Todd Pattist wrote:
had an oxy bottle in the nose. I've flown a Blanik in a
stable flight attitude (nose high cross controlled) that I
was only able to get into once despite at least 50 attempts
to reproduce it.

It makes sense to me to pay attention to the experience of
others, particularly when that experience led them into an
unrecoverable flight mode - and to recognize that I may not
be all that much better a pilot than they were.
Todd Pattist - "WH" Ventus C
(Remove DONTSPAMME from address to email reply.)

Just for fun, maybe try to figure out how many different
ways you could design/modify an aircraft so that it
would spin all the way into the ground despite fully
functioning controls.

How about one that spins and recovers to the left great, but
to the right it goes into the ground?

Now do this once using aerodynamics, and once not using
aerodynamics. Now do it with a pylon/retract engine.
Now do it so it doesn't show up on the weight and balance that
the pilot calculates. Now do it so the mechanics weight and
balance doesn't catch it. Now do it so the lateral balance
doesn't catch it. Now do it so that a specially designed
test for roll momentum doesn't catch it, and it spins uncontrollably
into the ground anyway. Now do it so the yaw string is
perfectly straight all the way until the spin is
unrecoverable.

Assume you did this with all the weight fixed (not moving).
Now let the weight move. Now figure out what weights
in a glider move and how you can design it so that they cause
an unrecoverable spin without anyone noticing.

Now figure out how, in unaccelerated flight, you can make
it spin only if you have MORE airspeed.

Fuel in one wing of a Grumman AA-1, perfectly input adverse yaw,
wings with slightly different AOA, cargo that isn't secured and
rolls back, a sudden pylon engine stoppage, weighty repairs in
interesting places, dirt in the belly, weights at the top of
the rudder, leaky ballast bags, elevator airflow interruption
by an open canopy or flaps, movie cameras on the wingtips,
water condensing in one "tuna tank" on a wingtip, more
weight above the C.G. than below it, elevator/C.G./trim
in a way that only a prop makes the elevator effective,
higher aspect ratio wings, asymmetric debris on the wing,
blah blah blah...

But for the most part, near the ground, fly fast, mostly level,
smooth/slow/light on the stick and smile...

For you cowboys at a bijillion feet at 25% from aft C.G.
torquing it up tight in a thermal way over gross with ballast
in your schmancy gliders without a hint of stall warning...

GOOD LUCK! :PPPPPP

and I hope that pooch with those loving eyes is
a girl... ROFLMAO