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Emergencies on aerotow



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 10th 14, 01:59 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 133
Default Emergencies on aerotow

You cannot teach safety in paragraph-long sound bites.

Unlike a high percentage of glider pilots, if you want to be a safe pilot, you need to educate yourself.

How many launching emergencies are there? All pilots automatically think of rope breaks. Believe it or not, 41 emergencies are listed, including: "Others I have not thought of."

Up to date, current, information about launching emergencies will be found in the popular, 2014 edition of the Glider Flight Training Manual, ($39.95 at www.eglider.org, or the SSA, or many glider clubs and FBOs) which includes a chart showing the data, including bank angle, airspeed, sink rate, load factor, radius of turn, time for the turn and altitude lost during the turn.
  #3  
Old May 11th 14, 12:17 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Don Johnstone[_4_]
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Posts: 398
Default Emergencies on aerotow

At 12:59 10 May 2014, wrote:
You cannot teach safety in paragraph-long sound bites. =20

Unlike a high percentage of glider pilots, if you want to be a safe

pilot,
=
you need to educate yourself.

How many launching emergencies are there? All pilots automatically think
of=
rope breaks. Believe it or not, 41 emergencies are listed, including:
"Ot=
hers I have not thought of."

Up to date, current, information about launching emergencies will be

found
=
in the popular, 2014 edition of the Glider Flight Training Manual,

($39.95
=
at
www.eglider.org, or the SSA, or many glider clubs and FBOs) which
includ=
es a chart showing the data, including bank angle, airspeed, sink rate,
loa=
d factor, radius of turn, time for the turn and altitude lost during the
tu=
rn.

Using a moderate performance, fiberglass single seat sailplane, the data
re=
veals the ideal bank angle for minimum loss of altitude is a 45 degree
bank=
angle.

Using a 40 degree bank angle or a 50 degree bank angle will result in an
ad=
ditional one foot altitude loss.

Using 35 degrees, will cause an additional 4 foot loss compared with the
op=
timum, 30 degree bank angle 11 feet extra and at 60 degree bank angle, an
a=
dditional 10 feet.

Bottom line, from the stand point of altitude loss, bank angle is not
extre=
mely important as long as you use a reasonably steep bank angle during

the
=
emergency.
What about radius of turn? The steeper the bank angle, the smaller the
dia=
meter of the turn.=20

For the example sailplane:
60 degree bank angle 208 feet.
50 degree bank angle 236 feet.
40 degree bank angle 281 feet
35 degree bank angle 315 feet.

Bottom line - learn to use an adequate bank angle during a low altitude
eme=
rgency re-turn to the airfield. And keep the yaw string straight.

One of the preventative actions the tow pilot can do to help the glider
pil=
ot as well as the tow pilot in case of one of the 41 emergencies on tow

is
=
to allow the departing tow path to drift slightly downwind so the
resulting=
turn back to the runway is a simple 180 degree turn rather than a
button-h=
ook shaped turn.

There is much more to learn about this and other common all-to-frequent
eme=
rgencies than this simple sound bite.

If you are going to fly safely, you must avail yourself to the simple,
easy=
to learn details of safe, competent piloting skills and knowledge. It
can=
not be done with sound-bite size internet postings.

Tom Knauff


The all important question you should ask is "Can I land ahead". If, and
only if the answer is no should anything else be attempted.

  #4  
Old May 11th 14, 03:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
150flivver
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Posts: 171
Default Emergencies on aerotow

On Saturday, May 10, 2014 7:59:25 AM UTC-5, wrote:
You cannot teach safety in paragraph-long sound bites.



Unlike a high percentage of glider pilots, if you want to be a safe pilot, you need to educate yourself.



How many launching emergencies are there? All pilots automatically think of rope breaks. Believe it or not, 41 emergencies are listed, including: "Others I have not thought of."



Up to date, current, information about launching emergencies will be found in the popular, 2014 edition of the Glider Flight Training Manual, ($39.95 at www.eglider.org, or the SSA, or many glider clubs and FBOs) which includes a chart showing the data, including bank angle, airspeed, sink rate, load factor, radius of turn, time for the turn and altitude lost during the turn.



Using a moderate performance, fiberglass single seat sailplane, the data reveals the ideal bank angle for minimum loss of altitude is a 45 degree bank angle.



Using a 40 degree bank angle or a 50 degree bank angle will result in an additional one foot altitude loss.



Using 35 degrees, will cause an additional 4 foot loss compared with the optimum, 30 degree bank angle 11 feet extra and at 60 degree bank angle, an additional 10 feet.



Bottom line, from the stand point of altitude loss, bank angle is not extremely important as long as you use a reasonably steep bank angle during the emergency.

What about radius of turn? The steeper the bank angle, the smaller the diameter of the turn.



For the example sailplane:

60 degree bank angle 208 feet.

50 degree bank angle 236 feet.

40 degree bank angle 281 feet

35 degree bank angle 315 feet.



Bottom line - learn to use an adequate bank angle during a low altitude emergency re-turn to the airfield. And keep the yaw string straight.



One of the preventative actions the tow pilot can do to help the glider pilot as well as the tow pilot in case of one of the 41 emergencies on tow is to allow the departing tow path to drift slightly downwind so the resulting turn back to the runway is a simple 180 degree turn rather than a button-hook shaped turn.



There is much more to learn about this and other common all-to-frequent emergencies than this simple sound bite.



If you are going to fly safely, you must avail yourself to the simple, easy to learn details of safe, competent piloting skills and knowledge. It cannot be done with sound-bite size internet postings.



Tom Knauff



I have no problem with a glider pilot asking me to drift downwind on departure leg when there's a crosswind. My concern is when nothing is said before launch. Let's just say Joe-bag-a-donuts glider pilot hasn't flown in awhile and picks a gusty, crosswindy day to knock some rust off. The tow pilot decides he's just going to hold runway heading on departure and let the crosswind (form the left today) drift him downwind. Our intrepid glider pilot, Joe, is intent on maintaining position behind the tow when suddenly he's astonished to see a puff of smoke and the towplane rocking its wings. Muscle memory takes over and he pulls the release and turns right. Oops, it was a left crosswind and we've drifted well right of runway centerline while on the tow and now his right turn back to the airport puts him further from the runway centerline. If the tow pilot had maintained the extended runway centerline on departure, it wouldn't be as bad for the clueless glider pilot turning the "wrong" way. I agree that if everyone's situational awareness is good. a drifting departure leg will maximize the glider's chances of getting back to the runway but not every glider pilot I've towed has had good SA. Should the towpilot fly a departure leg for the best or the worst case? I've told our clubmembers that if I'm towing on a day with crosswinds, I'm maintaining centerline on departure unless specifically asked to do otherwise. Someone asking tells me they've thought ahead about emergencies and will turn appropriately. Say nothing and at least you have a 50 50 chance.
  #5  
Old May 11th 14, 03:58 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Bill T
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Posts: 275
Default Emergencies on aerotow

We have parallel runways. Most of the time the wind is from the SW. We operate off the Left of the two runways. We maintain centerline and do not drift left. A glider having to release above 200 ft will need to turn left away from the right side runway traffic. If we are operating to the north, it's a right turn above 200ft to get back. Stay away from the opposite side runway and potential traffic. Centerline to centerline is about 300ft, so they are close. Know the airport is part of getting SA.
 




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