A question - Can glider pilots hear powered aircraft in the area, or
does the slipstream mask the sound?
--
Gene Seibel
Hangar 131 - http://pad39a.com/gene/plane.html
Because I fly, I envy no one.


"Stefan" "stefan"@mus. INVALID .ch wrote in message
...
Frode Berg wrote:

What are good ways to avoid the gliders?
Do they have some sort of good/excellent lookout techniques, or
are they
just flying around having a good time?

Of course we are having a good time flying around, after all, that's
the
whole point of soaring!

More to the point: Second, no, glider pilots don't have a special
lookout technique, other than being paranoid and knowing how poorly
visible we are. I'm pretty sure the glider you passed has seen you
long
before. (Of course you shouldn't bet your life at it. Besides,
gliders
have the right of way.) The only thechnique that works is look,
look,
look. Glider pilot students learn very early to forget about cockpit
instruments, to fly by horizon and butt and to permanently look out,
look out, look out. That's the whole trick.

But first and most important: Try to avoid regions where dense
glider
traffic is to be expected. Flying through southeastern Germany at
FL55
when there is some thermal activity is a very bad idea. This is one
of
the most densly populated areas, gliderwise, and FL55 is more or
less
the most active altitude band. Your best bet is to climb into
airspace
C, but you don't always want to do so. Try to think like a glider
pilot.
Try to know the most popular glider areas and avoid them. Try to
recognize thermals. Be aware that if you see a glider, the
probability
is high that there are others in the vicinity you don't see, one
glider
seldom flies alone. If you see a glider gaggle, make a big tour
around
it. There are always more gliders in the air than you will see.

Stefan