Right pattern for practice?

"Tony Cox" wrote:

Isn't switching mental state so low to the ground a safety issue
in its own right, regardless of the impact it might have on others?

Yes, it's a "safety issue" in the sense that there is, as
always, risk in flying. The risk can be managed, however.
My description was at my limits, in perfect favorable
conditions when I've got lots of recent flight practice, the
wind isn't too strong, etc.

One of the dangerous parts of Instrument flying is the mental
switching between flying 'on instruments' and 'on visual' when
shooting an ILS down to minimums. Quite a few accidents have
been caused by disorientation when switching mental gears
in patchy low-level clouds -- it takes people a few seconds to
adjust & one has to be quite sure what you are planning to do
(that is, stay 'on instruments' until you're guaranteed a continuous
visual so you don't have to change gears again).

I recognize this, but it's important for me to make a strong
commitment to my flight status. I want the mental
transition to "landing" every time before I land. If I'm
trying to get away, I may decide I need to raise the gear.
I may actually have lift and still have to land if I'm
climbing slowly and the wind is moving me away from a
position of safe access to the runway to "too far downwind."
The mental switch to "landing" ensures my landing gear
check, my ballast gets dumped, and I tighten my belts. I
may make those checks 3-4 times if conditions are variable.

I'm no glider pilot, but I'd have thought the same psychological
issues might be relevant here. Is it just you that change mental
state so low to the ground, or is it common practice.

If you read my post closely, you'll see these mental states:

1) "I'm probably going to have to land" I'm now making sure
I know the pattern, wind, traffic, etc.

2) "I'm landing." Here is where I do my checklist, dump
water ballast (it takes me 3+ minutes), enter the pattern
and get the gear down, etc. If I'm still trying to stay
aloft, this decision is revocable, but my flight path is
fixed unless lift is encountered. If I encounter lift, I
decide whether I'm too low, the wind is too strong or
traffic is a problem that prevents a turn.

3) "I'm not landing" I divert from my flight path by
turning in lift I've decided it is safe to turn in. My gear
may be retracted if things are improving significantly. I
may stop dumping water. I may switch back and forth from
state 3 and 2. Every entry into mental state 2 results in a
complete checklst, gear check, etc.

4) "I'm irrevocably commmitted to landing" Lift encountered
now is disregarded. This is a positive irrevocable decision
in my mental state that differs from state 2. I have never
broken and have promised myself I will never break this
commitment no matter how tempted I am. It is usually
entered from state 3, when things haven't gone as well as
I'd hoped.

I suspect that something similar is universal among XC
glider pilots, with the altitude that one will switch to
mental state 3 gradually decreasing with skill and
experience. Like many other glider pilots ahve said to me,
it seems that the moment I lower the gear, or even touch the
gear handle, I hit lift. When we do, we usually can escape.

You have to be ready to land, and you have to have a lower
limit. As your altitude decreases, your options diminish
and you are forced to approach the landing area. This
forcing of your location may begin 15 to 20 miles away from
an airport. A successful "save" is entirely possible long
after this position forcing has begun.

Not trying to be confrontational. Just interested.

I don't take it as confrontational. In part I posted here
to hear the view of those who have no glider experience. I
want to know what they think.