How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring ?

I'm a newly licensed glider pilot, and I can't wait to start flying XC. I recently restarted my training after an 8 year hiatus. One of the things that motivated me to get back into soaring is the development of electric sustainers. Having the ability to flip a switch and be confident that the motor will start every time makes XC way less intimidating to me. The risk, and more importantly, the massive hassle of a landout is a real turn-off, personally. I know that I will still have to be prepared for the possibility of a landout even with an e-sustainer, but it seems improbable enough to ease my anxiety about it.

Granted, I don't have a glider with an electric sustainer available to me right now, but after I gain some XC experience with my local club, one may be in my future.

Perhaps if/when electric sustainers become more common in soaring clubs, more people will be willing to fly XC. They may even bring in a new class of people to the sport who would be too afraid to try even local soaring due to the lack of self-propulsion.

On Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 3:25:06 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I'm a newly licensed glider pilot, and I can't wait to start flying XC. I recently restarted my training after an 8 year hiatus. One of the things that motivated me to get back into soaring is the development of electric sustainers. Having the ability to flip a switch and be confident that the motor will start every time makes XC way less intimidating to me. The risk, and more importantly, the massive hassle of a landout is a real turn-off, personally. I know that I will still have to be prepared for the possibility of a landout even with an e-sustainer, but it seems improbable enough to ease my anxiety about it.

Granted, I don't have a glider with an electric sustainer available to me right now, but after I gain some XC experience with my local club, one may be in my future.

Perhaps if/when electric sustainers become more common in soaring clubs, more people will be willing to fly XC. They may even bring in a new class of people to the sport who would be too afraid to try even local soaring due to the lack of self-propulsion.

Perhaps if you crewed for someone and helped by doing a retrieve or 2 you would find out that while inconvenient(you're gonna be late for dinner), very few turn out to be a "massive hassle". Out of the many more than 100 field landings I have made, only a couple would fall in that category. Many were pleasant interesting experiences that allowed me to meet a bunch of very nice folks.
UH

On Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 3:45:36 PM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, August 18, 2015 at 3:25:06 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I'm a newly licensed glider pilot, and I can't wait to start flying XC. I recently restarted my training after an 8 year hiatus. One of the things that motivated me to get back into soaring is the development of electric sustainers. Having the ability to flip a switch and be confident that the motor will start every time makes XC way less intimidating to me. The risk, and more importantly, the massive hassle of a landout is a real turn-off, personally. I know that I will still have to be prepared for the possibility of a landout even with an e-sustainer, but it seems improbable enough to ease my anxiety about it.

Granted, I don't have a glider with an electric sustainer available to me right now, but after I gain some XC experience with my local club, one may be in my future.

Perhaps if/when electric sustainers become more common in soaring clubs, more people will be willing to fly XC. They may even bring in a new class of people to the sport who would be too afraid to try even local soaring due to the lack of self-propulsion.


i would tend to agree with hank. and though i don't have as many land outs as him,the way i've been flying lately im hard on his heels

A few comments about that. i think you are only anxious about off field landings because you haven't done one before. once you've done one (or a few) they become a non issue if you plan ahead properly. they can also be the most fun and interesting landings you make. i'll also concur with hank that you meet some nice folks and get to go for what usually amounts to a pretty drive, with a dinner out thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Lastly--and i don't mean this adversarially-- i would caution you in your attitude towards land-outs. you have to embrace them in order to deal with them. having an engine and not worrying about it until the offhand occurance the engine doesn't start will often mean that you are completely freaked-out, and underprepared for the moment both mentally, and as far as your landing set-up is concerned. again, that was not meant to be adeversarial or condescending.

i would tend to agree with hank. and though i don't have as many land outs as him,the way i've been flying lately im hard on his heels

A few comments about that. i think you are only anxious about off field landings because you haven't done one before. once you've done one (or a few) they become a non issue if you plan ahead properly. they can also be the most fun and interesting landings you make. i'll also concur with hank that you meet some nice folks and get to go for what usually amounts to a pretty drive, with a dinner out thrown in to sweeten the deal.

Lastly--and i don't mean this adversarially-- i would caution you in your attitude towards land-outs. you have to embrace them in order to deal with them. having an engine and not worrying about it until the offhand occurance the engine doesn't start will often mean that you are completely freaked-out, and underprepared for the moment both mentally, and as far as your landing set-up is concerned. again, that was not meant to be adeversarial or condescending.

no offense taken. i don't fear landouts in terms of my ability to execute them safely. however, i don't think anyone would argue that there isn't at least a small increase in risk compared to airport landings. this sport is risky enough, and risk is what keeps some people out of it, i reckon.

i also don't doubt that there are upsides to landouts (camaraderie, etc), but the amount of time that a ground retrieve can take (some are shorter, some are very long) is the main downside. i'm a busy person, and don't look forward to spending long hours dealing with a retrieve and getting home late at night.

i'm a new pilot, so i realize i may have some mis-perceptions about landouts. however, those who are concerned with attracting more pilots to the sport should be aware of how the uninitiated perceive the sport, so hopefully my perspective is helpful in that regard.

Some random thoughts.
Our club has a briefing every day that covers weather, Notams etc. but
also briefs inexperienced pilots on cross country. This might be a task
with several turning points within gliding distance of the home airfield,
up to a 500k task for diamond distance.

We also have the "Compass" scheme where an experienced cross
country pilot will fly with you a high performance 2 seater. You can
learn a lot flying with an ex world champion in a Nimbus 3dt!.

The club culture is cross country orientated. Three weeks ago we had
over 80 club gliders on a club grid to fly cross country (on top of
normal training flights) We do field landing practice in a Faulke motor
glider that allows an instructor to put the pupil in a situation such as
"OK we have run out of lift choose a suitable field an set up a circuit to

land".
Fear of outlandings.
Once a year one of our members who is a farmer invites the club to
use one of his fields for outlanding practice. We take a 2 seater and
tug and do training flights with the altimeter obscured. This
encourages circuit planning and approaches in a strange environment.

Being a club it is quite a sociable environment. I was sat at a table
outside the club house the other day nattering to some cadets, some
members in their 80s still flying vintage gliders, some low hours cross
country pilots (like myself,) and 2 world champions! It is great to learn
from such wide ranging experiences.