No: 96-06

Chairman's Chatter

Christmas is once again almost upon us. I hope that members who are going to the Camp at Jan Kempdorp have better weather than last year and are able to achieve their goals. I would also like to wish both Graham and Chris, AGood Luck@ in the up-coming Nationals Championships.

Things are looking up at the Club in membership and flying. We are now up to ninety members, up almost twenty in eighteen months. This is very positive for the Club and, with the acquisition of the Ka 7 and the winch last year, we have been able to intensify our activities. This I'm sure has helped grow the membership.

Bearing in mind these factors the Committee was offered through Gerhard a Jeans (fixed undercarriage) Single Astir in Germany for a landed cost of about R75 000. This plane has never been in an accident and Otto confirms that it is in pristine condition and would be a very good buy. Thanks to Otto who came to our assistance yet again, we should have a new glider flying by mid January. As we have a container coming out we are going to ship the new canopy of GJJ with it, which will save us about R4 000 in airfreight. Therefore GJJ will only be flying at the end of January.

The Committee was unanimous in its decision to purchase this plane as we felt that entry level students often could not get into the air due to the fact that there is only one Single Astir. This will double our capacity in this important area. Whether the club is capable of financing and maintaining another glider is a decision the club members will have to make. An option is to sell the Cirrus to a syndicate of club members which I'm sure will raise all types of emotions amongst certain members again! Alternatively we expand our fleet by one glider. The Committee will call a Special General Meeting in February so that we can all decide on which way to go forward on this matter. We will, in the notice of the meeting, include statistics of flying hours, costs etc; so that members can make an informed decision on the matter.

GJJ is in a bit of a mess and, after some needless delays on the part of our insurance assessor, work is progressing well. The repairs will cost about R28 000. The insurance company settled with us as they wanted to write the plane off. Thanks again to Graham for sorting out this complicated problem so efficiently.

In our Special General Meeting we will also be asking members for a decision on whether we should build a swimming pool at the airfield. Please think about it. We will also send supporting documents about this in the notice of the meeting.

The Motor Falke is back in action again, thanks to AndrJ, Dave Starke and Sandy Hultberg for sorting things out. The Twin should be flying soon, thanks to Paul Bailey and his team.

I would to thank John Armstrong, who resigned from the Committee recently for his dedicated service as Chief Maintenance Officer. To Paul Bailey who took over the job, thank you and good luck. (Hubert, unfortunately, turned down the job).

It remains for me to wish you and your families a peaceful and restful festive break.

Regards, Rob

From the Flying Panel AndrJ Leeb-du Toit

1) During an annual check the other day I nearly had a pilot release when the tug did a simulated airbrake check - I know it's going to be difficult to get used to the new tug signals; but make a conscious effort to do so and instructors should harp on them when doing checks.

2) Annual checks - a spate of checks have come in since the last KK! Remember, though, to have your log book endorsed. The recent Astir accident proved the importance of this ... Fortunately for the club the pilot had his annual check logbook endorsement ... Imagine the financial implications had he not had the endorsement! Again the onus is on you and not the instructor.

3) The Motor Falke motor has been thoroughly overhauled (virtually new) - we owe a debt of gratitude to Sandy for this.

4) The Safety Seminar held recently at Dave Stark's house was a success and at least two will be scheduled for next year.

5) Instructors' attention is drawn to the Brevet renewal requirements as published in Issue 14 of the Instructors' News Letter.

The following article appeared in the AHighveld Flyer@, Magalies Gliding Club's newsletter. We thank Carol Clifford and Brian Stevens for their permission to re-publish it in the KK.

The Greatest Hazard in Gliding Brian Stevens

Gliding is a super and safe sport. But there are hazards if you fail to observe the rules. In my view the greatest hazard in the sport of gliding is a mid-air collision.

With some 3000 hours of gliding spread over about 30 years, I have to confess to 5 near misses, all of which were largely my own fault. The fact that I can recall each incident vividly is indicative of the fright that each one gave me. Sadly, also vivid in my memory, is being on aerotow at Baragwanath, hearing a sickening crunch high up in the sky, seeing only one parachute deploy, and having to steer between the wreckage raining down.

The first two incidents occurred during the nationals at Kimberley in 1959. I was flying )don't laugh) a Spahlinger S.18 and the late Boet Dommisse a Skylark 3. The gull-winged S.18 had a glide angle little better than the proverbial brick - but it sure could climb. We were in a Adouble yolk@ thermal with core centres some 300 metres apart. As we drew level, I could see that our circles would converge, but hadn't a clue what to do! No one had taught me to thermal in the company of other gliders. Eventually we too some horrible evasive action, and missed each other.

Later in the contest, with very strong thermals, I was nicely centred and going up like a rocket - sublimely convinced that I had the total right of way. Higher than me, a Cape Town pilot somehow saw me coming and decided to beat a hasty retreat. His timing and direction of departure couldn't have been too good as I had a very close look at his under-belly as he hurtled off to find his own thermal.

The third incident occurred some years later during a contest at Oranjekrag (Gariep Dam). It was a funny day with a howling wind. I'd been Aunsettled@ having had to bank near vertically in order to get my turn point pictures - having failed to make allowance for the strong wind blowing me in towards the turn point. Up ahead, towards Smithfield, I saw the Frenchman, Mazellerat, and joined him in a thermal. Somehow we managed to lose sight of each other and when I did see him, it was from entirely the wrong position and much, much too close.

Incident number 4 - at Baragwanath, I enjoyed practising steep approaches and landing. I saw a blue canopied Libelle H.301 circling (illegally) in the approach area and called him on the radio to say that I was passing him above and to his right. No response. Next thing, right under my nose, and I mean right under my nose, appears the Libelle. I had to pull up my glider in order to avoid being impaled by AMr Blue's@ tail fin. Needless to say that AMr Blue@ was not on the runway frequency, but was listening to Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 on his radio - as he was apt to do!

The last incident occurred during one of the Vryburg Nationals. It was a day of rapid over-development where the thermals are strong and sharp-edged, if you know what I mean. I saw a bunch of gliders up ahead near Bloemhof and ran towards them - with a height separation which looked all of 1000 ft. I pulled up, nicely centred, in a ALulu@ of a 6 m/s thermal - to be confronted with the belly of Quinton Maine's glider perfectly targeted for a shoot down!

What can we learn from my experiences? Plenty. Let's lay down a few basic rules:-

1. We're all guilty of it - Ainstrument flying@ with eyes glued to the variometer and airspeed indicator - trying to squeeze every ounce of lift out of the thermal. Don't do it. Use your audio and practise thermalling without constant reference to your instrument panel.

2. When approaching another glider be cautious. He may not have seen you. If in doubt, call him on the radio. Be wary of getting too close and, if necessary, look for another thermal.

3. Make sure you're comfortable thermalling both left and right - without constant reference to your instrument panel.

4. Always keep the other glider in sight, preferably on the opposite side of the circle. Also try and maintain a steady speed and a constant circle. (In this way you could avoid the embarrassment of German Ace, Bruno Gantebrink, yelling into the radio, ANo. 2 - you fly unpossible!@)

5. Don't underestimate separation heights needed. Things happen mighty fast with one glider climbing at 6 m/s and the other, having dropped out of the circle, descending at 6 m/s. (In just 5 seconds a 200 ft separation becomes zero separation.)

6. Gliders have good, but restricted visibility. You can't see behind or below you. Remember you're rarely alone in the sky. Keep a constant lookout for other aircraft. (While a rolled-back hat brim may look comical, to me flying in a peaked cap is like flying in blinkers.)

Safe gliding to all of you

Brian Stevens

From the Editor

As this is the last issue of 1996 I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all the best for the festive season. In particular, we wish our members good soaring in their flying up country. Have a safe journey and fly safely!

Once again I am able to thank all my reliable contributors. It's their input that makes this newsletter. Thanks also to those members who put in a lot of effort for the club. How many of you think of the ropes that we use? Well, Phil is the man who tries to ensure that we always have serviceable ropes, a job that isn't that easy if no one bothers to tell him that there aren't any! Please read his article elsewhere in this issue.

Other members put in a lot of effort outside of their Aofficial portfolios@. As an example, Graham has spent many days in the past few weeks dealing with the damage to GJJ, the insurance claim, arranging repairs, parts, etc. Peter Wooley often thanks people for their contributions in his section, but we also need to recognise him for the good work he's doing (in addition to his secretarial duties) looking after ground matters/relations at the airfield, liaising with others with regard to building developments and so on.

If any of you know of anyone who has put in effort Aover and above the call of duty@, let me know and I can give them the recognition they deserve in a future edition.

Unfortunately there are others who find it impossible to even put in the small amount of duty expected of them. I am thinking of the many people who do not pitch for their duty when they are rostered. This kind of behaviour is really not acceptable as many of these same Ano shows@ expect others to be on duty for them when they want to fly.

Alison tells me that Ernie Todd will be speaking at the Stellenbosch Flying Club on AHuman Performance in Aviation@. Ernie is well known for the columns he writes in aviation magazines. His talk will look at how a pilot=s performance impacts on various aspects of flying and safety and should be of interest to glider pilots as well as well as power pilots. Members of our club are most welcome to attend. The talk will be held on 17th January at 7 for 7:30pm. Snacks will be served and drinks can be bought from the bar.

There are quite a few items of lost property in the bar. This causes a bit of a problem as we don't have the storage space to accommodate them. In future, anything left in the bar will only have a 2 week Ashelf life@ to find its owner before it is sent out into the world on its own via the garbage truck!

Remember the deadline for contributions for the next KK is 13th February 1997!

See you at cloud base (next year)

Ronnie

Heard in the bar:- Where's Hubert? Maybe he's Hubernating at Ottosdal!

Primarily for Pupes Mike Pascoe

Gliding is a strange activity - In the air we fly alone (after solo anyway), and certainly prefer to do this; while on the ground we all have to chip in to help get airborne.

There is an enormous amount of work to be done. This ranges from pushing gliders on the runway, running wings, keeping times and assisting on the runway on a flying day. There are other jobs to be done to keep us flying - jobs like tugging & instructing, maintenance, winch driving, accounting, running the bar and so on. All these jobs have to be carried out by club members, and certainly some of them are less fun than others. If everybody joined in to do a share, then the burden would not fall on the willing few. Pupils should take an active part in as many club activities as possible, and learn how to do all the many tasks that need to be done. This not only makes less work for others, but also completes and rounds your training as a glider pilot. Joining in and sharing the work is also fun.

There are many members who demonstrate a very negative attitude to all the efforts made by other members to provide the services and equipment needed for the club to run well and give us all the gliding pleasure which we all enjoy. We hear that Athe Club@ should or should not do this or that; but the complainers seldom do anything but complain. Who is the club anyway? It is all of us members. These negative members actually are a drain on the club, and on the energy and resources of the Adoers@, who have to spend time and energy undoing the damage caused by these negativists.

As a pupil, try and become a positive, keen and actively contributing member, learning as you go, rather than the other sort of member. If you have ideas, suggestions or gripes, do something constructive, talk to a committee member, write a letter to the committee and VOLUNTEER to do the work or help with the work.

Enjoy gliding and contribute positively to your club.

Mike

Promoting Gliding

Mike Pascoe found this posting on the Internet from Jon Minhinnick in New Zealand. It is a response to an ongoing discussion on how to attract new people to gliding. Jon proposes an approach quite different to any other posting so far. We are publishing it because we=d like to see what our members think of it. So, read it and then let us hear your opinion of what we can do to attract new members. Do you like Jon=s idea, or is it at odds with your thinking?

Subject: Thrill seeking- A call to arms

................I have another suggestion. Today, in this world of regulations and stifled imagination, people are trying desperately to Abreak free@. Escapism has become a favourite pastime and we see the rise of adrenalin-pumping sports - sky-surfing, snowboarding, wind-surfing, bungie jumping, canyoning, rock climbing.

I reckon we should go after the thrill seeker. Gliding must no longer be the safe, sedate, and predictable sport. It is a chance to perform wing-overs at 5000 ft. A roller-coaster with no rails. Running at VNE through the contest gate, the sailplane a part of your body, buzzing in your hands. A mastery of man and machine, soaring is the culmination of science, artistry, and human spirit. No one else can fly a thousand kilometres without a screaming motor. No one else can surf the waves in the sky to nearly 10 miles high.

When a curious visitor asks AHow safe are those things?@, point out that we don't carry parachutes without reason. Make sure they know that most gliders have room to carry oxygen bottles. And mention that landing in a farmer's field is something we will perform readily, if Athings don't work out@.

I realise that to say these things may be heresy to some. To others, it is obvious. But it takes a major paradigm shift to have this happen daily, on and off airfields over the world. Perhaps those who bemoan the falling membership of the clubs, those who say, AWe have to come to terms with two hard facts... the world has changed and we are going to be small@ should take a look at their fatalistic attitudes.

The world has changed, and we are small. But that is no excuse not to grow. Seize the chance, live the life. Get better while you can.

jonm@voyager.co.nz Ka 6 PE ZK-GBU

From the Secretary's Desk Peter Wooley

Membership

We welcome Manfred Habeck, Marisa Levitt, Stephen Pienaar, Roelof Smit, Lianda Swanepoel and Jacques Willig as new club members. We say good bye to Mark Marshall.

In the last issue, when introducing Pieter Truter of Worcester, I omitted to say that he holds an ATPL, microlight PL, has already soloed on GHB and is looking forward to being let loose in GJJ. Now all he needs is a tug rating.

Airfield

On the subject of contributions to the club, we must say a big Thank You to Marianne Thomson for arranging the supply of her own machinery and labour for all the bush and grass cutting on the airfield. The difference is remarkable.

The chaps at the Worcester Flying Club have not been idle either; and those of you who have not been to the airfield for a while will hardly recognise the place. The taxi-ways have been graded and widened, the winch runway filled and rolled, windsocks replaced, runway markers painted and much more. We thank them all, especially Gerhard Groenewald, as we all benefit greatly from these improvements.

There is also a new private hangar being built for one of our members adjacent to the taxiway next to runway 33.

And talking about the taxiways, it is encouraging to note that most members are adhering to the 20 kph speed limit on the newly graded taxiways. Thanks everyone for your patience.

Unfortunately, you can't please all the people all the time. The Horse Riding Club is most concerned at the alleged speeding of (our?) vehicles past their establishment, and on the weekend of 23-24th November a little girl was nearly knocked down. This is serious stuff. While it is a public road, used by all sorts of traffic, please do take care when passing the Riding Club, and let's be mindful of maintaining a good relationship with our neighbours.

Criticism was recently expressed of the newsletter that, while it is obviously well produced, the general tone is somewhat negative. This may indeed appear so; but it must be remembered that this is the only channel of communication that reaches all our members, and as such it is a working document that does, as a matter of necessity, contain instructions and complaints contiguous to the running of a large flying club such as ours.

Books

For those of you who are not yet cross-country soaring experts, I have to recommend the book Winning on the Wind by George Moffatt Jr. It's well written and his outspoken style makes it infinitely readable. A pilot of some substance, he was both USA and World Champion in the Standard and Open Classes at various times (he was a school teacher by profession). Although first published in 1974, there's nothing out of date about this book. If, like me, you are having trouble in reaching Heidelberg or Citrusdal, perhaps you will learn something profound from Moffatt.

A full-length paperback for only $5.00 plus postage must rate this the bargain of the year. Available from the Soaring Society of America, PO Box E, Hobbs, NM 88241-7504, USA. They accept credit card payment.

Peter

Ropes Phil Surridge

Yes, those very necessary things that bind you to the towplane for the brief prelude to real flight.

Squirrelled away under the bar in Ed's TLC is one (sometimes two) new ropes. Why? Well, the answer is if I left them in the hangar with the others they would soon be used......in fact, not soon, but immediately. So, if by dint of some unforeseen emergency you need a new rope, ask Ed nicely. He will only release it in true emergencies....which should be almost never.

What else can we learn from this? Please, please, please - always select the oldest, Arottenest@ rope to use on the day; and when it eventually fails I will try and resuscitate it or condemn it to hauling gliders down the taxiway only if it can't possibly be used for aerotow. By this means I haven't bought any new ropes for the last 4 to 5 years and I still have an unused roll in my garage.

More:

Please, if you find a rope which needs work because it can't be used, bring it back to Cape Town and call me. I will collect it - not immediately, but usually within a week. In the past 7 years that I have been doing ropes for the club only Wally and Mike have done this, and both several times. Now the rest of you have no excuse.

I believe that good rope management has saved this club a lot of money over the years, Here's another sample. ASomeone@ went walking along the fence line at the threshold of 33 (where most of our ropes come to grief) the other day, and brought me back a Awhore's handbag-full@ of bits of garden hose, weak links with rings attached, etc. All, repeat, all the parts have subsequently been re-employed in the pile of ropes awaiting my attention under the stairs chez-moi.

Some years ago I investigated our ropes and introduced Polypropylene instead of Polyethylene. In plain English, for the average glider pilot, the result is a lighter and more abrasion resistant rope. Last week Sandy Hultberg gave me a rope that they are using in Gauteng. It is 10mm Polypropylene (we use 20mm), approx 1.3 tonnes breaking strain and I've fitted it out with our standard 900 Kg weak link at tug end and 600 Kg at glider end. It will disappear behind the bar and Ed, if you're reading this, please make it first cab off the rank because it is cheaper and I want to see how it lasts.

I have a theory that the rest of you may wish to dissect and that is ever since we introduced the 600 Kg weak link our rope life has been dramatically extended. Perhaps the ropes are now not getting over stressed and actually have to wear out from abrasion before I condemn them. Anyway, Sandy's rope looks very thin, so don't refuse a tow when you see what looks like 50m of weak link behind the towplane. If it can handle the abrasion as well as the 20mm (which it won't, but we need to find out Ahow much worse@) we will eventually change over.

To close, in case any of you are wondering how I qualified for the prestigious post of rope-meister, it happened on my first day of gliding at Worcester in February 1990, when I saw a worn piece of tow rope and cut it out and spliced the rope together on the spot. This agility was not lost on CFI Mike who requested me to take over the ropes in such a way that I couldn't refuse. So I knelt and had the marlin spike touch me on both shoulders and my head and I've been doing ropes ever since.

I've learnt something since then and that is in the considerable other areas in which I have skill and agility, I now practise at night and out of sight of the CFI - behind closed bedroom doors!

Happy Soaring

Phil

Maintenance Matters Paul Bailey

I've really had to kick in to my new portfolio with a bang by scheduling GOK's LS1. On the maintenance team side I have approached a fair number of folk to join the teams and will hopefully get around to all the others by the end of the year. I have tried to identify those folk who make most use of the particular glider to be put on that glider's maintenance team ("GMT"). Should any folk have a particular preference, please????? let me know. Also, it would save me tons of time if folk would come forward and volunteer to be put on a GMT.

What does it mean to be on a GMT?

The age old saying "Many hands make light work" is particularly true for any club situation. Hopefully, the work load for anyparticular individual is lessened by being a member of a GMT. Any repairs, routine work, or LS1s carried out on a glider is done by the GMT, with each team having a responsible team leader. The team leader co-ordinates any maintenance work to be done, and sees that it gets done.

Each glider also has an AP ("Approved person") who OKs any major repairs, as well as carrying out the annual LS1. The AP DOES NOT do any maintenance work.

Current Glider Maintenance Status

1) GOK

LS1 - We have brought GOK to Dave Starke's factory. Thanks go to Dave for the use of the factory, as well as the GMT (Paul Baines, Pepe Tomassi, Andrew Roos, Roger Tipping) and Nick Oberhofer for helping with the repairs etc. Thanks to Herbie O for doing the LS1.

Work done:-

Wingtips glassed & repaired

Elevator cracks and links repaired

Linkages etc dismantled & greased

Moving surfaces dismantled and inspected

Seats taken out and washed

Cockpit cleaned out

Are looking at putting the Wheel cover back

Attending to the brake system

New window rails installed

General repairs & clean up (vacuum etc)

All going well, we plan to have GOK back at the airfield by the 7th December.

2) GJJ - Repairs are going well with Bruce Hamilton.

3) GHB - Is in a bad way, maintenance-wise.

We plan to bring GHB into Cape Town during winter for a major overhaul.

Wheel brake is currently disconnected. Please would someone who is handy, put the discs back.

RADIO battery has been replaced.

4) GIG - Nicky O is the Team Leader, and A. L. du Toit is the approved person. I plan to get all the syndicated members to be part of the maintenance team, as they all have a direct interest in the glider. They will all be getting a letter shortly.

5) UUA - Engine has been redone, and testing trials are underway. It should be back at the club by December.

Radio problems seem to be sorted out.

Finally

Please, if you see something that needs repair, fix it. If the repair is too large to do, let Paul know.

PS: I.C. that there are new G.M.T.'s on the way, with A.P.'s not far behind, wow, U.R.2 quick 4 me.

Regards,

Paul

Points from the Instructors' Meeting

Radio calls after release

Some pilots are in the habit of making a radio call to the tug after they release. This practice was discussed at the last Instructors' meeting and it was felt that it is not necessary. In most cases the tuggy will be aware of your release. All that is required of you after release, once you are sure that the rope is clear, is to do a gentle turn to the right. Of course, if conditions are against a turn to the right (eg the combination is in a turn, or you are in ridge lift), then you do what is sensible.

I had a pupil release in ridge lift at Vic Peak and then do an immediate turn to the right straight into sink. Definitely not desirable. Another pupil, after being waved off by the tug shortly after take-off, released immediately as he should do, and then did an immediate right turn without thinking of the consequences. His most appropriate direction in that particular position would have been a turn to the left onto an abbreviated downwind leg.

So, only if you feel that the tuggy is unaware of your release and is continuing to climb, should you contact him on the radio.

Radio chatter

We are still hearing far too much chat on 124.8. Remember that this frequency is used by aircraft over a wide area and the rest of the world really doesn't want to hear how many m/s you are experiencing when they need to make a radio call. Of course there are times when a number of gliders are in a limited space and frequent radio calls are necessary to ensure that others have seen you. This is particularly true of ridge soaring. In cases like this use 123.4 to communicate. Don't block 124.8.

Talking of radios, pilots flying Club gliders, please remember to switch off your radios between flights. This will help the battery charge last for a full day's flying. This is most important for the long summer flying days.

Pushing on to the runway

The runway holding point must not be used for parking gliders. Keep this area clear for the tug and for other aircraft wanting to enter the runway. It is acceptable to push a glider on to the tar if that glider will be the next aircraft to enter the runway.

Pilots, remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that the tail dolly has been removed before you fly. Make sure that you see that it has been removed before you accept the tow rope.

On that subject, the rope must not be connected to the glider until all checks are complete and the canopy is closed. Remember, do most your checks before being pushed on to the runway, so as not to waste the tug's time and also to occupy the runway for the minimum time possible.

Finally on the same subject, it's a good idea to add a further check, AE for Emergency@ to the end of BC SIFT BC. Think about what you will do in the event of a rope break or tug engine failure. Keep thinking about this until you have achieved a safe height above the ground. Just remember that it's going to happen to you one day. So be prepared.

Visitors

Duty Pilots, don't be shy if you see someone who is new to you at the launch point, to go and find out whether they know how to hook up the glider, run the wing, etc. We get visitors who are very keen to help, but are dangerous because they don't know our signals. It's good PRO, anyway, to introduce yourself to strangers. That's the difference between a club that is perceived as friendly, as opposed to an unfriendly club. The welcome (or otherwise) that you get when you visit a club is the memory you take away with you. We have reports from visitors, both good and bad. So we can do it if we want to. We can all play our part here. Don't leave it up to the Duty Pilot alone.

Currency checks

If you are not current, you must ask for a currency check. Don't feel that it is an admission of inferiority. It's just good sense. Most good pilots will ask for a check if they feel they need one, even if they are current in terms of the club rules. There's no shame attached to it. I believe that many accidents/incidents do occur with pilots who are not flying regularly, even though they may fly just enough to satisfy currency requirements.

Unfortunately life insurance companies don't always see it this way. I had a situation where a company agreed to cover me for gliding provided that I flew less than 20 hours per year! They felt that the risk increased with more flying. After some discussion, they agreed to increase the limit to 100 hours.

I found this article on the Soaring Society of America's bulletin board. When we talk about the order of precedence in flying, we usually say AAviate, Navigate, Communicate@. Mike takes a common sense look at some important decisions that often need to be made in soaring.

The Order of Precedence Mike Koerner

Before we start another soaring season I'd like you to consider some comments on safety. I'm not a flight instructor and I'm certainly not qualified to give instruction. I do however, remember some of the lessons which I've been taught and I'd like to share them. One of those lessons was summarized on a small slip of paper my brother taped to his instrument panel. It read:

My Ass, The Ship, The Task

This placard served as a reminder of the most basic of all safety concepts - the order of precedence.

A pilot's first and foremost consideration must always be his own safety and the safety of others.

Although this may seem obvious, we do sometimes forget. Let me give an example. You've just entered a downwind leg for landing when you notice someone with a motor home and trailer pulling out onto the glider touchdown area. You're not sure what they're going to do. You wish you had a little more time so they could get out of the way. You slow down. You're still watching the motor home as you start the turn to base. Distracted and flying at very low speed, you use too much rudder.

The inside wing falls, the nose pitches over and the plane is no longer flying. If you don't recover quickly you'll spin into the ground and you won't walk away. That's the worst thing that could possibly happen. It would have been better to touch down in front of the motor home and plow into it. It would have been better to land long and run off the end of the field, or to run off the sides. It would have been better to land off-field. The plane might have been damaged, but most likely you would not have been injured. The problem here was a failure to recognize the order of precedence. The top priority is staying alive...and walking away. The plane is much less important. So much less that one never needs to be traded off against the other. There are no weighting factors. There is no ambiguity. There is no overlap. They are never considered in the same breath. Safety comes first, before everything else.

There is no circumstance under which the safety of the pilot, or of anyone else, should be jeopardized by concerns about damage to the ship; and most certainly not by concerns about completing a task. Air flowing over the wing is what holds you up. As long as you're higher than you'd like to fall, you have to maintain that flow. Stretching a glide to get over wires or postponing your landing until the pattern is clear; such activities must not take precedence over flying the airplane, and keeping it flying as long as you're in the air.

Similarly, the plane is much more important than the task - whatever the task. Whether flying a contest, or on a record or badge attempt, or just trying to get back to the airport after a local flight; the plane comes before the task.

The upshot is you always maintain a reasonable glide to a good landing field. If you're too low to glide to the next good field you don't go on, you don't leave the field you have. If you follow this simple rule religiously you'll never be without a good place to land, or without a ship to fly. Of course, you won't always make it where you're going. You may end up landing somewhere else. But that's the game. That's the sport. That's what makes cross-country flying fun and exciting. Holding your breath while praying for lift is not part of the game. Neither is landing in the rough, or loading odd-shaped pieces of what was once a sailplane into a trailer.

What's a reasonable glide? It's when the quotient of the distance you have to go divided by the available altitude is less than your glide ratio. Your glide ratio is some percentage of the manufacture's advertised best L/D. The percentage depends on how clean your ship is, how accurate the manufacturer's data is, and how good you are under pressure. The altitude available leaves room for a landing pattern and takes into account potential altimeter errors. The distance measurement takes into account potential map reading or flight computer integration errors. It takes the wind into account, too. However, if there's a thunderstorm nearby or an upwind ridge, the possibility of sustained sink means all bets are off. With continuous adjustments along the course line, modern flight computers do an excellent job on the analytical portion of the problem. But no matter what method of calculation you use, there is still a degree of intuition involved. That intuition is based on your past experience.

Gaining that experience is part of the sport too. And what's a good place to land? Just airports? How about dry lakes? How about farm fields, or pastures, or meadows? How about the field someone said that he heard was great, the one the hang glider pilots use all the time? What is and what is not a good place to land depends on the plane, the pilot, the weather conditions and the field. Again there are factors which do not lend themselves to a purely analytical solution. And again you must rely on intuition, starting out conservatively and refining your judgement with experience.

Although defining the parameters is highly subjective, the process of maintaining a reasonable glide to a good landing field establishes an important principle. It highlights the order of precedence: that the plane comes before the task; that you never put the plane at risk in order to complete a task, any task.

If you think that successful racing or badge and record flying is a matter of taking risks, check again. Take a look at the accident statistics. Success is not a matter of taking risks, its a matter of managing them. Minimizing risk is a key to consistent performance. "Ah," you say. "What if it's the last day of the world championship? What if I'm in second place, a close second, and the first place pilot has just landed in the field underneath me? I'm down to 1000 feet and there's nothing but badlands for the next 12 miles." "Or what if I'm 2000 feet over a lighted airport, 5 miles short of a world distance record? What if it's deep dusk and there are no airports up ahead?" I say pull the spoilers and pop the wheel. What do you think?