Newsgroups: rec.aviation.piloting,rec.aviation.ifr,rec.aviation.soaring
Subject: Re: Flying with few instruments (Re: Stay off the rudder!)
From: Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 14:38:23 GMT
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange

In article <1992Oct7.203745.3835@bony1.bony.com> richieb@bony1.bony.com (Richard Bielak) writes:
> 
> I also flew one dual flight in a glider (2-33) with all the
> instruments covered. Only the yaw string was visible. The instructor
> (who was also a DE) said "Take off, get off the tow at 2000 feet and
> then land".
> 
> This was easier to do than I expected. I let off the tow at, what
> looked like 2000 feet AGL - turned out to be little higher. Did a
> couple of stalls, to see what they feel like. Flew the pattern and
> landed. 


At our club we hold a competition every year as follows:

a) construct a fence approx 8 to 10 feet high across the start of the
   active landing strip.  We use a plant called "toitoi" that has long,
   soft stems (kinda like a *very* weak form of bamboo) and fluffy white
   heads on the end, so it doesn't damage a glider hitting it.  (A few
   always do)

b) use a lawn mower to cut a two foot wide strip from the mid point of the
   fence, at right angles to the fence (i.e. roughly into the wind), about
   100m long.

c) take one (1) Blanik L-13 glider and cover all the instruments in the
   front cockpit position.  Place one (1) CFI in the back seat with a
   clipboard and pen.

d) place a victim in the front seat.  Instruct him to:

   1) take off, tow to 1200' and release.
   2) settle down to a comfy speed
   3) perform a medium 360 to the left, followed immediately by a medium
      360 to the right, maintaining constant airspeed.
   4) Do anything else he wants while losing some height
   5) join the downwind at 800', in a good position, and fly the circuit
   6) land over the fence, without hitting it.
   7) land on the mown strip and stay on it
   8) aim to stop in as little distance from the fence as possible.  Use
      of the wheel brake and/or pushing the nose into the ground are NOT
      allowed.

e) the CFI acts as safety pilot and takes notes and allocates scores in
   numerous categories which are readily deducable from the obove
   description.

f) any pilot not taking part must buy a round in the bar after the AGM.
   (The competition is always held on the day of the club Annual General
   Meeting, with the meeting held at the conclusion of flying)
-------


This can be one *scary* competition!

Making a good approach and landing and a short runout is a very hard
part of the flight.  Obviously stopping quickly without brakes means
that you've got to touch down at a low speed, but without an ASI how
do you judge it?  A surprisingly high (to me anyway) number of people
seem to make an approach to a point well before the fence, flare high
with no airbrake, pop up over the fence and then try to put it down
again. (I've really never understood the logic behind that).  A *lot*
of people clear the fence with the front of the glider, but put the
tail through it.

-- 
Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz   Twisted pair: +64 4 477 2116
BIX: brucehoult                 Last Resort:  PO Box 4145 Wellington, NZ
"Cray's producing a 500 MIPS personal computer with 256MB RAM and 8 GB
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Newsgroups: rec.aviation.piloting