Quest & HSC position re: Rudder Waggle.

[Quest@HSC]

If desired, please feel free to re-post this message to other glider
and soaring forums, chat-groups, club bulletin boards, etc., because I
don't belong to anything outside of KCVH/hgcgroup.

Hi everybody,

It is my position as a CFIG/tow pilot/owner-operator, and it is the
position of HSC as a tow-providing business, that:

If a tow pilot employed by HSC detects that the towed glider has its
spoilers/airbrakes open, tow pilots here will continue to give the
universal, accepted, Standard American Soaring Signal that is taught
and agreed upon as a RUDDER WAGGLE. Until such time as the Ground and
In-The-Air Signals are debated, changed, and agreed upon continent
wide by all soaring organizations, this is the signal that we will
use. A radio call may also be made at the same time, but the CTAF
frequency at Hollister is frequently so busy that only a squeal may be
heard as the tow pilot attempts to transmit at the same time another
radio call is being made. Radio calls CANNOT BE RELIED ON for timely,
important communications of this sort. Blocked transmissions; dead
glider batteries; failed airplane radios, bad PTT switches, etc., are
all possible at any given time. Radios should be in ALL aircraft
including all GLIDERS and TOWPLANES, but should not be depended on for
this type of communication. ALL of the Signals must continue to be
taught, reviewed, practiced, remembered, and used when necessary.

To better illustrate my point, consider the following situation: If a
motorist runs a standard sized, well-placed, well-lit stop sign and
gets broadsided by a semi and the motorist is injured or killed, do
we: #1) Blame the stop sign/redesign the stop sign? #2) Blame the semi
driver/admonish semi drivers not to go in front of stop signs? #3)
Blame the motorist and driving school equally for failing to properly
teach (and learn) what to do at a stop sign?. If you want to blame the
stop sign or the semi driver, then that is what I would call the "tail
wagging the dog". You could say that the stop signs should be removed
or redesigned because it is too hard for the motorists to remember
what they mean. And you could tell all the semi drivers to stay off
roads where side streets end in stop signs because motorists will
continue to run through stop signs, etc. Now just think how ridiculous
this sounds, but apply it to the "Rudder Waggle" issue and you can see
my point. Glider pilots need to be trained, and retrained, and trained
again regarding signals AND to THINK before they just pull on knobs.

It is my position that the reason for the incorrect interpretation of
the rudder waggle signal is primarily the shortcoming of CFIGs to
properly teach and train pilots in this area. AND, the overall problem
is a FAILURE to address the underlying problem of IMPULSIVITY which is
the root cause of this problem. Impulsivity or impulsiveness, one of
the so-called "Hazardous Attitudes" that the FAA refers to, is NOT
being recognized or dealt with effectively by a significant number of
CFIGs. (There used to be a procedure for military pilots who were
having an emergency. Before they did ANYTHING, they were taught to
reach up and wind the stem of the panel clock, and this would give
them a few seconds to remember what to do, and not be IMPULSIVE.)

After a tow pilot gives the rudder waggle, the glider pilot has the
opportunity to perceive and interpret the signal correctly. If he has
an impulsive tendency, then he may pull the release BEFORE thinking
about what it means. But, he MUST be taught to THINK first! And many
CFIGs have been FAILING to teach this very basic mental thought
process. So now we have the "tail wagging the dog" with a segment of
the glider community trying to change the behavior of the tow pilot,
or change the signal, but without dealing with the root causes of this
problem. Additionally, I think that it's perfectly reasonable to make
the connection that the need for "Immediate Action" during a rudder
waggle is probably a transference of the "rock off" signal which calls
for an IMMEDIATE RELEASE. So the teaching of the IMMEDIATE release
without also teaching the importance of THINKING during a "rock off"
may be making its way to an immediate incorrect action (re:pulling the
release) during a rudder waggle.

All tow pilots may be bound by certain local SOPs, rules, or
informally agreed upon procedures that are promulgated at a particular
glider operation. But they are bound by an over-reaching and more
important regulation and that is: CFR 91.23. The tow pilot is the PIC
of his airplane and is the FINAL AUTHORITY as to the operation of that
aircraft. For those who want to "wag the dog", how are you going to
introduce and enforce a policy that admonishes a tow pilot to just
"climb a little bit more"? If you're actually able to get some tow
pilots to buy into this (and as a tow pilot I will venture that a good
proportion won't do it), what are you going to tell the family and
loved ones of the tow pilot who descends into the trees and dies
because he had to try to "climb a little bit more" because the glider
pilot couldn't learn to properly respond to a required signal? (AND no
one did anything about this inadequate flight training?) It's my
position that there are NO deadly "rudder waggles", only deadly
impulsive decisions and actions by glider PICs (and any other pilots
acting impulsively too). If a pilot has a problem with being
impulsive, then it is going to show up in other areas of his or her
airmanship, and sooner or later they are going to pay the price for
this Hazardous Attitude

Some gliderports require that glider pilots make a radio call with
specific assurances before the tow plane will begin the takeoff roll.
One operation requires something like: "Canopy closed and latched;
spoilers closed and locked; rope is tight; ready for takeoff". So in
this same spirit, for those within the glider community who feel that
a radio call should be made by the tow pilot regarding spoilers open
when in the air, why not then adopt a radio call BEFORE EACH tow?
Gliderport SOPs could have the glider pilot add: "I remember that a
rudder waggle means to check my spoilers"? This method seems better
than having to deal with a panicky radio call made in the air, and
during a tense event.

I will continue this instructional trend here, and I firmly believe
that it's worth doing, so HSC will teach responses to rudder waggles
over and over and over, with as many techniques as we can, until we
get STUDENTS and Flight Review pilots to INTERPRET THIS SIGNAL
CORRECTLY! THIS is where the problem lies, and PROPER INSTRUCTIONAL
TECHNIQUE is where the solution will be found.

In my training of initial students and during Flight Reviews I am
emphasizing the "stop and think" approach to this, and it is really
working out well. As I get them to slow down for just a second or two
I can see the cognitive change in how they respond. I see the rudder
waggle, and then the hand move up, sometimes toward the release, but
then as the pilot THINKS the hand then moves to the spoiler handle and
the test is successful. The only problem that I can see with these
simulations is that the spoilers are not actually open during the
test, so the pilot doesn't really get to actually close them because
they were never open in the first place. (At this time I am hoping to
carrying on these exercises and training maneuvers at a safe altitude
with 1/2 open dive brakes on the SGS 2-32 so the student gets to
actually discover a problem and rectify it.)

Another observation I've made regarding student behavior is this: When
a pilot is under stress or is in a high-workload situation, they will
sometimes reverse left and right. Also, they will frequently not
remember which direction to move the spoiler/airbrake handle for
"open" or "close". They will sometimes reverse or confuse the needed
motions for the desired setting. (eg. pulling ever harder while
thinking that they're closing the spoilers). The idea of pulling in
ones hands and arms toward the center of the body when under stress or
anxiety may explain why a common motion is to pull back on the stick,
yoke, spoilers, etc. This, in turn, may be caused by the pilot going
into a defensive position, or even the beginning of curling up into
the fetal position. (Might this explain some pilot actions in stall/
spin accidents, or possibly the Buffalo commuter crash, or even the
Air France stall/mush all the way down with a high pitch attitude? I
know that this is all speculation, but it's worth considering.) Maybe
another solution to the incorrect use of spoilers would be to redesign
all gliders so that airbrakes/spoilers would need to be PULLED to
close, and PUSHED to open. This might better accommodate natural human
tendencies in stressful situations. Maybe the next generation of
sailplanes will be designed this way if it is found that it makes them
safer.

While attending an SSF CFIG re-validation clinic fifteen months ago, I
was surprised to find their position on the rudder waggle to be of the
"tail wagging the dog" variety. And although I learned a great deal at
this clinic and was grateful to review most of what I know about
Glider Flight Instruction, I had to disagree with them on this. I
guess it's because I am first and foremost a tow pilot, so I see it as
my job to carry out this accepted signal which is there for the very
purpose of ensuring the safety of the tow pilot. I sincerely believe
that this tendency for some to erroneously pull the release is a
problem with CFIG training and attitudes, as well as flight
instruction techniques for pilots and students. They may wish to drum
me out of the SSA, but I will still seek to improve the way glider
pilots are trained in signal recognition at Hollister. (And tow pilots
here will not be asked to endanger themselves.)

Don't waste a perfectly good tow by releasing when you don't have to.

Happy soaring, towing, and non-impulsive signal recognition,
Quest