AOA indicator

The most important thing is not either of those two instruments, its your ass, and situational awareness. Most folks get into stall/spin trouble by not having a clue that they are flying on or approaching the edge. An instrument only helps when theres time to scan it, but your ass can tell you immediately whats going on.
Dan

On Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 9:07:40 AM UTC-5, kirk.stant wrote:
On Friday, April 29, 2016 at 6:18:00 PM UTC-5, 2G wrote:

The MOST important thing to do is to maintain coordinated flight. Maybe you could put an audible warning on the yaw string!

Tom

I don't agree. The MOST important thing is to not exceed stalling AOA. Below that, yaw (within limits) adds drag (or may help a bit - see discussions about slipping turns while thermalling) and may be less efficient; but you can still control your glider - exceed the critical AOA, and you are a passenger until you reduce it.

Airspeed indicators are required (which are indirect AOA indicators). Yaw strings or slip balls are not.

Kirk
66

I think you got it right, Kirk. Not all of us can be fighter pilots but we all can learn about AOA and how critically important it is in most flight regimes. Every couple of years I read my "Stick and Rudder" by Langewiesche.. He was a very smart man and put things together 70 years ago that are still a mystery to many of us.

On Saturday, April 30, 2016 at 7:07:40 AM UTC-7, kirk.stant wrote:
On Friday, April 29, 2016 at 6:18:00 PM UTC-5, 2G wrote:

The MOST important thing to do is to maintain coordinated flight. Maybe you could put an audible warning on the yaw string!

Tom

I don't agree. The MOST important thing is to not exceed stalling AOA. Below that, yaw (within limits) adds drag (or may help a bit - see discussions about slipping turns while thermalling) and may be less efficient; but you can still control your glider - exceed the critical AOA, and you are a passenger until you reduce it.

Airspeed indicators are required (which are indirect AOA indicators). Yaw strings or slip balls are not.

Kirk
66

Well, I definitely take issue with "ASI are indirect AOA indicators". This falls into the category of "it either is or it isn't" category.

I am not dismissing AOA indicators since I have never flown with one. I think I will put one on for my next flight (a yaw string taped to the side of the canopy).

You are very dismissive of the roll of gusts: a former FAA administrator was killed by one (and his inability to deal with it). You also did not comment on my comment about not being able to stall a glider above a 30 degree bank angle. Recovering from a straight-ahead stall is a ho-hum event at best; dealing with stall-spins is a totally different animal.

Tom