Off Field landing training in motorglider
JShore3021
Ian Johnston
: What operations do off-field landing training in a motorglider?
Every single club in the UK, thanks to a determined effort by the Big Clubs -
through the BGA - to put smaller clubs out of business. Sorry, that should
have read "... to improve flight safety".
Ian
Peter A Hearne
That is a scurrilous and ill considered reply by someone who has
obviously not thought the problem through. By specifying the use of
motor gliders for field landing training we can get a much better and
safer standard of training and ensure that when the student goes on
his/her early X countries that he/she has an adequate experience base on
which to conduct a field landing if and when necessary . The BGA
movement as a whole voted affirmatively on this matter at the 1998 AGM
and I would not like newsgroup readers to be misled . The reason is
Fight Safety NOT economic competition. We want all clubs of all sizes to
succeed safely and financially.
PETER HEARNE
In article <7hs4ve$84e$1...@news.ox.ac.uk>, Ian Johnston
<engs...@sable.ox.ac.uk> writes
Peter A Hearne
The Limes
Wateringbury
Kent ME18 5NY
U.K
tel. 44 (0) 1622 812 385
fax. 44 (0) 1622 813 073
Ian Strachan
<peter....@aeroex.demon.co.uk> writes
> By specifying the use of
>motor gliders for field landing training we can get a much better and
>safer standard of training and ensure that when the student goes on
>his/her early X countries that he/she has an adequate experience base on
>which to conduct a field landing if and when necessary . The BGA
>movement as a whole voted affirmatively on this matter at the 1998 AGM
>and I would not like newsgroup readers to be misled . The reason is
>Fight Safety NOT economic competition. We want all clubs of all sizes to
>succeed safely and financially.
>
>PETER HEARNE
Good on you, Peter.
I was at the AGM concerned, at which all BGA clubs could have been
represented, and there was a spirited and lengthy debate before the vote
was taken. The opposing view was put forcefully and eloquently, but
failed to win approval when it came to the vote.
As you say, the primary concern was flight safety and the potential
liability of the BGA and its constituent clubs for any early cross-
country field landing accidents which could be attributed to a failure
to exploit the training facilities already available within the UK
movement (think of the business which we might have given the lawyers if
we had not taken some action).
The BGA by a democratic AGM vote, ensured that we had done everything
possible to prepare pilots for their first exploits in landing in what,
in many parts of the UK, are "postage-stamp" size fields.
There will always be field-landing damage and field-landing accidents (I
could have one tomorrow). We try to keep them to a minimum and up-to-
date training for them is part of that.
A couple of glider landings at the edge of the familiar gliding site
away from normal landing areas, is no substitute for an hour in a motor
glider making many circuits and approaches to many unusual fields,
viewing at first hand the evidence for wires, assessing the balance
between wind, shape and slope, etc., etc.
Finally, Motor Glider field-landing training gives the pilot himself or
herself much more confidence when the decision is made to set off on his
or her first solo cross country. I wish I had had it before I first set
off unto the unknown!
--
Ian Strachan
Toulson017
<I...@ukiws.demon.co.uk> writes:
>Finally, Motor Glider field-landing training gives the pilot himself or
>herself much more confidence when the decision is made to set off on his
>or her first solo cross country. I wish I had had it before I first set
>off unto the unknown!
>
To all
I have been teaching field landing exercises in a Motor Glider at Hus Bos for a
number of years. I have not yet had a pupil who felt the exercise was not worth
while and cost was not a serious consideration to the majority. (Gliding is not
cheap, what price safety??)
A typical field landing training exercise takes about 40 - 50 minutes with a
reasonably competent and well briefed pupil - say £30 - £40 at our club rates.
The major benefits of using this means of training as opposed to a glider are
that the exercise can be repeated within minutes to demonstrate ideal,
marginal, and impossible situations and so develop judgement skills, which,
after all, is the primary purpose of training at this level. It is also, as Ian
says, a massive confidence builder.
The BGA debate in 1998 was rather about this part of training being compulsory
and, in cases where clubs did not have a motor glider, outside of the control
of local instructors, rather than lack of benefit. The concern felt by many was
that it took the final judgement of a pupil's competence to go XC away from the
local CFI and placed it with a Motor Glider instructor, possibly from another
club. ( No problem in law, I suspect, delegated authority for this section of
training would almost certainly be acceptable as it already is with instructor
training and the local CFI can still exercise his overall authority on site.)
Whilst I also instinctively dislike "rules" which have to be obeyed, I am also
very aware of the Duty of Care obligations which may become a massive issue
should an injured student of a failed field landing take legal action against a
club for not providing him with "adequate " training based on what a court may
consider "reasonable". This cannot be ignored and we are moving to a society
where the onus may be on the Club to prove that it has exercised due dilligence
in training, rather than the pupil to prove that it did not! It is important
(from a litigation viewpoint) to ensure a formalised check system and progress
card/logbook system is kept up to date during training. (yes, we really do know
this is important from our own experiences - not for debate here!)
Yes, we do training courses in field landing for other clubs, both at Hus Bos
and elsewhere and, yes, we probably make a financial margin from so doing.
(profit is more difficult to quantify as any accountant will tell you!) and
what is wrong with that if we provide a service that people both want and are
prepared to pay for?
I, as an ex CFI, would find it difficult to defend not providing Motor Glider
field landing training to a pupil if such training was "reasonably" available.
We used to teach solo flying by a man on a bike alongside the glider with a
megaphone. I believe most survived! Certainly no instructors got hurt!
Barney Toulson