The Solo Glider Pilot

8/17/2019 The Solo Glider Pilot

1/42

roduced

fo r th

e Wills Glid

iny C ompet i t i

o n in

c o n/n n

rt inn

with th e ritish

Gliding

A

ssociat io

n


2/42


3/42

the

Solo

l ider

Pilot

Published by the British Gliding ssociation


4/42

1

st

E

ditio

n, M

arch

196

7 .

O

NT

N

TS

a

g e

I

ntrod

ucti

on

Pr

epar

ation

f

or flig

ht

.

..

...

...

.

..

...

3

2

Effe

ct o

f Con

trols

..

.

...

...

...

...

.

..

4

3

T

urns

...

.

..

...

...

..

.

...

...

5

4

Take

off

and

climb ... ...

...

... ... ...

7

5

The

ap

proa

ch

and

lan

ding

...

..

.

...

.

..

...

8

6

Th

e

st

all and

sp

in ...

...

.

..

.

..

...

..

.

3

7

Cabl

e bre

aks

...

.

..

...

...

..

.

...

15

8

Sid

eslip

ping

...

...

...

.

..

...

...

..

.

17

9

Tak

ing o

ff an

d

land

ing ou

t

of w

ind

.

..

...

...

18

1

0 Th

e A

erot

ow

...

...

..

.

...

...

...

19

Flying

Safety

... ...

...

...

... ...

2 1

12

Fi

tnes

s to

fl y

...

...

.

..

...

...

..

.

...

2

4

3

Par

achu

tes

...

..

.

...

.

..

...

...

.

.. 26

1

4 Gro

und

H

and

ling a

nd

Si

gnall

ing ...

..

.

..

...

2 7

5

W inc

h d

rivin

g

..

.

...

...

...

...

.

..

30

6 Air

w or

thine

ss;

the

D

aily In

spec

tion

...

.

..

...

3

1

17

Instr

um e

nts

...

..

.

...

...

..

.

...

.

..

33

18

Cockpit load, and

the centre

of

grav ity ... ... ...

35

kn

ow

led

ge

me

nts

C

hapte

rs 1-

10, A.

L . W

elch

(adap

ted

from

F

lying

Tra

ining

in

G

liders

).

and 14,

Ex

tract

s from

Law

s an

d Ru

les.

1

2 ,

1

3, 1

5 18

, A.

.

We

lch.

16.

L.W .

from

th

e B .

G.A. D

.I. boo

k.

17.

R

ay Starf

ord-A

llen.

Illu

strati

ons

by Pe

ter

Full

er.

and

to

W. D

.

H.

O . W il

ls f

or

the sup

port

w

hich

enab

led

th is

bo

ok

to

b

e

prod

uced

.


5/42

TH

E

SO LO GL I

DER PIL O

T

To

a pilo

t who has

strugg

led thro

ugh

months

of

dual

flyin

g

it is probably

col

d

com

fort to

say that

only

now that he

is so lo

can

he

really start to

le

arn to

fly. But

it

is

true

in the

sense

th

at he is

now a pi

lot in

h

is

own right, and

res

ponsible for his

o

wn decis

ions.

The

solo pilot

has alm

ost

certa

inly

go

t his sights set

on an

unlim

ited

fu

ture of

cro

ss-countr

y soaring

, and com

petition

flying,

an

d

obvious

ly

wants

to

taste th ese

delig

hts as soo

n as he c

an,

b

ut

such

s

kill

doe

s

not come overn

ight; t

he

soari

ng pilot

plast

ered

with

diamonds,

has w orked long

and

hard

for

his

fun.

Som

e

ex

perienced

pilots tre

at

f

ly ing

like a bic

ycle ride; th

ey

know

w hat

feels rig ht,

and th

ey know in

tuitively

how to

produc

e

th

e

rig

ht result

s, w

ithout having

to an

alyse ho

w

they

do it. Ot

her

pilots

,

pa

rticularly thos

e w

ith

an

analytic

al

m

entality,

b

ecome muc

h

better

only if they

unde

rstand the

theory behind

what

they

are

doi

ng.

It

is for

these pilots

that the techn

ical

part of

this bo

ok is

pr

imarily

in tend

ed.

The book

also contains,

collected

together,

those

aspects

of

flying

which e

xperience

has

sh

ow n are of

ten misunde

rstood or for

gotten

; p

arts of it

may seem t

oo elem

entary, as for

exam p

le, the

section

on

e

ffects o

f control

s, but this i

s inclu

ded for comp

leteness,

and beca

use it is

thought th

at

it wi

ll be o

f value

t

o so

me.

Glid

ing

i

nvolves

not on

ly flying, bu

t launching

and

looking

after

the air

craft; th e

se three asp

ects

cannot,

in practice,

be

separated

,

and

so t

he pilot

who can do

a

ll

of them

w

ill

get mor

e

flying in

the

end.

It

is

o

t i

ntended th

at th is book

shou

ld in an

y way replace

the instru

ctor.

here

is no substitute

f

or

direct person

to perso

n

teac

hing, because

withou

t q

uestions and an

sw ers,

there

is no feed

ba

ck. F

or

t

his reason

the

student

pilot

should

not just rea

d up i

n

th is boo

k a part

icular

subject and

go of

f

and

try it for

h

im self.

H

e

sh

ould talk i

t over with h

is inst

ructor first.

A.W .


6/42

F

LYING S O L O

B

efore a pilot can really

start

to get inv

olved

i

n the m »

i i im f m m m i

object

of gliding,

that is 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

soaring, he

must

be rea

s

onably co

mpetent in the

routine

art of flying his air

craft. To

the soaring pilot

th

e

launc

h, flying about,

and

the approach a

nd

lan

ding are

simple straightforward things

need

in g

little

thought as

to their execution.

He has done

them

befor

e,

he

knows

how

to

do them, and so he can

devote

his energie

s

to

th

e

soaring

part of the flight. But

before anyone can

get

to this

stage

each

flight

must have

ceased to be

an

emotional

experience,

with

the pilot able

to

deal

with all the ordinary

aspects of flying properly

and saf

ely.

The b

est way to prog

ress from early so

lo to

th i

s com peten

t

stage

is by

a series

of grad

ual step

s.

First of

all

the

pilot must

fly

regularl

y , since if he

does not

get

airborne

for

several weeks

at

a

tim

e

he

will de

finitely lose ground. Secondly

, he must lea

rn how to

a

nalyse his flyin

g and then teach

himself. He m

ust

set

himself

specific thin

gs to do, and

criticise himself

on their

execution.

To

begin with,

the

task

should e

a

sim ple

one

perfect

360

degree

turn, an ac

curately

judged approach, o

r a landing at

a precise

spot. If he undershoots the

point at which he

had elected

to

touch

down, he must

not

kid

him

self

that

this was w

here

he

really

m

eant

to fin

ish

his

landing

run. He must

work

ou

t wh

y

he u

ndershot

was

the

final

turn

too

far

out, o

r

did

he open the

brakes

too

soon

or too

much?

Following from such person

al d

e-briefing, the pilot m u

st

dete

r

m

ine to jog himself

when he does things

w

rong. W hen

dr

iving a

car

and

being unexpectedly

overtaken, the

good

driver

feels guilty

that

he had n

ot seen

t

he othe

r car in

his

mirror. In the

same way,

the pilo

t

w

ho realise

s

that he

has not done

his cockpit check

prop

erly, looked ro

und

befor

e turnin

g,

checked

the

wind

directio

n

o

n

the

approach,

or has suddenly

noticed a glider ne

ar him which

he

h

ad

n

ot

seen before, should f

eel

the

sam

e

prick of

conscience.

Before

every solo

take

off the

pilot

s

hould decide what is the

purpose

of

his flight. Is

he

going to try

to

improve his

circuit

planning, or to

stay up in local thermals

endeavouri

ng to centre

in

each

thermal

more quickly? No

flight

should

be

made

without

a purpose, and

after releasing i

s

not

the time to start

thinking what

to do

.

As the pi

lot improv

es his

handlin

g skill, he shou

ld start to carry

a

map to rec

ognise

landm

arks, a

ssess visibili

ty,

cloud base

height,

imminent

changes i

n

the

weather, and

generally to

become

familiar

with the environme

nt in w

hich

he

is operating.


7/42

H e

must

disco

ver

how

to

see other aircraft

in the

air,

and

how to

p

lan

hi

s flying without

either getting

in

t

heir

way,

or

remain

ing under-confide

nt about his

ab

ility to join

them

safely

in a

therma

l.

H e

should practice looking

out

fo r

other

gliders well

before

he

commits

himself

to

his

landing

line

so

that,

in

order

to

a

void

h

aving to come

in close alongs

ide another aircraft,

his

appro

ach plan w ill be suff

iciently flexible

to allow him to open

his

brakes and go

in early, or to

know that he c

an

saf

ely

v

ary

his

circuit

and

fo llow in

after

the other ai

rcraft.

It is worth ma

king a consider

able e

ffort

to

do

a

ll these thing

s,

because only the pilot w

ho flies well

can hope to stay

up

and g

o

pla

ces.

1

PREPARATION FOR

FL IGHT

1 Before getting into

the glider:

Take a general

look over

the aircraft, and

see that

it is

clear

of obstructions and

in a

suitable

position fo

r

launchin

g.

2 . Be

fore allowing the cable to be attached

,

do

the

cockpit

check

:

C.—Co

ntrols

Check

that elevator, ailerons

,

and

rudder work

freely, fully,

and

in

the

correct

sense.

B.—Ballast—

See that the aircraft

is c

orrectly

ballast

ed for

the co

ckpit

l

oad.

S.—Straps

—

See

tha

t

the

harnes

s straps are done up (both

occupants).

/

nstruments— Chec

k that the altimete r

is

set

as required

(at zero o

r

airfie

ld height)

and

that

other

instruments are

serv

iceable.

Star

t barograph.

T —Trim—

Check

operation and

position of

trimmer

lever,

for

winch launch

normally

in

midd

le

of rang

e, fo

r

aero-

tow fur

ther

forw

ard.

C.—Canopy— Check

that it looks

fully cl

osed,

loc

ked

a

nd

secure,

that bolts o

r

catches are

fully home, and

that

it

does not yield to upward

pressure.

B.—Br

akes— Ch

eck that airbrakes

or spoilers work

freely and

together,

an

d that t

hey

are

shut and locked.

Flaps if

fitted) set

for take-off.

3 . Get the cab

le attached to

the appropriate hook

.

A

nd, if

t

he first l

aunch

of

the day, make a te

st rele

ase,

us

ing

th

e words

Open

Close Test Close

when doing this.

Check that the

take-off path is

clear. Check

that there

is

n

o

one in

front of any

part o

f the glider, or n

ear the tail plane.

See that the

wing-tip

man is holdi

ng

the wing-t

ip correctly. Tel

l the signal

ler that you

are

ready to s

tart the launch.


8/42

4 . If

for any reason

you d

o not wi

sh to

proceed with

the

l

aunch,

release the

cable

and shout

Stop to t

he

sig n

aller.

T

he cockp

it

chec

k star

item is

AIRBR

AKES,

beca

use

you

hav

e the bigge

st

chance

of

breaking the glider for

a very

small m istake.

f

your

brakes

c

om e out on aero

tow th e tug

pilot

will have to

dit

ch yo

u

ev

en at a

low

and

difficult

heigh

t. Having

the

brake

s out

may

not

m ak

e m uc

h difference

on

a

win ch

launch

, but a

fter rele

ase your retu

rn to ea

rth w

ill

be r p

id

ev

en

if you

don t

a

dd to the rapid

ity by

stalling as

well. Ensu

re airbrakes

are

shut

ND

L O C K ED

.

2

. E

FFECT O F

CO NTR

O L S

1

The

primary

effe

ct of each

control s

urface

is

in

its

own

plane,

i..e .,

the elevator

causes pitching,

the

ailerons

rolling,

and

the

rudder yawing.

These effects

are al

ways the sa

me

regardles

s

of

the attitude

of th

e glider.

2 . Like

al

l

ot

her bodies

,

a

gli

der

p

ossesses

inertia

; to alt

er

its attit

ude a force

m u

st b

e applied

for

some

p

eriod. Th

is

is

es

pecially

m a

rked

in th e r

olling pl

ane.

3 .

If

a

n aircraft

is

banke

d by

using the

ailerons),

the

rudder

being

hel

d

cen

tral,

it

wil

l sidesli

p in the

direction

of the

lower

wing

. As a res

ult of

this side

slip,

the

air will strike

the side

surf

aces

of

the

aircraft

and

will

tend

to

yaw it in

the

direction

of

the

slip ,

the

n

ose

go

ing round

and dow

n

tow

ards

the

lower

w

ing tip.

Th

e

y

aw

is

d

ue to th e

fact

that

the

glider has

more

keel

su rfaces

at the

rear

fin, rudder, r

ear fus

elage) th an

it has in fro

nt. It is

the

result of

th e

na

tural we

athercock

st

ability of

the glide

r.

4 .

The yaw

cause

d

by

the side

slip is

som

etimes ca

lled

th e

furthe

r

effe

cts of

aileron

contr

ol, althoug

h

i

t

should be notice

d

that

it is

only indirectl

y the re

sult of the

m

ovement o

f the

aileron

s.

5 . The

rudd

er

c

ontrol may

also h

ave a

further

effect, but

it

is

of

less

im portance.

If

an

aircraft

is

yawed by using

the rudder,

th e

ai

le rons being

held central,

it will

none the

less ten

d to bank.

The

bank

is

c

aused

par

tly

by th e outward

sk

id, which

is the result

of m

aking a fla

t tu

rn,

an

d

p

artly

beca

use the outer

wing trave

ls

faster than

the inner and

th u

s

g

ets m ore l

ift.

The

rea

son w

hy the

skid causes

bank

is tha

t

the

natural late

ral sta

bility of the

aircra

ft

(dihedral

angle, etc.)

acts in

su

ch

a wa

y that the oute

r wing,

due

to

th e d

irection of

the airflo

w, gets m

ore li

ft

than

the in

ner.

Thu

s

the

prim

ary e

ffect of

the

rudder i

s

to

yaw th e

aircraf

t,

and the

further

effect

is

to

start

a rolling

movement. Once

the

air

craft

ha

s

st

arted to

bank th

e

prima

ry effe

ct of

the rudd

er

yawing

the

aircr

aft) now cau

ses th

e nose to

drop

below

the

hori

zon.

6 .

O n most

glid

ers, when

the aile

ron con

trol is

used

coarsely

there

i

s

a

lso a t

endency for

the

aircraft

to yaw

in th

e

oppo

site

directio

n. This

is ca

lled aileron

drag.

Beca

use

t

he dow

ngoing

a

ileron

has to

be push

ed down into the

full force of

the airflo

w

ben

eath the wing,

that wing prod

uces more

lift

which ro

lls

th e


9/42

aircraft but

it

also produces more d

rag.

O n

the other

wing

t

he

upgoing aileron causes

the wing to produce le

ss

lift which

also

helps

the

aircraft

to roll but reduces the drag

of

that

wing. The

result is that

if

left aileron

is

applied

the right w in

g

has more

drag

than

the

left

and this

yaws

the aircraft

to

the

right.

3

TU S

1

A n acc

urate

turn

is

a

change

o

f direction

at co

nstant

rate

constant airspeed

and

without

slip or

skid.

2 .

In

ord

er

to turn an

aircraft

it is

necessary

to

provide a force acting upo

n

it in

the

direction

in which

the

turn

is

in-

tend

ed. This can be done

by

banking

the

aircraft so that the

lift

i

nstead

of acting

ve

rtically

upwards

is

no

w inclined towards

the direction

in which the turn

is to

be

made. The vertical

component

of

the lift

will

remain

equal to

the weight while the

horizontal com p

onent will provide

the

necessary

force to b

alance the centrifuga

l

force acting

outwards.

The

greater

this

in-

w ard force the sm

aller

will

the radius of

the

t

urn be. Hence if it is desired

to

turn

sharpl

y

the angle

of

bank

must be

greater

than when

turning gentl

y.

3 . Sinc

e

the lift must

be sufficient

both to support the

aircraft

and to provide

the

inward

force it must

be greater th

an

in straight

flight. This increase in lift can only be

achieved

by increasin

g the airspeed

or

by

some increase in the angle

of

attack or

both. Unless

the

airspeed

is

increased by

the

pilot

the

angle of attack may

approach that

of the

stall.

This eff

ect is not

p

ronounced

in

medium and

gentle turns but becomes im

portant

in steep

turns.

4 . Each control should

be thought

of as

having

one definite

function during

the turn; the ailerons controlling th

e

angle of

bank,

the

elev

ators the positi

on

of

the nose

the

rudder preventing

or

correcting

any slip or skid.

5 .

It

has been

explained

that

if

an

aircraft

is

banked

it

w ill

automaticall

y yaw

owing to its natural stability.

The rudder

is

not

used primarily

to

yaw

the aircraft. t is used to

prevent slip. O n

most

gliders this s

lip

is notice

able and the rudd

er

should be used

but

o

nly so much as is necessary

to

elimi

nate it. f rudder

is

used

during a turn

it is called bottom

rudder

when applied

to w ards

the lower

wing

and

top rudder w hen applied towards

the higher

win

g.


10/42

6 . O n

some glide

rs as ail

eron is ap

plied the

aircraft

may

yaw

in t

he oppos

ite

dire

ction

to

that in

which it is des

ired to

turn; t

his is aile r

on

drag and has

alr

eady

been ex

plained.

In such

ty

pes a cert

ain amo

unt o

f initi

al rudde

r

in

the

direction of the

turn

will

be needed

to counteract

th e adverse

effect

o

f the

ailerons.

7 . W hen

a

g

lider

is

tu r

nin g, th

e in ner

an

d outer w

ings

trave

l

on different

pa

ths and

this c

auses two

ef

fects:

a)

the

outer w

ing

goin

g faster

than th e in

ner tends

to

get

more

lift

,

and

b)

the outer

win

g t

ravelling o

n

a la

rger sp

iral is f

lying at

a

smaller

angle

of

attack than

th e

inner

wing

and so tends

to ge

t

l

ess lift.

Th

ese t

wo

effec

ts more

or less

canc

el each o

ther out, altho

ugh

on some hi

gh

perform

ance

gl

iders the effect o

f the

o

uter wing tr

avelling

faster

is the greate

r, an

d

so

the angle

of bank

ten

ds to incr

ease. The

important

consideration

is

to

keep

the bank

constant,

using

the

contr

ols as nece

ssary to

achie

ve

this

.

8 .

A medium

turn is mad

e by apply

ing ban

k, with

ailero

ns,

and

the yaw

is

produce

d for

the

most

part autom

atically

by th e

re

sultant s

lip actin

g on

the weathe

rcock s

tability,

but is helped

by rud

der if

such stabili

ty is insuff

icient. Du

ring th

e turn th e ban

k

is

held const

ant w

ith

the

ailero

ns and th

e yaw

is

autom

atic;

but

if

th

ere

is any sl

ip or skid, r

udder

i

s applied

in th e dire

ction of

such

slip

or

s

kid. To com

e out of

th

e turn, b

ank

is taken

off with the

ailerons, and the

yaw

is

eliminated

by

weathercock

stability, any

skid

bein

g correc

ted by

rudder.

9 . F A

U L T S I N

T U R N S

Ba«iv

should

be

held

co

nstant

throu

gh

out the

turn.

A t about 3

0 deg

rees few faul

ts are l

ikely to

occur.

Too

little

bank

will

r

esult

only in too li t

tle tu

rn,

b

ut in crea

sing

b

ank

w

ill result

in a

steepening

tu

rn which

m

ay

g

et out

of han

d.

The

nose may

rise ab

ove or

fall bel

ow

th

e horizo

n; this

is

correc

ted

by use of

the eleva

tor.

10.

If

the

glider

is

slipping in it

can be

felt

by

the

pilo t

tending

to

slip

in wards on

the

seat;

this is corrected

by

ap

plying

m

ore

rudd

er

in

the direct

ion of the t

urn.

Skid

ding

o

ut can

only

happ

en if t

here

is

too mu

ch rudde

r.

In corr

ecting one fa

ult

it

may

b

e

found

that

an

other

is cause

d,

e.g.,

when the

rudder is

mov

ed to correct

slip

o

r skid

it may

cause

t

he nos

e to move

above

or be

low the horizon

wh

ich

in

turn may

necessitat

e elev

ator

movemen

t.

But

it

is easier to think

of

ea

ch

fault s

eparately,

a

nd

i

n prac

tice smooth

co-or

dination o

f the

controls

can

be

soon

achieved.

Ste

ep Tur

ns

11.

A ltho

ugh a st

eep tu

rn is on

ly

a

n

or

dinary

turn

m

ade

much mo

re rap

idly, it

is

an extrem

ely

good e

xercise fo

r

im p

roving

a pilot's

flying,

an

d satisfy

ing when

it is

do

ne

well.

12

. W h

en making a

steep tu r

n , th

e

lif

t on th e

win

gs has

to

b

e increased

cons

iderably

com

pared to

that

in str

aight

flight;


11/42

the stalling speed is therefore

greater, as is

show

n

in

the

follo

wing

table:

Angle

Stalling speed X

stalling Typical stal

ling

o

f bank g speed

in straight

flight speed (knots)

0 °

3 3

0 1

3 3

0 3

3 4

0 7

3 5

1 4

3 8

1 0 ° 1 0 2

2 0 °

1

0 6

3 0 °

1 1 5

4 0 °

1 3

5 0 °

1 5 6 1

2 5

4

1

6 0

° 2

1 4 1

4 6

7 0 ° 2 9 2

1 7 1

5 6

8 0 ° 5 7 5

2 4

7 9

1 3

It will be noti

ced

that

above 60

degrees the loads and

hence the stal

ling speed, increa

se

r

apidly. It must be understood

that

it

is

impossible

to

do

a

continuous

steady

vertically

banked

turn since the

lift

of the w ings

, by

act

ing horizontally,

will have

no

vertica

l component to carry

the w

eight

of

the aircraft.

1 4

In

order

t

o

de

velop the extra

lift required,

it

will norm

ally

be necessary

to

keep

a backward

pressure

on the

stick.

15 . T

he rate of descent

in a really steep

turn is rapid.

16 .

If, when the spee

d

builds

up

in a

steep turn, the pilot

attempts

to reduce it

by simply pulling bac

k

the

stick, the aircr

aft

will

in

conseque

nce

tighten

up into

a

steepe

r spiral, and

the

speed

instead

of

being

reduced

may

even increase.

Reduce

bank

be

fore attempting

to

re

duce spe

ed.

1 7

Keeping a

good look-out

is i

m portant.

It is not sufficient

to look round

before the

turn

and

before

com

ing out: e

ven

during

the

turn

it is

necessa

ry to

keep

looking round

and

searching

the

sky

for

o

ther aircraft .

It i

s

not

possible

to m ake

good turns u ntil

you can C ON T R O L

T HE

ANGLE O

F BANK.

I

f you can kee

p bank

consta

nt throughout

the

tu r

n

corrections fo r speed

or

slip

and

skid

are

easy. If

the bank

is allowed

to

vaguely increase

or decrease

at will it is difficult

to

sort ou

t mistak

es.

4

TAKE O FF ND

CLIMB

W

inch and Car-Tow

1 The obj

ect is to

get

the

glider to

the

maximum

h

eight

without

im posing

undue

stresses

upon

it.

This

means

that

the

launch

must

be so

made

that it

does n

ot

impose excessive loads

on the

cable,

and

that should the cable

break at any

mom

ent,

or

the

powe

r

fade,

the glider

w ill

be

in

a

position from

which it can

be

landed safely.

2 . At

the beginning

of the ground

run

coa

rse use of

the

ailero

ns

w ill be ne

cessary to keep the

glider level. Stee

ring shoul

d

be

done with the rudder.


12/42

3 .

The

actu

al

tec

hniq

ue of

usin

g the

elev

ato r

con

trol w i

ll

v

ary t

o som

e

ex

tent w

ith the

airc

raft

the

posi

tion

of th

e ho

ok a

nd

the

t

ype

of

unde

rcar

riag

e. H ow

eve

r o

n gl

iders

wh

ich

hav

e

a

whe

el

pla

ced nea

r

th e c

entre

o

f gra

vity i

t

is be

st to

get t

he glid

er

running

along

on

its wheel

w ithout

either

nose

or

ta il

skid

to uching

t

he g

roun

d. T

his

m ay

r

equi

re a d

efin

ite e

leva

to r m ov

em e

nt.

4

. Th

e

ini

tial clim

b

m us

t be

m ad

e sm o

othly

and

ge

ntly .

T

he

posi

tion

of th

e

relea

se h

ook

w il

l

det

erm i

ne th

e ext

ent

to

wh

ich

the e

leva

tor

con

trol

ha

s

to be

used

.

5 .

Th

e gl

ider s

houl

d n

ot

be c

lim b

ed s

teep

ly

un

til i

t has

reac

hed

100

feet

or s

o and

has

ad

equ

ate sp

eed.

Th

e a

ngle a

t wh

ich

th

e c

lim b

can

be

m a

de w

ill d

epen

d o

n the

pos

ition

of t

he ho

ok

the

spe

ed

of th

e

laun

ch and

the

rou

ghn

ess

of th

e air.

If th

e sp

eed

is

slow

it

is

in

adv

isabl

e

to

attem pt

to

clim b

steeply

because

the

aircraft

w i

ll mus

h

and

th

is

w

ill

ap

ply

m

ore lo

ad on

th

e eng

ine

w

hich

m a

y

m ak

e it d

iffic

ult fo r

the

w

inc

h or

car

driv

er to

incre

ase

spe

ed.

If

on

the

othe

r h

and

th e la

unc

h is

fas

t

the gl

ider sh

ould

n

ot

be clim

bed

m

ore steep

ly

in

ord

er

to

redu

ce

spee

d a

s this

w i

ll

im

pose

heav

y stre

sses

on

it

.

6 .

C

erta

in gli

ders w

ith

th

e rel

ease

hoo

k fit

ted

far fo

rwar

d

m

ay

b

uck

du

ring

th

e

la

tter

p rt

of t

he lau

nch.

T

his bu

cking

wh

ich

t

akes

th

e fo

rm

of

a p

itch

in g o

scilla

tion

c

an be

d

am p

ed

ou

t by

slig

htly

lo

weri

ng

the n

ose.

7 .

The

stresses

on

a g lider

during a la u

nch a

re con

side

rabl

e

e

ven

in

calm

ai

r;

if

the ai

r

is rou

gh a

nd

the g

lider

is c

limb

ed

ve

ry st

eeply

t

he s

tress

es

w

ill be

seve

re.

8 .

W

inch

or

auto

-to w

lau

nche

s m ay

oft

en be

m ad

e o

ut of

w in

d- Un

der

this

co

nditi

on th

e g

reat

est heig

ht

w ill

b

e

ob

taine

d by

keep

ing the

n

ose

tow a

rds

th

e wi

nch a

nd a

llow

ing

th

e gli

der

to

dr

if t.

The

disad

van

tage

o

f th

is

i

s

that

the

c

able

m a

y be

d

ropp

ed

in

an

in

conv

enie

nt po

sitio

n.

It is b

ette

r t

here

fore

to m

ake

th

e

clim

b o

n

a stra

ight

track

ove

r th e

line

on wh

ich

t

he cab

le

w as

la id

out.

This can

only

be done

by keeping

the

windward

w ing

dow

n slig

htly.

Afte

r rel

ease

y

ou wil

l wa

nt t

o

retri

m .

S

elect

the

att

itude

at w

hich

y

ou

w

ish

to fly

an

d wai

t for t

he sp

eed

to

sett l

e down

.

If t

he spee

d is not

w

hat

y

ou w

ant

re-a

djus

t the att

itude

and a

gain

wait

. W he

n t

he sp

eed

is c

orrec

t

and

ha

s

se

ttled

a

nd

whil

e

still

ho

lding

the

attit

ude

retri

m .

5.

THE

APPROACH

ND

LANDING

1

The

firs

t con

side

ratio

n i

n m ak

ing

a

good

land

ing

is to

m

ake

a

good

a

ppro

ach;

an

d a goo

d

app

roa

ch is

the

resu

lt

of

acc

urate

po

sitio

ning

on

the c

ircui

t.

2 .

Forg

etti

ng

f

o r

th

e m om

ent

e

ither

so

arin

g or

any

m

eth

od

of st

eepe

ning

t

he glid

e

pa

th fro

m any

g

iven

he

ight

o

f lau

nch

th e

g

lider

w

ill tra

vel

a c

erta

in

dista

nce t

hrou

gh

th

e air

be

fore

it


13/42

co

mes

into

conta

ct

with t

he groun

d. T

he proble

m of

appro

ach

p

lanning

is to

fly a

pat

h

of

this le

ngth so

that

th

e

glider tou

ches

dow

n in

t

he desired

part

of

th

e l

anding

groun

d.

3

Plann

ing of

the

circuit

is

m

ade

eas

ier

if

a

certa

in

basic

shape

is

adopted. The

conventional

and

sim plest

shape

is

the

squa

re cir

cuit.

This

consis

ts

o

f

a c

ross-w

in d, a do

w n-w i

nd, a

s

econd c

ross-w

ind base

) leg,

and

a final

appro

ach str

aight

into

w

ind,

w ith turns

thr

ough app

roxim

ately a

righ

t-angle

in be

tw een

.

B ec

ause

the p

ilot w ant

s to e

xploit

his

he

ight, he

theref

ore

want

s

to

u

se o

nly as m

uch

of the

circu

it

a

s

enables

him

to

exec

ute

an

organ

ised

approa

ch, and

avoid

e

ndange

ring othe

r aircra

ft. T

he

early

pa

rt

of

eve

ry fligh

t

s

hould

be

u

sed

for so

m e

s

pecific

e

xercise

,

or

in

a

se

arch

fo

r

lift

, an

d he shoul

d

aim

to

jo i

n

the

circ

uit a

t

a

suitable

height

at

a

point

about a quarter

of th e

way

along

the

dow n-

w ind l

eg .

4 Th

is dow

n-w in

d leg

shou

ld be us

ed

fo

r

maki

ng

maj

or

adju

stm ent

s

in pos

ition, an

d the

pi

lo t

shoul

d

c

onside

r

all

the

ti

m e tha

t he is

fl

y ing

along

i

t h

is

r

elation

to th

e

landin

g gro

und.

If h

e

co

nsider

s that

he

is

high

he s

hould

edge

away

from

the

la

nding

gr

ound,

and if low,

e

dge in tow

ards

it .

5

The p

osition

in

w h

ich the

seco

nd cr

oss-wi

nd turn on

to

the

base

leg) is m ade

w

ill

depen

d on the

he

ig ht avai

lable an

d the

strength of the

wind.

N orm ally the

turn

will

be m ade

w hen

the

glide

r

is

som e d

is tance

dow n

-w ind

of the bound

ary

o

f

the la

nding

grou

nd,

b

ut a

s th

e vital co

nsidera

tion is

to ke

ep a

t all time

s w i

thin

ea

sy glidin g

distan

ce

of the

field, if

the w

ind is st

rong

th

e

gl

ider

m ust

no

t b

e allo

wed to

go fa

r bey

ond the

fie

ld boun

dary.

If

th

e glider

is

very

low

the t

urn

will

have to

be

m

ade

ea

rly,

before

reac

hing t

he dow

n-w in

d boun

dary .

If the

glid

er is h

igh

the turn

can

be

d

elayed

, but not

so m

uch

tha

t

a

n

exc

essive

ly

long

into

-wind

l

eg wi

ll be requ

ired.

6

A s

the

turn

is

being made,

the

pilot

m ust

again

consider

his posit

ion in r

elation

to

the

landin

g

g

round,

jud

ging th

e

angle

at

w hi

ch it a

ppears

t

o

him,

and

his h

eight.

If the

appro

ach has

been ju d

ged

correct

ly so

far

he wil

l

stra

ighten

up an

d

fly a

cross

wi

nd.

If

he

has

any

doub

ts

about

his he

ight

he m u

st conti

nue

t

he

tur

n

and fly

straig

ht toward

s the

fi

eld; whi

le if

he th in

ks tha

t

he

has

too

m uch

height

he

s

hould

not

turn

so

far, s

o t

hat th is

cr

oss-w i

nd b

ase) le

g will

e

dge

him

furthe

r

a

way fro

m the

field.

The stre

ngth of

the

win

d

can be

assesse

d by

not

ing

th

e

way

the

glider

is

drifting;

if

the

drift

is

appreciable the

nose

of

the

glid

er wi

ll have to

be turne

d in tow

ards

th

e field in

order

that

a

tr

ack

across

wind

can

be m a

de go

od.

Ju

dgm e

nt

of the

m om

ent

to

st

art the

fin

al

tur

n

is

diff i

cult;

it

is

par

tly a m atte

r of

noti

ng

th e heig

ht an

d dista

nce

aw ay from

t

he boun

dary, bu

t

much

more

on

e of o

bservi

ng the

an

gle at w

hich

the

landi

ng

gro

und is

seen.

A i

rbrake

s should

be

used

as

requir

ed

to

achiev

e

th e

de

sired path

.


14/42

In the pe

rfect

circuit the

final

turn w

ill

be m a

de as

the

g

lider

approaches

the

line

of

the

landing

run

. H

ow ever, this cannot

always

be

ach

ieved,

as

therm

als or

sinking air,

upset the

a

pproach.

If the glid

er

is

m uch

too high even us

ing f

ull airbrake, th

e cros

s-

wind leg

should be continued

either

until

it

is

in

a

position

from

w

hich the final

turn can be

made or, if it

is

still too high,

turned

ba

ck

so

as

to fly ac

ross wind

in the

opposite direct

ion. It

is

essent

ial

that

a

ll tur

ns

be made

into wind.

7 . It is

highly undesirable

to do

low tu rns. The

last

turn

into w

ind sho

uld

have bee

n c

ompleted by

a height of at lea

st

150 ft.

The distance t

he glid

er

will

travel from

this h

eight into

w ind

depen

ds,

of

course, on

the wind

speed,

but

unles

s the w ind

is

stro

ng, and airbrake

s are

used,

t

he

glider

w

ill go

a consider

able

distance

after

the final

turn

.

Airbrakes

8 All

modern

gliders are f

itted with m e

ans

of

steepe

ning the

gli

de

path

. They ar

e

a)

dive bra

kes, a

nd b)

spoi

lers.

9 . Dive brakes

u

sually consi

st of surfaces arranged to

extend

above and

below the

wing profile

.

They

ca

n be

used

fo r

a)

lim

iting th e speed

in

a dive, and b) adjustin

g th e approac

h angle.

10 Spoilers consi

st

o

f flaps

hinged on

the

upper

surface of

the

w

ing,

and

are used prim arily as

a means

of in

creasing the

rate

of

descent.

They are

usually

found

on

older

gliders.

The

te rm

airbrakes

w ill

be used general

ly.

11

EF

FECT O F

A I R B R A K E S Ope

ning

the

br

akes

may have

fou

r

effects

a)

th

e drag

will be in c

reased,

resulting

i

n

the

aircraf

t

descending

at a

steeper angle through

the air.

b) The

stalling

s

peed is often, but not

n

ecessarily a lways, slightly

increased.

The

a

mount

is sel

dom more th an

one o

r

tw o

knots, c) The

mainten

ance

of the

s

ame

fly

ing speed

will require

the nose

to

be

lower.

J)

The

re

m

ay be a chang

e

of

trim

. This

m

eans

that if

the

aircraft

is

in

tr im

at

a

particular

speed w ith

the brakes

shut

a

push

or

pull

load

may be required o

n

th

e stick

when

the

brak

es are

opene

d

and the

same sp

eed

m

ain tained.

W it

h

div

e

brakes

this

effect

is

usually

smal

l, but spoil

ers often ca

use a no

se

down

cha

nge

o

f

trim

, w hi

ch has to

be

cou

nteracted by

a

b

ackward

pressu

re

on

the s

tick or

r

etrim ming t

o prevent

the speed fr

om in creasing.

12 C O N T

R O L L O A D S W hen

dive

bra

kes are

shut, the

aero

dynamic

load

s

on t

hem

are normally such

as

to

tend to pull them

open. This is

prevent

ed

by

a lock

usually an over-

dead centre

m echanism ).

In

flight

an appreciable

pull m ay

be

required

to

unlock, but ther

eafter the brakes

may

want to op

en fully

of

the

ir

own acco

rd. To prev

ent this a push

force

is required on

the

lev

er,

w hich

is

consid

erable w h

en

fly

ing fast, to

prevent the bra

kes

jerking

fully

open. A

t

approa

ch speed

s this effect is less

m a

rked,

but may

still

be dis

concerting.

Spoi

lers, on the oth

er hand,

are norm

ally kept closed

by

springs, requi

ring

a

n increasing

pull back fo

rce to open t

hem.

10


15/42

1 3 . B

ecause

of the ten

dency of

di

ve

b

rakes w

hen unl

ocked to

r

ide

o

pen,

it

is

im p

ortant

that

once th e

pilot has

put his ha

nd o

n

t

he le

ver he

shou

ld keep

it there

u

ntil eith

er he

has

landed

, or

h

e ha

s re

-locked

the

brakes.

This

is,

of

c

ourse, not

neces

sary w ith

spoilers,

but

if

it

is

not

practiced

from

the

beginning

the pilot

may

sub

sequen

tly fail

to

lo ck

his

airbra

kes and

run

into

t

rouble.

It

is impo

rtant

that

th e

distinc

tion

betw ee

n th

e

c

ontrol lo

ads on air

brakes

and

spoil

ers

is

un

derstoo

d.

1 4 . The

effectiv

eness

of

airbr

akes

varies wi

th differen

t types

of

glid

er, b

ut

d

iv e br

akes are

n

ormally

power

ful.

If

a

g

lider

has

a gl

iding ang

le

of

1:2

5 (abo

ut 2 d

egrees)

this will

bec

ome abou

t

1:

8 (7 de

grees)

w hen t

he bra

kes are

opened.

Spoilers

are less

powe

rful, and b

ecause of

th is

spee

d

wi

ll buil

d up

if the

nose is

lo wered

too

far.

1 5 .

Both

dive brake

s an

d spoile

rs can be

used to

provide

any

degree

of brakin

g

betwee

n no brake

an

d

fu

ll brake.

H ow

ever,

the

respon

se to th e m

ovemen

ts

of

th

e control

le v

er is

n

ot

linea

r,

an

d, pa

rticularl

y w it

h d

ive brake

s,

th e

initia

l

movem

ent of

the

le ve

r produ

ces

a

dis

proport

ionately

large amou

nt

of

br

aking

eff

ect-

T

his

is

d

ue

to

the fact

that

once

th e bra

kes

project f

rom the

w

ings b

y more tha

n an

inch

or so, the b

raking

effectiv

eness

is

dep

endent on

t

he distan

ce be

tween th e top

of

the

upper

b

rake and

th e bottom

of the

lo w er

brake,

and

not

by

the

distance

by w hich

t

he

brakes

pro

je ct.

1 6

. When

fl

ying at a

s

te ady speed

w it

h

th

e brake

s

sh

ut the

p

osition o

f

th e nose

is

a defin i

te in

dication

of the

airc

raft s sp

eed.

T

his is

no lo ng

er

th e case w

hen th e

brak

es are op

ened si

nce th e

n

ose has to

be low

ered to maint

ain th

e

same

speed,

the

am

ount

varyin

g w ith

th

e

amo

unt

of brak

e.

1 7 .

T

he a

irbrakes

sho

uld be u

sed as

a continu

ously vari

able

co

ntro l,

being

eased

gradua

lly

in

and out

to

ke

ep the

aircraft

on

th e

chosen glide

path at th e

selected speed.

The

brakes

should

be

used

to control

the ra

te of desce

nt, and the

ele v

ators to

control

th

e

speed.

1 8 . In full

brake

landing

s the spe

ed will

fall

off more

q

uickly durin

g the

round

out

,

and

a

s th e

a

ircraft

also

has

to

be

rotated

th r

ough a

la

rge

an

gle, it

will be

easy

to

land

heavily

unless

adequ

ate spee

d is m

aintaine

d

until cl

ose

t

o the

groun

d. This

may

be due to

a

slownes

s

in

brin

ging up

the no

se,

a

lack

of

elev

ato r

power,

or

because the

aircraft

is

stalled.

W h

en

d

escendi

ng rapidly

w ith

full br

ake t

he

e

ffect of w

ind gr

adient

will

be mo

re mark

ed,

and it

m

ay be

undesir

able

t

o use

full

brake

in stron

g w in

ds.

19

.

If

t

he brakes

ar

e ope

ned su

ddenly du

ring the

hold off ,

witho

ut altera

tion in the

atti

tude, the

glider

m

ay lan

d

he

avily.

Thi

s is not

neces

sarily due to

th e sl

ig htly

hig

her sta

ll ing speed

associa

te d with

ope

n brak

es, bu

t be

cause the

fl igh

t p

ath is

dif

ferent.

1 1


16/42

Landing

20.

T

he

final a

pproach should b

e made as

smoothl

y and

stead

ily

as p

ossible towards

a part

of

the

landing

ground whic

h

is clear of o

bstructions.

The glide

is con

tinued at

a

constant

speed

down

to

a height

from

which

a

progressive

round

out

can

be

made.

The glider

should

the

n

b

e held

ju

st off

the gr

ound u

ntil

the attitud

e

is rig

ht

fo r landing. It

will sink on

to

the ground,

touchin

g

m ain wheel

and tail-sk

id

togethe

r.

21 .

If th

e

landing is

to be made

on an u

p

slop

e, th

e chang

e

in

angle betw

een

th

a t

o

f

the final

gl

ide and

the tw o-p

oint landing

attitude w i

ll

b

e greater

than usu

al. In

order

to

be

able

to

rotate

the air

craft

through

this larger angle

without stalling, th e

ap

proach

m ust

be

m ad

e with

a greater

margin of speed.

If

the

landin

g

has

to

be

m ade

on

a

dow n

slope

there

will

be no need

to

round

out ei

ther as much

or at all, as

the airc

raft is

a

lready in

the

land

ing

attitu

de relative to

th

e

ground

. The only

probl

em

is to

g

et it there

,

as

th

e gliding

an

gle

is likely

to be flatter

th an any

exc

ept the mos

t

gentle

s

lopes. The be

st

w a

y to deal

with th

is undesirab le

situation,

is to bring th e

ai

rcraft in w ith f

ull brake,

and at a

slow sp

eed,

allowing

only

enough m argin

to

de

al

with

wind

grad

ient, and t

m a

intain full

control. The

steady des

cent

should be

he

ld until the

aircra

ft is

on the grou

nd. Shou

ld the slope

of the

ground

hav

e

decreased

or

become

level

at

the

point at

which

the aircraft

is

lik

ely to touch do

wn,

the

amount

of

brake

m us

t

be

reduced

,

before any attempt is

made

to round out i

n the

normal

w

ay.

22.

Wind

gradient. T

his

de

scribes the dim

inution of

w in d

strength

ne

ar

the

ground. Nor

mally the wind

has no

effect on

the w ay

in

which a

glider

flies

, but

if it is flow

n suddenly

into

a regi

on

in

which

the

w in

d i

s

b

lowing at

a different speed,

the

airspeed

of the

glider will

be affected for

a short

time u

ntil

it

has steadied

dow

n

in

the

new cond

itions.

If a gl

ider is

com

ing

in to land

again st

a

strong

wind w hich

w ill

be

blowing

less

strongly close to

the

surface) the airsp

eed will te

nd to

f

all off

as

the

glide

r

gets

closer to

the grou

nd.

Th

is can

be obviated onl

y

by putting

the nose furth

er dow n during

the

later

stage

s

of

the

app

roach,

although if

this

is

d

one too la

te, or with inad

equate

speed

in

ha

nd to

beg

in

w

ith, the aircraft

m a

y

arrive

on

the

ground

w ithout enou

gh control

to

r

ound

out an

d

mak

e a norm

al

landing.

In

any

case

the

approach

in a strong

wind

should be made

at

a

faster

speed

than

usual

in

order to

ensure

adequa te

control

in

the turbulen

t air

.

It

is easy

to

m

ake an approach

b y

fly i

ng much

too fast, and

the

n

rely

on

the

drag of the

airbrakes to

both keep the speed

from getting

out

of

hand,

and bring

you

down

rapidly.

If

field la

ndings

are

late

r

to

be acc

omplished

safely,

you

must

learn

to se l

ect

a

safe

app

roach speed, an

d,

flying t

this

speed con

trol

the

glide path

b y using

the

ai

rbrakes a

s

necessary

.

12


17/42

6. TH E

ST A

LL ND

SPI

N

1

.

In

ord

er

that

a

glid e

r ma

y

fly

at a

ll, the w

ing

mu

st prod

uce

lift

equa

l

to

the

load

upon i

t.

The

lift

produ

ced by

a

wing

d

epends o

n th

e

spe

ed

of

the

airf

low past

it and

the

angle at

whic

h

it

is

held

to

th is

airflow .

If

the

glider

is

flying

fast

th is

angle, called

the angl

e

of

a

ttack, is q

uite small

.

When the

spe

ed is red

uced,

the

angle of

attac

k

is

in c

reased.

B u

t the

speed cann

ot be r

educed

in

definitel

y,

becaus

e at a certa

in ang

le of

attack

th

e

airflow

ov

er

the

to

p of th

e w ing

breaks

away an

d

t

he

lift

is

r

educed. Th

e nose

drops

ev

en if th e

stick

is

m

oved

fa r

ther back. This

is th e

stall.

2.

The

wing

w ill

always

stall

at the

sa

me angle

of attac

k,

that

is

the

same an

gle

be

tw een

the

chor

d line of

the w

ing an

d the

airflow

. For m

ost aerofo

il

section

s this angl

e is abo

ut 1

5 degrees

.

This

angle

must not be

confused

w ith the

angle

at

which

the

glider

is flying in

relati

on

t

o the

horizo

n. The

glider w il

l

stall i

n

a

ny

a

ttitude

w hene

ver

th

e ang

le

o

f atta

ck re ac

hes

t

his

critical a

ngle.

3 .

T

he spe

ed

at

w

hic h the

sta

ll occur

s

depe

nds

on the

load

w hich h

as to

be carr

ied b

y the

w i

ngs; if

the lo

ad

is inc

reased the

stallin

g speed

becomes

higher. The

w

eight a

t w hi

ch a

g

lider is

flown

does not

usually

vary m uch

and so

in stra

ight flig

ht

the

stallin

g speed

will

be m o

re or

less

the same.

If,

howeve

r, the

glider

is be

ing flown around

a c

urve,

either

in a tu rn

or by

pul

ling

out of

a

dive,

the

win g will

have

to

carry an

extra

load

due

to the

centrifu

gal forc

e, and this

will i

ncrease

the

sta lling

speed.

5.

Sympt

oms o

f the

app

roach

to

the

stall ar

e:

(«

)

T

he po

sition of

the

nose.

If

t

he n

ose

i

s

k

ept too

hi

gh fo

r

an

y length

of time th

e glide

r will stall.

b )

Slow air

speed

shown by

absenc

e or

ch

ange

of

no

ise, an

d

reducti

on

of

airflow

on th

e pilot's

face.

(c) In

effectiv

eness

of th

e contro

ls,

par

ticularly

the

ailer

ons.

d) Increa

sed

r

ate of

desc

ent, even

if the

stick

is moved

b

ack.

e)

O n

some

ty pes

of glider buffeting

will

be

felt.

It i

s

impor

ta nt

th

at these symp

to ms

are lea

rnt well,

so t

hat

they

will

b

e recogn

ised in fl

ight inst

inctively

.

4. In

ord

er

to

re cove

r

fro

m a

sta ll,

all th

at is

req

uired is

to

reduce

the

a

ngle o

f attac

k

until it

is bel

ow that a

t

w hich

th

e

ai

rf low

be

comes tu rb

ulent.

This may

ha

ppen

to some

ex

tent auto

mat

ically, bec

ause at

th e

st

all

th

e no

se drops

a

nd the g

lider ta kes

u

p a new fl

ight path,

bu t

the re

duction in

th e a

ngle

of attack

is

assiste

d by

mo

ving the

stic

k

fo

rw ard.

The re c

overy

from

the

resultant

dive

is

made

by

gently

ra ising the

nose.

5

. Somet

imes

if the

glider is n

ot flying

str

aight

or has one

w ing

down

,

or

if the air

is gu

sty, one

w

ing

may dro

p at the

same

time

as th e nose.

If this happe

ns opp

osite

rud

der

s

hould

be used

as

a mea

ns o

f

kee

ping strai

ght. The

ailer

ons

may be quite

ineffec

tive o

r

may even h

ave th e

op

posite

effect

to

that desired

,

s

ince

the

result of

lo w erin

g the

ailero

n

o

n th e

dow

n-going

wing

is,

in

effect

,

to increase

t

he angle

o

f at

tack

of t

hat wing still furth

er.

H ence

13


18/42

it

s li

ft

w i

ll be

red

uced a

nd i

t will c

ontin

ue to

dro

p. A

s

s

oon

as

spe

ed has

bee

n

gaine

d

the

ailero

n can

be us

ed to l

ev el th

e gli

der

in

th

e

o

rdina

ry w

ay.

6 . A n

ina

dvert

ant

stall

i

n stra

ight

fli

ght is

com p

arativ

ely

rare. A

pilot

is

far

m ore

lik ely

to

stall

off

a

turn. The

symptom s

giv

en above

still

a

pply bu

t

in addi

tion th

ere is

usual

ly

a

pr

o

no

unce

d

tende

ncy for

the

inn

er

w

ing

to b

ecom

e he

avier

a

s

the

aircra

ft ne

ars the

stall.

he Spin

7 .

A

sp

in

is

a

condit

ion

of

stalle

d fli

ght in

which

t

he

a

ir

craft

makes

a spira

l

desce

nt los

ing

heig

ht rap

idly. D

uring

a

spin the

aircr

aft

is si

m ulta

neous

ly ro

lling

pitch

ing

and

yawi

ng:

its

motions

are

to

a

la

rge ex

tent aut

omati

c

and

outsi

de th

e

co

ntrol

of th

e

p

ilo t.

8 .

W

henev

er the airc

raft

is n

ear

the

stall t

here

is

a

p

os

sibili

ty

of a

spin deve

lo ping

especi

ally if th

e rud

der o

r

ail

erons

ar

e p

roduc

ing a

roll or

ya

w .

9. In

a

spin

the i

nner w

ing is

m ore

fully

stalle

d

th

an

the

outer

and so

thi

s inner

w i

ng

produ

ces le

ss li

ft

b

ut

also

b

ecaus

e

it

i

s at a

h

igher

a

ngle

o

f

attac

k

m or

e drag th

an

th

e oute

r

on

e.

This dra

g

cau

ses the ai

rcraft

to

rota

te.

10 .

The

actual form

w hich

a

spin

takes

varies

in

different

ty

pes of

airc

raft; so

m e

spins

are s

teep

and qu

ick o

th ers

fla t

or

slow.

Som

e

g

lider

s w

ill sp

in c

ontin

uousl

y

if

the sti

ck

is held

bac

k

an

d

full

ru

dder ap

plied

but

oth

ers

m ay

alt

er thei

r

spin

ning

chara

cteris

tics aft

er

en

try. The

gli

der m

ay c

om e out

of the spin

of its

ow n

accor

d or

a

lterna

tively

th e a

irspe

ed

m ay i

ncrea

se an

d

the

sp

in

cha

nge

to

a spira

l di

ve.

11.

h

e p

ositio

n

of

the

ce

ntre

of gra

vity

of the aircr

aft

w ill

effe

ct its

beha

v iour

in

a

spin.

If i

t is b

ack

th

e gl

ider m

ay spin

easily

and

continuously .

If

the

e.g. is

behind

the

perm itted rear

w ard

li

m it recov

ery fro

m

a

spin m

ay b

e

impo

ssible

M an

y mode

rn

g

liders

are reluct

ant

to s

pin ste

adily if

th

e

ai

rcraft

i

s

bei

ng

f

low n

w

ith the

e.g. fai

rly

far fo

rw ard

or

if

full

contr

ol m

ovem

ents are

not

used

to en

ter or

if t

he att

empt at

en

try is m a

de

w ith

out th

e ai

rcraft

bein

g

fully

sta

lled.

In

the

circum

stanc

es

an attem

pt

at a

spin

m

ay resu

lt in t

he n

ose

an

d

wing

dropp

ing rap

idly

a

nd

t

he air

craft

starti

ng

to rotat

e in

a

m a

nner

v

ery sim

ilar

to

a

tru

e spin

.

H ow

ever after

half

a

turn

o

r

so it

will

be

found

that the

speed of

rotation the

airspeed

the

sen

sation

o

f g and th

e

load

o

n the

co

ntrols

all

inc

rease

rapi

dly.

This

is bec

ause t

he a

ircraf

t is

doi

ng

a

spir

al dive.

I

f

this

is

allow

ed

to c

ontin

ue

heav

y

lo

ads ca

n

be im p

osed

on th

e aircr

aft

partic

ularly

if

the

pil

ot i

s

still

und

er t

he im

press

ion tha

t

he

is

s

pinnin

g still

h

as

on

full pro-

spin rud

der

an

d

is holdi

ng the

stic

k bac

k.

t

is

possi

ble to

ex

ceed the

s

afe

l

oadin

g

i

n

as li ttle

as

| tur

ns. Th

e

reco

very

w il

l c

om m e

nce

a

s

soon as th

e

contr

ols ar

e eas

ed off

but

1 4


19/42

bec

ause the air

craft

is

in

a

steep

a

ttitude,

and going

faste

r th

an it

w

ould

be

if

it

had bee

n doin

g

a

spin, there

is

a

real

risk

of

exceedin

g

th e

perm

itted

speed

b

efore r

egainin

g le v

el

flig

ht.

If

the pilot fi

nds hi

mself

gett

ing

t

oo fast

, he should

open

the bra

kes.

1 2 .

M ost

gliders

will

recover

from a

spin

if

the

controls

are

c

entralis

ed; but

recove

ry

m

ay

n

ot

be

very

q

uick

and

th i

s meth o

d

w

ill

no

t al

w ays

be success

ful.

Only the

standa

rd

method

of

recov

ery

s

hould

be

used, as th

is has

b

een foun

d to

be th

e most

ef

fective

on a

ll typ

es of

a

ircraft.

13. The

sta

ndard me

th od

of reco

very from

all s

pins and

incipie

nt

spi

ns

is, FIR

ST to appl

y fu

ll

o

pposite

rudde

r, a

slight

pa

use,

and T

HEN to m

ove t

he s

tick st

eadily for

ward unti

l t

he

spin

ning stops. Th

e

rudder is

applied

to hel

p

stop

the

ro

tation,

bu t

the

spin will

not

sto p

unless

the

wings

are

unstalled,

so

the

stick

mu

st a

lso be moved

fo

rward. O

n some

type

s of aircra

ft, if

th

e

stick i

s mo

ved fo

rw ard

at the

same

tim

e as th

e opp

osite

ru

dder is

applie

d,

the

rudder or ele

vator

m

ay be ineffe

ctive,

probab

ly be

cause

one is

shield

ed by the

othe

r. hat is w

hy th

e

stand

ard m

ethod is

to a

pply

th e

r

udder

first.

1 4 . M

ost gli

ders

w

ill r

ecover as

soo

n

as

th e opp

osite

r

udder

has

been

ap

plied, a

nd the s

tick mo

ved a

small

distance

forward

.

This

is

,

h

owever,

only

part of th e

fu

ll

pro

cedure,

a

nd on certain

types of

aircraft

th e

stick has

to

be held

hard

forward

for

one

or

tw o

turns

of

th e

sp

in

be

fore

the aircraft

will r

ecover.

The pilot

mus

t rem

ember th

e

pro

cedure

as a

pply

full oppo

site

rudder

and

then

move

the stic

k s

teadily forw

ard

UNT

IL

THE

GLIDE

R

STOP

S

SP

INNIN G

.

It

is

only dang

e

The Solo Glider Pilot

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