Turn coordinator? How dare they!

On Sun, 24 Feb 2013 13:42:29 -0800, son_of_flubber wrote:

On Sunday, February 24, 2013 3:56:45 AM UTC-5, rk wrote:
It is most difficult, exciting and fun thing you can do in glider.

So if a US pilot wanted to experience cloud flying in a glider, could he
go to England and get some instruction?

I don't see why not.

Do the English thermal up
through clouds on a typical blue_sky_and_CU_day, or do they reserve the
cloud flying for unexpected weather and emergencies?

A number of pilots in my club do just that. We currently have no specific
cloud flying qualifying just as we don't have a glider pilot license.
Actually there is a British Glider Pilots License but it has no validity
inside the UK, because all glider flying is club based and under the
control of the instructorate. The BGPL is for use over seas: a few years
back I rocked up on the Wasserkuppe, showed my BGPL and medical to the
nice lady at the flight school and got sent out to take a check ride in
an ASK-21 and get briefed on the site. After that I got sent off in an
ASK-23.

But I digress. We're currently preparing for the switch over to the EASA
licensing regime and there will be a cloud flying qualification but it
will be simpler than the power IFR rating because, from the nature of
gliding, it will only be exercised on VMC days and typically with the
cloud base well above ground level.

Anyway, I was talking to one of our instructors about this last week and
he was telling me what he expects the qualification will involve. He
mentioned procedural timed turns onto heading and, when I queried the
need for this he explained that he routinely checks the direction of a
cloud street before entering cloud with the intention of continuing to
climb while flying along the street.

Its quite normal, on a good day, to hear reports of gliders entering
cloud on the radio.

And do I understand correctly that the only legal way to fly in clouds
in the USA is 1)in an unanticipated emergency (getting caught above deck
when flying wave) in which case no IFR rating is required and it can be
accomplished with a turn and bank indicator and basic instruments, or
2)with an IFR rating and in a glider fully equipped for IFR flying
(landings and navigation included)?

Thats interesting: I have a copy of "Once Upon A Thermal" (great book,
BTW), in which Dick Wolters wrote a long chapter about wave flying in New
England which involved in-cloud descents. Were they being naughty boys or
were things different then? IIRC he had a basic blind flying panel in his
Libelle. So have I.


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