From: cohler@vxcrna.cern.ch (Mike Cohler)
Subject: Re: Stay off the rudder!
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: European Organization for Nuclear Research, CERN
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 08:46:00 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.200118.18558@ee.rochester.edu>, dela@ee.rochester.edu (Del Armstrong) writes...
> 
>In article <1992Oct5.161218.18416@porthos.cc.bellcore.com>, patter@dasher.uucp (24224-guthrie) writes:
>|>In article <1992Oct4.044538.155@ucsu.Colorado.EDU> glenn@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (GLENN ROBERT ALAN) writes:
>|>>In article <1992Oct1.201111.22634@ee.rochester.edu> dela@ee.rochester.edu (Del Armstrong) writes:
>|>>>In article <1992Sep30.162333.23749@umbc3.umbc.edu>, robie@umbc4.umbc.edu (Mr. William Robie; POSI (GRAD)) writes:
>|>>>|>Some even suggested that the safest way to descend through clouds was to
>|>>>|>induce a spin, then recover as you broke out. 

I fly both gliders and power.... As an early glider trainee, the dangers of
getting into IMC were drummed into me again and again.  For glider pilots
the only time there is a real risk is when wave flying, and for most glider
pilots this is something which doesnt arise as an early solo type.  Flying
in cloud on thermal days is only for those with the correct instruments and
the appropriate training, and then the IMC is intentional anyway.  For those
people venturing into wave, it seems sensible to have an operational 'turn
and slip indicator' at the very least, and then if descent through a cloud deck
is required the more advanced pilot should, if he has had even the most
rudimentary IMC training be able to make a reasonable straight descent at
a trimmed airspeed with the airbrakes out.  In our club the more advanced pilots
can go for a "cloud flying rating" for gliders.  The PPL syllabus for 
motor gliders includes an hour's "instrument appreciation", which includes 
climbing turns, and descending turns under the hood, and in my case included
a real cloud climb in a reasonably sized cumulus, starting at 2500 feet
and flying totally IMC up to 7000 feet.   Such experience should enable
the average pilot to make a safe straight descent through a cloud layer
provided he maintains heading.  The other important point is that in the
event of a cloud descent on a wave flight, the cloud deck is often fairly
thin, maybe 2 or 3 thousand feet at most (in the UK in me experience) and
so a really prolonged cloud flight is not very probable except on rare 
occasions.   (There was once I entered cloud at 3500 feet and broke the bottom
at 900 feet agl but that was only once !!).  On many occasions when there 
is wave the cloud base is over 3000 feet agl.
     For powered aircraft, in the UK the PPL training includes 3 hours of
instrument flying, including prolonged flight on both full panel, as well as
partial panel (ie 'T & S' plus ASI only), and also includes recovery from
extreme attitudes, both from spiral dives, and from stalls with wing drop,
both on full panel, as well as partial panel.   Any VFR pilot accidentally
entering IMC should have the basic training necessary to extricate himself
from the conditions he "should not be flying in in the first place". However
this basic instrument training has only been part of the UK syllabus fairly
recently, and so only pilots trained in recent years have had this experience.
Older VFR pilots have not had the benefit of this, and will be totally
untrained in IFR flying unless they have taken the opportunity to go for
some kind of instrument rating (there is more than one type in the UK).
    Just thought I's add my 0.2p worth.

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|                                                            |
|        Mike Cohler -  preferred email address:             |
|                       MDC1@VAXA.YORK.AC.UK                 |
|                   ie  MDC1%VAXA.YORK.AC.UK@UKACRL.BITNET   |
|                                                            |
|        UK PPL and Glider Pilot                             |
|                                                            |
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