How safe is the sport of soaring today

With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

"Mot" wrote in message
m...
With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

I've been in this sport over four decades and every spring there is a rash
of accidents as rusty pilots come out of hibernation. Comparing soaring to
motorsports has much less to do with the equipment or procedures than with
the safety culture of the group. Safety boils down to the loose nut at the
controls.

Soaring is neither more dangerous nor safer than the pilot makes it. I know
a half dozen or so who, sooner or later, will certainly kill themselves. I
know a lot more that will never so much as put a scratch on their gliders no
matter how much they fly. I just wish the former would pay a lot more
attention to the latter.

Bill Daniels

At 19:06 13 May 2004, Bill Daniels wrote:

'Mot' wrote in message
om...
With the increase of glider accidents these days,
just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated
with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation
or
motorsports?

I've been in this sport over four decades and every
spring there is a rash
of accidents as rusty pilots come out of hibernation.
Comparing soaring to
motorsports has much less to do with the equipment
or procedures than with
the safety culture of the group. Safety boils down
to the loose nut at the
controls.

Soaring is neither more dangerous nor safer than the
pilot makes it. I know
a half dozen or so who, sooner or later, will certainly
kill themselves. I
know a lot more that will never so much as put a scratch
on their gliders no
matter how much they fly. I just wish the former would
pay a lot more
attention to the latter.

Bill Daniels

Amen to that

DAJ 401

Whenever this subject comes up, as it often does, I like to refer to the
site maintained by DG/LS. Bruno Gantenbrinck's essay pretty much says it
all ---

BTW, thanks DG/LS!

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/index-e.html

Bob Johnson



Mot wrote:

With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

Not to be difficult or necessarily disagree that there are pilots who
are accidents waiting to happen, but...

....most of the fatal accidents so far this year seem to have involved
highly experienced pilots with good reputations.

Telling ourselves that "it only happens to the bad pilots" and "it
isn't really all that risky" could either be true, or could be
dangerously close to denial (or overconfidence).

The evidence does suggest it's not entirely true.

Bruno Gantenbrinck's essay pretty much says it


I read this excellent essay and was surprised to see Heini Heiress's
name listed in the essay. Heini's son - Dieter was killed in his
glider last month - 30 years after his father's death. A more safety
conscience pilot was hard to find. Everything about his glider was
also immaculate. He was a pilot that represented South Africa on three
occasions in the World Gliding Championships in the Std Class.

Soaring is a sport that can bite any participant - even the best!

Clinton Birch
LAK 12

With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

This looks like a troll to me. Lets be careful about what we say.

Here in the USA the media is out to paint general aviation in a bad light. See
the AOPA web site. We should not give them any help.

Robert Mudd

ojunk (Robertmudd1u) wrote in message ...
With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

This looks like a troll to me. Lets be careful about what we say.

Here in the USA the media is out to paint general aviation in a bad light. See
the AOPA web site. We should not give them any help.

Robert Mudd

Robert, your comments are certainly true regarding the media, but no
troll here. The intent of my original post was to secure an opinion of
other pilots with much more knowledge than myself regarding the
general safety of the sport. As a low time pilot (100 hrs.)I'm just
trying to listen to those out there with all the experience to assist
with my decision to continue in the sport.

Hi Mot --

Could you give us your critique of the Gantenbrink essay? Does it cover
most of the bases for you, or do you have further concerns?

From the standpoint of a low time pilot the essay (and the other
material on the DG/LS Safety site) may not be quite the all-purpose
material I thought it was.

Thanks,

Bob Johnson

Mot wrote:

ojunk (Robertmudd1u) wrote in message ...
With the increase of glider accidents these days, just how safe is
this sport? There is always a element of risk associated with flying
but how does soaring compare with other forms of aviation or
motorsports?

This looks like a troll to me. Lets be careful about what we say.

Here in the USA the media is out to paint general aviation in a bad light. See
the AOPA web site. We should not give them any help.

Robert Mudd

Robert, your comments are certainly true regarding the media, but no
troll here. The intent of my original post was to secure an opinion of
other pilots with much more knowledge than myself regarding the
general safety of the sport. As a low time pilot (100 hrs.)I'm just
trying to listen to those out there with all the experience to assist
with my decision to continue in the sport.

Every year this (or a similar) thread shows up on RAS. Basically, it
is "Oh Muh God, people are DIEING!

Step back and take a deep breath; has anything fundamentally changed
in the sport? I don't think so. Soaring has its hazards and that will
not change. If you want to reduce your risk: stop flying! Clearly, the
sport would be better off if some of the pilots did this. Cheer up,
Lennie the Lurker did!

Soaring requires a higher degree of pilot proficiency than powered
flight does. Nothing is going to change that, although technology
might help to a small degree, i.e. collision avoidance devices. Most
accidents, however, don't involve this (like the fatality at Air
Sailing).

The wild card in all of this is how will each individual pilot react
to a real emergency. Sometimes training can simulate an emergency, but
the student will always think, in the back of his/hers mind, that the
instructor will bail him/her out if he/she screws up.

I don't like going to friends funerals anymore than the next guy, but
I'm not willng to give up the sport to eliminate the possibility.

Tom Seim
Richland, WA