Hi... and some questions from a beginner

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 5:54:29 AM UTC-7, BobW wrote:
On 5/18/2015 11:34 PM, Johnny T wrote:

Informative background stuff snipped...
Congrats on reaching a point in life where your soaring itch needs scratching
again. I hope it's a blast!

1) Here is the thing... my local club (back on the east coast) uses a 2-33
as their trainer. I am a little uneasy about the transition from the K-21
back to the 2-33. I mean, I do hold some sentimental value with the 2-33,
but I kinda want to move on. The club also has a Grob 103 Twin II -
however, they no longer use this for training. Hmmm... Advice on this
transition would be very helpful.
It's unclear to me to which transition you're referring, 2-33-K-21 or K-21 to
2-33. Minden's advice should-oughta be adequate for the former, while
muscle-memory (and a good dose of reflective rationalization!) will prolly
work for the latter. Obtaining your license (and the "informal but real
outside respect" accompanying it will presumably go a long way toward reducing
your club's access-restriction on G-103 training (though I'm curious why
they've evolved from where they apparently used to be in this regard...I hope
it's not because of the experience-demolished antediluvian attitude having to
do with "difficulty of teaching/learning" much more common 20 years ago in the
U.S. than now). In any event, you gotta fly what you've access to, and
maintaining a healthy philosophical attitude will be better than mentally
bemoaning the absence of perceived perfection.


The transition I am most worried about is K-21-2-33. Being that my previous gliding experience was 20 years ago, I am not really counting any of that experience. I feel like I am starting from scratch with maybe a little bit of head-start.

I guess it will all depend on how much I progress during my week in Minden and whether I can find any instructors at my local willing to teach on the Grob. We'll see, and I will update once this becomes more clear.


3) What is the European equivalent of the SSA?
SSE? (Joke attempt, people!!!)

Not really a joke... Is there no promotional / liaison organization in Europe like the SSA? Would that be FAI?

I am simply interested in checking out how things are promoted in other areas besides the US.



Something to the effect of "Note: The artificial horizon feature is not
allowed for contest soaring".


I still don't understand why an AH is disallowed for contests?

Bob W.

Thanks for the feedback. My brain is currently in sponge mode absorbing everything it can find.

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 2:53:01 PM UTC-4, Johnny T wrote:

I still don't understand why an AH is disallowed for contests?

This was the mechanism by which the cloud flying prohibition was enforced in contests for about a half a century. Obviously, in the age of smart phones with gyros and AH apps, the prohibition on AH instruments is no longer enforceable.

Oh, and btw: you aren't "supposed to stay out of clouds", you are supposed to stay VFR. Big difference! If you make an honest effort to stay VFR and are willing to park when you can't, I predict you'll never get enveloped in cloud.

T8

On Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 12:53:01 PM UTC-6, Johnny T wrote:
On Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at 5:54:29 AM UTC-7, BobW wrote:
On 5/18/2015 11:34 PM, Johnny T wrote:

Informative background stuff snipped...
Congrats on reaching a point in life where your soaring itch needs scratching
again. I hope it's a blast!

1) Here is the thing... my local club (back on the east coast) uses a 2-33
as their trainer. I am a little uneasy about the transition from the K-21
back to the 2-33. I mean, I do hold some sentimental value with the 2-33,
but I kinda want to move on. The club also has a Grob 103 Twin II -
however, they no longer use this for training. Hmmm... Advice on this
transition would be very helpful.
It's unclear to me to which transition you're referring, 2-33-K-21 or K-21 to
2-33. Minden's advice should-oughta be adequate for the former, while
muscle-memory (and a good dose of reflective rationalization!) will prolly
work for the latter. Obtaining your license (and the "informal but real
outside respect" accompanying it will presumably go a long way toward reducing
your club's access-restriction on G-103 training (though I'm curious why
they've evolved from where they apparently used to be in this regard...I hope
it's not because of the experience-demolished antediluvian attitude having to
do with "difficulty of teaching/learning" much more common 20 years ago in the
U.S. than now). In any event, you gotta fly what you've access to, and
maintaining a healthy philosophical attitude will be better than mentally
bemoaning the absence of perceived perfection.


The transition I am most worried about is K-21-2-33. Being that my previous gliding experience was 20 years ago, I am not really counting any of that experience. I feel like I am starting from scratch with maybe a little bit of head-start.

I guess it will all depend on how much I progress during my week in Minden and whether I can find any instructors at my local willing to teach on the Grob. We'll see, and I will update once this becomes more clear.


3) What is the European equivalent of the SSA?
SSE? (Joke attempt, people!!!)

Not really a joke... Is there no promotional / liaison organization in Europe like the SSA? Would that be FAI?

I am simply interested in checking out how things are promoted in other areas besides the US.



Something to the effect of "Note: The artificial horizon feature is not
allowed for contest soaring".


I still don't understand why an AH is disallowed for contests?

Bob W.

Thanks for the feedback. My brain is currently in sponge mode absorbing everything it can find.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...g_associations

Permissible cloud flying in gliders and competitions has varied by country for several years. Banning A/H or even Bohli compasses is required for comps in some regions. https://www.ssa.org/files/member/1972%20WGC.pdf is one report on the 1972 WGC, one mid-air and one fatal. Cloud flying in WGC contests was banned after this. You can fly IFR in gliders if you are rated, current, and properly equipped, just not in contests.

Frank Whiteley