FAA to ground 80% of Glider Training Fleet... it's just a question of when

Car towing adds a number of significant hazard variables. The rubber band effect can be and is effectively dealt with by implementing progressive XC minded training. I didn't have it but all my students do. Dual XC land outs can work wonders!

On 4/5/2013 9:42 AM, wrote:
Car towing adds a number of significant hazard variables.

What "hazard variables" does it add, compared to aerotow? Doesn't it
also subtract some "hazard variables"?

If you are operating from a glider-only airfield, I'd guess the hazards
of a 500' agl car launch are less than a 2000' aerotow launch,
particularly if you include the hazards to the tow pilot. If operating
from a GA airport, I know it will have different hazards than aerotow,
but it's not clear they would be greater.

The rubber
band effect can be and is effectively dealt with by implementing
progressive XC minded training. I didn't have it but all my students
do. Dual XC land outs can work wonders!

I agree the rubber band effect can be mitigated, but my observation is
it isn't most of the time. My experience as an instructor trying to get
students to go XC was disappointing: even with all their training being
from an experienced XC pilot (me), with some XC flight with an
experienced XC pilot (me), with offers to retrieve the Blanik from a
field, with cheap aero retrieves available from airports, with plenty of
airports in reach of a Blanik, very few even attempted a XC flight.

The only students to do it as soon as they were allowed to were former
hang glider pilots, and they were already XC pilots when they joined!

So, I still think a glider with an FES/TFP will result in many more
experiencing it as students, attempting it when solo, and continuing
with it when they own their own glider (and be more likely to get their
own glider). It will have to be tried to see if it is effective.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)