15 Hour Wonders

On Sunday, December 15, 2019 at 9:47:04 PM UTC-5, Gary Wayland wrote:
On Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 4:11:42 PM UTC-5, Bob Youngblood wrote:
On Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 3:27:58 PM UTC-5, Gary Wayland wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 7:22:28 PM UTC-5, Bob Youngblood wrote:
The FAA has made it possible for glider plots with very limited time to acquire a CFIG rating with only 15 hours of total glider time. This is truly an accident waiting to happen, what could a glider pilot actually know with such limited time? What do you think?

Any SEL pilot usually thinks he knows it all when transitioning to gliders. If a 15-hour CFIG can't follow the tow plane, then we have a real problem. The FAA was thinking 7 seven hours when they made the rules, then doubled it to make sure, IMHO... And the guys at the field know if the CFIG pilot is an accident waiting to happen. They don't need to look at hours flown. Some come with natural gifts that others don't have. Hours are to get that little piece of paper. The rest is up to the community to police it.

Florida was crazy to give me a learner's permit to drive my Honda 90 on the road!
And the cops would chase us as we drove our Go-karts and homemade mini bikes on the road.
We had a big dent in the dryer that was in the garage. Flying into the garage as the garage door slammed down was a frequent occasion. The dent was a testament to too little brakes as we crashed hiding from the law!

I was in an R22 that had a boom strike! Now that is another story! And still alive to tell the tale!

What is the old saying? If you walked away from it, it was a good landing...

I did take a ride with a CFIG once that smelled of alcohol. The best pilot I ever ran into.

Credentials do not always make good instructors. But, I guess its the minimum that gives you status and keeps the insurance current...

Gary, yes, following the tow plane should be very routine for someone with all those ratings and experience, but we see it all the time. I can tell you all kind of stories about the days past in Miami, but as you well know having the fortune of flying with Bennie and Alfonso was such a joy. Long before Alfonso came into the picture Bennie and I were out at Mary's flying almost every day. I was a young guy that had just bought my first sailplane, a Standard Cirrus from a man named Ray Galloway. Bennie took me under his wing and taught me things that I would have never been able to learn without his guidance. That was sometime back in the late 70's and soon Alfonso showed up and things began to really rock. Pablo, AKA Paul Crowell was our daily tow pilot and to give you some idea as to the amount of flying that we were doing a review of my log book shows three flights on three consecutive days averaging 9 hours per day. I guess the point is that of the best glider pilots that I ever encountered was Bennie Flowers. Bennie was a Army Air Corps pilot with extensive glider flight training. I still have visions of the old TG-3 that he converted into a soaring machine.
Bennie Flew for Eastern, and often Andy McQuigg would come down to Thermal Research and fly with Bennie, Alfonso and myself. So when you talk about experience, you certainly know what I am referring to, did we have a blast! Bob

Yes, these guys at Miami were the best of the best. The Fonz (E9), Bennie, Bill our 60 thousand hour tow pilot, Jon Fox and all that flew there. My brother was also inspirational in getting into the sport. Thanks, Charlie!

I flew 250 hours in the first year in an libelle chasing Bennie and Al around the patch in their
Ventus C's...

RIP Bennie and Al. We miss you!

I have a piece of yarn Bennie gave me to attach to my 27 winglets. He asked me to watch what the yarn was doing during the flight. He played with making winglets for his Ventus. That piece of yarn will never leave my 27 winglet. Every time I see it, I think Bennie is out on my starboard wing flying with me...

It's a fantastic sport and we are the lucky ones to have experienced it!

Gary, thanks for the memories. Bennie began flying gliders back in his early years and was influenced by a professor named August Raspet, who had been selected to head the MSU Aeronautical Engineering Dept. Raspet was a Cambridge educated engineer with a devotion for sailplane flight. Raspet was instrumental in the conversion project of the TG-3 that Bennie owned. I sure wish I had those pics of Bennie's old TG-3. Raspet also worked with other sailplane pilots including Dick Johnson, who would set a distance record in his RJ5 project that Raspet was heavily involved with its development and testing. Another interesting fact about Raspet was that he was responsible for getting the FAA to change some requirements for glider pilots. I will try and contact Bennie.s daughter and see if she still has a picture of Bennie's old TG-3, guys here would be amazed to see it. Bob

what better way to dispose of it than flying.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot

R-22s are more dangerous than towing with Elmira Death Hooks. Sure are fun though.

On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 12:04:56 PM UTC-5, wrote:
what better way to dispose of it than flying.

Walt Connelly
Former Tow Pilot
Now Happy Helicopter Pilot

R-22s are more dangerous than towing with Elmira Death Hooks. Sure are fun though.

The R22 was never meant to be a trainer but it is the most commonly used trainer in the world. WHY? Because ity is cheap. You want a great trainer try the Guimbal Cabri G2. As is the case with everything that leaves the ground you must respect it and understand it.

Walt Connelly

On Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 3:27:58 PM UTC-5, Gary Wayland wrote:
On Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 7:22:28 PM UTC-5, Bob Youngblood wrote:
The FAA has made it possible for glider plots with very limited time to acquire a CFIG rating with only 15 hours of total glider time. This is truly an accident waiting to happen, what could a glider pilot actually know with such limited time? What do you think?

Any SEL pilot usually thinks he knows it all when transitioning to gliders. If a 15-hour CFIG can't follow the tow plane, then we have a real problem. The FAA was thinking 7 seven hours when they made the rules, then doubled it to make sure, IMHO... And the guys at the field know if the CFIG pilot is an accident waiting to happen. They don't need to look at hours flown. Some come with natural gifts that others don't have. Hours are to get that little piece of paper. The rest is up to the community to police it.

Florida was crazy to give me a learner's permit to drive my Honda 90 on the road!
And the cops would chase us as we drove our Go-karts and homemade mini bikes on the road.
We had a big dent in the dryer that was in the garage. Flying into the garage as the garage door slammed down was a frequent occasion. The dent was a testament to too little brakes as we crashed hiding from the law!

I was in an R22 that had a boom strike! Now that is another story! And still alive to tell the tale!

What is the old saying? If you walked away from it, it was a good landing....

I did take a ride with a CFIG once that smelled of alcohol. The best pilot I ever ran into.

Credentials do not always make good instructors. But, I guess its the minimum that gives you status and keeps the insurance current...

The potential for a boom stike is one of the reasons for the SFAR on the Robinson. Tolerating a CFIG that smelled of alcohol is not a good move.

As for the Robbie, here is a good read: https://www.latimes.com/projects/la-...n-helicopters/

Fly the Guimbal Cabri G2. Fine helicopter.

Walt Connelly