Sacrificial layer for gear-up protection.

There are two kinds of glider pilots:
- Those of us that has landed gear up (and will eventually do it again).
- And those of you who has not done done it, yet.

When it comes to calling "gear up" on the radio do you have to bear in mind that cockpits in gliders are differently designed. On SH are the gear leveler on the right side and has to be pushed forward. So to extract the gear on short final means that you have to push the brake forward into locked position, change from right hand to left for the stick and then maneuver the gear with the right. On old SH is the force for maneuver the gear leveler significant and it is nog uncommon that you pull the stick backwards. You are now on a really short final with the stick in wrong hand, high nose attitude and no hand on the airbrake. Most of the time can we handle this, but sometimes is the stress to much. Before you call "gear up" on final in the radio do you therefore need to know:
- Is the pilot mentally capable of the stress right now?

My almost first gear up landing was in a Discus, someone called "Gear up" on short final and it was close to be the last landing of that Discus.
My first gear up landing was in a LS1-f on bitumen, a big surprise for me that glider hit ground 2dm lover than expected and big amusement from the surroundings. It took med less than 3h in the workshop the same day to repair the damage and the glider was ready for competition the next day.

When it happens again do I prefer the gear up scenario, even on a hard surface than fiddling with gear leveler on low altitude with a potential wreckage.

On Monday, May 18, 2015 at 1:55:27 AM UTC-6, Per Carlin wrote:

When it comes to calling "gear up" on the radio do you have to bear in mind that cockpits in gliders are differently designed. On SH are the gear leveler on the right side and has to be pushed forward. So to extract the gear on short final means that you have to push the brake forward into locked position, change from right hand to left for the stick and then maneuver the gear with the right. On old SH is the force for maneuver the gear leveler significant and it is nog uncommon that you pull the stick backwards. You are now on a really short final with the stick in wrong hand, high nose attitude and no hand on the airbrake. Most of the time can we handle this, but sometimes is the stress to much. Before you call "gear up" on final in the radio do you therefore need to know:
- Is the pilot mentally capable of the stress right now?

I fly an old S-H glider and this falls under the heading of basic airmanship. Switching hands on the stick is SOP for many operations. It behooves one to learn how to do it while flying accurately.

Le lundi 18 mai 2015 17:46:31 UTC+2, Bill D a écrit*:
On Monday, May 18, 2015 at 1:55:27 AM UTC-6, Per Carlin wrote:

When it comes to calling "gear up" on the radio do you have to bear in mind that cockpits in gliders are differently designed. On SH are the gear leveler on the right side and has to be pushed forward. So to extract the gear on short final means that you have to push the brake forward into locked position, change from right hand to left for the stick and then maneuver the gear with the right. On old SH is the force for maneuver the gear leveler significant and it is nog uncommon that you pull the stick backwards. You are now on a really short final with the stick in wrong hand, high nose attitude and no hand on the airbrake. Most of the time can we handle this, but sometimes is the stress to much. Before you call "gear up" on final in the radio do you therefore need to know:
- Is the pilot mentally capable of the stress right now?

I fly an old S-H glider and this falls under the heading of basic airmanship. Switching hands on the stick is SOP for many operations. It behooves one to learn how to do it while flying accurately.

Switching hands on the stick while working the airbrakes on short final is no SOP at all.

Bert
Ventus cM TW