Soaring article in AIN today

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-ne...-flying-skills

Gliders Might Improve Pilots’ Upset Flying Skills
Pilots seeking to improve their manual flying skills should consider trying gliders, according to Captain Sarah Kelman. The former women’s world gliding champion and EasyJet safety officer told the Royal Aeronautical Society’s recent International Flight Crew Training Conference in London that flying gliders is beneficial to upset prevention and recovery training. Kelman echoed the consensus among conference participants that airline pilots’ manual flying skills have eroded in recent years. “There’s a reluctance to turn off the automation,” she said. But gliders may be just the ticket for pilots seeking a broader spectrum of proficiency. “Gliders are well suited to demonstrate what loss of control feels like,” she asserted. “Today’s gliders are high-performance machines,” capable of covering 500 miles without an engine and climbing to 32,000 feet or more (an altitude she has reached over Scotland). Glider wingspans and handling are “comparable” to those of a Boeing 737, in her view. It’s common for glider pilots to “fly right to the edge of the envelope,” making tight 70-degree-bank turns to spiral upward on thermals, Kelman said. Gliding requires not only hands-on flying; it also demands that pilots be keenly aware of energy management and meteorology. “Even on a fair-weather day, there are risks,” she explained. “For example, you might encounter strong thermal activity on short final.” With no automation, glider flying can require five to six hours of concentration, and all approaches use visual flight rules. Kelman said EasyJet encourages its pilots to try as much hand flying and as many visual approaches as they can within operational guidelines.

If I were the VP in charge of safety for an ATA carrier, I would point out, that for less than a few K, we could have all flight crew certified as glider pilots.
VFR approaches and "hand flying" would improve greatly.

From article: "Glider wingspans and handling are “comparable” to those of a Boeing 737, in her view."

Any 737 pilots care to elucidate what she means by "comparable"?

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013 5:50:49 AM UTC-7, son_of_flubber wrote:
From article: "Glider wingspans and handling are “comparable” to those of a Boeing 737, in her view."



Any 737 pilots care to elucidate what she means by "comparable"?

The only 737 pilot I know complains that it handles like a dump truck and even the new versions have antiquated cockpits to meet type commonality.

I am no mind reader... but I am assuming that she was talking about wing span only.... I flew the 737-800, and that is about all that is the same as a glider... I hated the 737, but then I was forced off the 757/767 on to the 737 and that is like going from a Ferrari to a Yugo!

Josh

Originally Posted by Craig Funston[_2_]

On Tuesday, October 8, 2013 5:50:49 AM UTC-7, son_of_flubber wrote:
From article: "Glider wingspans and handling are “comparable” to those of a Boeing 737, in her view."



Any 737 pilots care to elucidate what she means by "comparable"?

The only 737 pilot I know complains that it handles like a dump truck and even the new versions have antiquated cockpits to meet type commonality.