My first soaring flight

ILSstud

ILSstud

Well-Known Member
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves ... it was AMAZING ... the view out of an all glass canopy is quite something! :D

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I completely see how people can get hooked to this, it's like no other feeling I have ever felt. It's like sailing in the air; you can feel the wind over the glider and even on the controls through the stick and rudder. And the view....is breathtaking! When I get some spare cash, I'll definitely be getting my add on :D
 
awesome pics man.

I've always been interested in it, I just cant bring myself to the whole flying with no engine part
 
ya that's what happens when you are back in school after a year long internship and no job prospects in sight!
 
tlewis95 said:
Fun stuff isnt it?

The Grob 103 is a nice ship too.
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:yeahthat:

Glad you liked it ILS! Gliders have their own charm. Energy management class included. How was it compared to what we told you it would be? Gliderpilot rarely lie? :D:D
Dang - now I wanna go flying... :rolleyes:
 
I have to be honest, the coolest thing was getting (what seemed to be) dragged across the grass with the tow plane. It is such an amazing sensation; you really get the idea that you are flying in one of these when you see the blades of grass rush by. I wasn't prepared for the view out of the canopy! I mean the flat lands of FL aren't too much to look at, but I was glued to the side of the canopy just watching the world go by as we were getting towed up. The amount of rudder that needs to be used was unexpected, and it took a little bit to kick OPPOSITE the string to keep coordinated. I got a little disoriented with the tricks the glass plays on you I must admit, but after the instructor let me do some turns and stuff it went away. Coming from a powered ship, it was interesting to note how in a powered craft you take the altimeter for granted (at least I do). I get to cruise, trim it out and glance occasionally. In the glider, I kept watching the altitude decrease until we could find a thermal. It makes you appreciate the height :p Finally, I loved how you can literally feel the wind going by, both in the glider and in the actual control stick/rudder. I felt amazingly connected. I am sure my first few landings would suck, but after I can get the hang out of I am sure I would really feel confident doing it on my own. When I get some spare cash I will absolutely get my add on. I see why you guys/gals love it. BTW, dive brakes are pretty cool I must admit. :D
 
ILSstud said:
I have to be honest, the coolest thing was getting (what seemed to be) dragged across the grass with the tow plane. It is such an amazing sensation; you really get the idea that you are flying in one of these when you see the blades of grass rush by. I wasn't prepared for the view out of the canopy! I mean the flat lands of FL aren't too much to look at, but I was glued to the side of the canopy just watching the world go by as we were getting towed up. The amount of rudder that needs to be used was unexpected, and it took a little bit to kick OPPOSITE the string to keep coordinated. I got a little disoriented with the tricks the glass plays on you I must admit, but after the instructor let me do some turns and stuff it went away. Coming from a powered ship, it was interesting to note how in a powered craft you take the altimeter for granted (at least I do). I get to cruise, trim it out and glance occasionally. In the glider, I kept watching the altitude decrease until we could find a thermal. It makes you appreciate the height :p Finally, I loved how you can literally feel the wind going by, both in the glider and in the actual control stick/rudder. I felt amazingly connected. I am sure my first few landings would suck, but after I can get the hang out of I am sure I would really feel confident doing it on my own. When I get some spare cash I will absolutely get my add on. I see why you guys/gals love it. BTW, dive brakes are pretty cool I must admit. :D
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Makes perfect sense to be a bit confused about the string. Just try to imagine "why" it is deflecting. Takes a while but you get used to using your rudder more. Being airborne before the towplane teaches good basic airmanship too...
Every landing in a glider is nothing but a 'setup game' and it takes people a while to get, that altitude to spare is nothing but unconverted energy. Speed is energy. Glider landings turn out well, if you play your energy game right. You learn what you can ask for and what not. Then, it takes a few flights coming a bit short to teach you the tremendous lesson of being able to keep your nose down. Most pilots will hope for the invisible engine to kick in and try to stretch their glide by pulling. That makes it all so much worse. Then, one day you'll sit in a glider in 6000ft, and wonder if the Eagle using this thermal abeam from you has to spend only 2% of the attention you have to spend to remain in the thermal. They really make it look easy. Once you start doing XC's you'll really be hooked, because you learn to read clouds, fields, highways (everything dark attracts thermal activity) or a simple side of a mountain (knowing where the wind is coming from REEEAAAAAALY helps!!!) for your lift source. Suddenly Bernoulli and Newton are only two factors which keep you flying. Mother nature does the rest... and your engine doesn't stink either!
 
It's really extraordinary. My instructor for the day told me some people will get towed to about 4000 feet or so and take a cross country all the way to Georgia! They really do have their heads in the clouds. He asked me if I knew what a thermal was, and I told him my basic assessment of how hot air rises etc. He proceeded to read the sky, and I was amazed. I can totally see how this would make anyone a better pilot. Out of curiosity, what happens if you are enroute and you have to just land in a field or something? Or say you make it to Georgia, where do you land? I guess for the glider guys it seems naturally, I suppose I am too used to filing IFR and landing on field with a clearance haha. Also, I loved how you are sitting in a somewhat reclined position; it's like you are cruising in the sky.
 
ILSstud said:
Out of curiosity, what happens if you are enroute and you have to just land in a field or something? Or say you make it to Georgia, where do you land? I guess for the glider guys it seems naturally, I suppose I am too used to filing IFR and landing on field with a clearance haha. Also, I loved how you are sitting in a somewhat reclined position; it's like you are cruising in the sky.
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We called these 'unwanted off field landings' you don't only learn to read the sky (looks like an art to you now, but it really becomes second nature to "fly out" turbulence and take advantage of it, or know where to suspect it) you learn to be on the lookout for fields suitable to land on too. The biggest risk with off fields is that you want to select a field that can be accessed by a glider trailer, where your pickup crew can get the plane without carrying it for a mile and a half through the sticks.
Your field selection is imperative (smooth, somewhat even) and just like when landing on a lake or river in a seaplane you try to find out where the wind is from by looking at bodies of water, smoke stacks flags... everything. From that point on it's treated like a NORMAL landing. You're coming short of your goal and the first step is to realize and accept that. Denial has put many planes in the weeds. Its only an emergency if you let it be one. Think: Engine = failed anyways, what else can go wrong? :D Seriously, whats next, I lost a engine I never had... the radio won't work? Big deal... you fly as long as you don't pull back too hard, try to keep your wings level in rough fields (no sudden turns because you stopped flying the plane upon touchdown and dropped a wing) and work your impact site.

The flight to GA is just like any XC flight a plan only. You have your radio, most gliders today have GPS and fishfinders for thermals too, it appears) and you keep adjusting your plan to what you find. You liely (thats likely!) select a bunch of ideal fields in your target state and along the way, but you can never be to proud to drop it and take a step back. Preferrably (and likely) Gliderpilots in the US are just a nuts as the ones in Germany, they help each other out all the time. If someone has a towplane, you may hitch a ride back to altitude and keep plugging... Otherwise, some extremely lucky guy like me 10+ years ago, gets to take a Cessna 172XPII to an airport 200 miles away and tow this student all the way back to the homefield.

Its wonderful to do touch and goes in tow. We did that on long fields with Instructors on board, but even practiced landings in tow. It is an awesome feeling to approach a CB or nice Cumulus and experience how it sucks you up. Needle all the way up, full spoilers + steep turn, stick forward all the way and you are still climbing... (thats when you get scared and try to spin away from it!) But just experiencing the tremendous power that comes with these clouds will floor you. Endless fun, just gotta be open to it and learn from the ground up.
 
Cessna414JJB said:
We called these 'unwanted off field landings' you don't only learn to read the sky (looks like an art to you now, but it really becomes second nature to "fly out" turbulence and take advantage of it, or know where to suspect it) you learn to be on the lookout for fields suitable to land on too. The biggest risk with off fields is that you want to select a field that can be accessed by a glider trailer, where your pickup crew can get the plane without carrying it for a mile and a half through the sticks.
Your field selection is imperative (smooth, somewhat even) and just like when landing on a lake or river in a seaplane you try to find out where the wind is from by looking at bodies of water, smoke stacks flags... everything. From that point on it's treated like a NORMAL landing. You're coming short of your goal and the first step is to realize and accept that. Denial has put many planes in the weeds. Its only an emergency if you let it be one. Think: Engine = failed anyways, what else can go wrong? Big deal...

The flight to GA is just like any XC flight a plan only. You have your radio, most gliders today have GPS and fishfinders for thermals too, it appears) and you keep adjusting your plan to what you find. You liely (thats likely!) select a bunch of ideal fields in your target state and along the way, but you can never be to proud to drop it and take a step back. Preferrably (and likely) Gliderpilots in the US are just a nuts as the ones in Germany, they help each other out all the time. If someone has a towplane, you may hitch a ride back to altitude and keep plugging... Otherwise, some extremely lucky guy like me 10+ years ago, gets to take a Cessna 172XPII to an airport 200 miles away and tow this student all the way back to the homefield.

Its wonderful to do touch and goes in tow. We did that on long fields with Instructors on board, but even practiced landings in tow. It is an awesome feeling to approach a CB or nice Cumulus and experience how it sucks you up. Needle all the way up, full spoilers + steep turn, stick forward all the way and you are still climbing... (thats when you get scared and try to spin away from it!) But just experiencing the tremendous power that comes with these clouds will floor you. Endless fun, just gotta be open to it and learn from the ground up.
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...and I thought a 172 was fun!
 
414, it sounds like you really know your stuff, when are you coming out to Beloit so we can get you back in the motor-less saddle again? :)

ILS, I am really glad that you enjoyed your first ride.

About XC to GA, thats really not very far compared to what had been done. The World distance record is 2200nm and was set in Argentina a few years ago.

These "off-field" landings, are actually fun in my opinion. You feel bad about not making it home, and how your points for the race will be altered. But landing at something that is not an airport, that nobody has ever landed at before, is a really cool experience. 99% of the time, land owners (farmers?) are very friendly, a small crowd might show up, and if you pick the right field, you might get a steak dinner out of it while you wait for the crew to show up. The eerie silence always present when you open up the canopy is pretty sweet too. :buck:

Hit up the SSA (Soaring Society of America www.ssa.org) for a LOT of really cool information (and pictures) that you might enjoy.
 
tlewis95 said:
A glider pilot's worst fear... a farmer with a shotgun...
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Remember well a day where a pilot landed a glider (wooden in this case)
off airfield. He landed hard, which cracked the fuselage, dropped a wing on rollout and pulled at least 2 360's on the ground before the wing was ripped off. When the plane settled (hard) it fell on the left wing, cracking this one too. The canopy was shattered when he tried to get out.

He walked a mile back to the airport and reported his incident. Shaken up, but unhurt.

The only functioning thing on the plane was the right fabric on the rudder and the elevator, the rest was either damaged or destroyed beyond reasonable repair. We had to call the insurance company and they agreed to send an adjuster to evaluate the "damage", which they should have recognized as a writeoff just by telling them and sending pictures. He arrived at the scene, looked and took notes.
  • LH Wing: Cracked, 1/2 along profile, several ribs broken, fabric destroyed, spar affected, damage beyond repair.
  • RH Wing: Cracked @ Fuselage Main Spar, damage beyond repair.
  • Fuselage: Cracked Metal Frame, Fabric Destroyed, generally bent and statically unsafe, damage beyond repair.
  • Gear & Undercarriage: Collapsed inside fuselage, Tire & Rim destroyed, damage beyond repair.
  • Canopy: Destroyed.
  • Instruments & Seat & Cockpit Equipment: Useable upon further inspection and return to service by Instrument Facility.
He stopped at the rudder and elevator, looked for a while, and then asked for a breaker bar. We went and got him a long piece of metal.
He smashed the rudder fabric, and cracked the elevator, dropped the bar and noted:
  • Empenage: Cracked and penetrated, damage beyond repair.
We got the complete writeoff, and purchased new parachutes, and a new engine for our winch. They would have deducted every functioning piece of this airplane from it's value, so he did us a big favor.
Unfortunately the farmer who owned the property did not file for damages to his field as he was a Glider Pilot himself...

:D
 
I've had many landouts flying gliders. I never had an unfriendly farmer. However, I once landed inside the fence of an oil refinery (nice lawn) on a Sunday. The security guard did NOT know what to do with me :laff:.
 
Lance F said:
I've had many landouts flying gliders. I never had an unfriendly farmer. However, I once landed inside the fence of an oil refinery (nice lawn) on a Sunday. The security guard did NOT know what to do with me :laff:.
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Haha, good one.

I know a guy that landed his 1-26 in a prison yard. :laff: That had to be fun.
 
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