4 or 5 pilots have died in the past decade in the US in
glider/
glider or glider/towplane accidents. During that same period, I
suspect 50 or 60 pilots have died from more mundane issues, like
collision with terrain, stall/spin, failure to connect the elevator,
etc.

As anyone who has been around the US soaring scene for a while knows,
when Joe Glider Pilot hits the rocks, fails to notice that the
spoilers are open on takeoff, or spins in the pattern, it was because
he was inadequately trained or should never have been a pilot in the
first place. When Famous Racing Pilot runs into another glider, or
crashes in trees and can't be found for 24 hours or so, however, it is
obviously an issue that requires an immediate technical solution.
While I encourage people to equip themselves with PowerFLARM, ELTs, or
anything else they think helps, I will suggest that we have a very odd
attitude towards safety here in the US. It's far too difficult to do
some things, like examining whether changes to the tow signals are
appropriate, making sure tow planes have working radios, or
encouraging CDs not to set tasks which result in gliders encountering
each other head-on at cruise speed. But, if there is a fancy safety
gadget to be bought, we all need to be with the program. That is the
American way.

Speaking as a pilot who has (hopefully, temporarily) grounded himself
due to concerns that real life has become too much of a distraction
from flying safely,
Marc