More glider ops at 47N

[beaky]

I got a fairly good sequence of someone else going up in the 2-33, so I may as well post 'em...

Almost ready: the wingwalker gives the "all clear" and the Citabria moves onto the runway to take the slack out of the line.




A few brisk steps and the wing-walker lets go... they're off! I got a chance to do this, and I'm proud to say I didn't fall down or mess up the launch.

     


The glider gets airborne before the towplane...


     


A circling climb over the field to about 2000 ft. before release.

     


Soon they return, to land on the grass...

           


Then the glider is towed back to the other side of the runway to prep for the next flight.






With any luck, my next pics of this glider will be from inside...

[Anxyous]

Nice pics!

[Hagar]

Good to see you sampling some real flying at last.

I'm not familiar with that glider. It looks pretty ancient. I must look out some pics I took at a vintage rally at our local gliding club last month.

[Cobra]

cool shots, looks like fun !

buuuut ... i really don't see the point in gliders, especially if you have to be towed up by a real plane in the first place...!

[Hagar]

i really don't see the point in gliders, especially if you have to be towed up by a real plane in the first place...!

The point of gliding is to learn how to fly properly. It should be compulsory for all student pilots before they graduate onto powered aircraft. IMHO

There are other methods of launching & you don't need to be towed by a "real plane".

[beaky]

cool shots, looks like fun !

buuuut ... i really don't see the point in gliders, especially if you have to be towed up by a real plane in the first place...!

Aside from the skill-enhancement aspect (there are some who say glider time does not apply well towards powered flight skills, so I won't get into that here), there are a number of good reasons.

#1: It's cheaper. I want to keep flying until I get a plane, and since I rarely fly cross-country anyway, even when I'm renting powered aircraft, I think I'll be happy to putter around the airport for less than half what it would cost me to do the same in a rented Cessna.
Tow fee is $10, to cover fuel for the "real plane". Then you pay $1 for every 100 feet you get towed to. Once I get the hang of it and am signed off for the single-seat 1-26, I could very well get a few hours logged for less than $50.,as does one of the more experienced members of this club. He can wander off for four hours after being towed to 3000. That's four hours' flying- challenging, fun flying- for $60.

Sure, there's a significant "buy-in" fee ($1K), and a bit over $30/month dues, but that's still below half the average  cost associated with any powered club in the area, including the "buy-in" fee.
Most clubs in the US want at least $1500 to get in (oras much as $5K), plus anywhere from $50 to $100/month dues, and the hourly rates for aircraft are typically $70 plus, and rising with the cost of avgas (which is averaging $6/gal. now).

#2: this particular club brings benefits as regards my powered-flight aspirations: I will probably get some loggable time in the Citabria, maybe even qualifying eventually for tow pilot duty. As far as I know, outside of dues, that time will cost me... hmmm, let's see... oh yeah, nothing, if I am on board as part of a tow which someone else has paid for.

It costs about $130/hr average to rent a Citabria, and most outfits that offer them do not allow solo flight. So add the instructor's fee, and you're looking at some serious money.  The tow flights are brief, but I may also get an opportunity to do some aerobatic training in the club Citabria, although that might end up costing me a few bucks.

There's also the Breezy, which is owned by a few partners who are also in the gliding club. Might get some stick time in that, too... most likely for nothing, or perhaps my fair share of the fuel.

Along similar lines, there are other planes owned by members who might want to put up with me from time to time: a L-4, some Skyhawks, and of course Herb's RV-4. The more often I'm hanging around the airport, the more likely this is to happen. Look what heppened to James: he's standing there taking pictures, and next thing you know he's getting a free helicopter lesson!

#3: It's a team activity, more social than any club or FBO. I like that aspect of it; every flight requires at least one helper. And we have a good mix of guys: two C-17 pilots, a couple of experienced civil CFIs (including a CFII), some experienced tailwheel and floatplane pilots, mechanics, and at least one guy who's never flown anything but gliders. They're pretty much all obnoxious wise-asses, which makes for  a good time.


#4: The time will come, soon, I hope, when I have my own powered aircraft and I can do more long trips and maybe get my IR... but for the next year or so, I'm really looking forward to trying something new.

#5: Did I mention it's cheaper?  Yes, but I didn't mention that as a member, I get free instruction towards: Private Pilot- Glider; Commercial Pilot-Glider; Flight Instructor- Glider.

[Cobra]

Sold it for me Rotty, & to be honest i had no idea it was that cheap! It would definatley be a good experience. Jealous  ;)

As for flying properly Hagar......! I hate how some pilots try to make themself seem special by acting like flying is such a massive art (& im not saying that as a frustrated crap pilot either, I went solo in under 8 hours!). I took my 10 year old sister up flying at the weekend, and as soon as we got out out the control zone handed over with controls & didnt touch them for over an hour! The real skills in flying are to do with the safe conduct of a flight (safety procedures, nav etc), any monkey can control an aircraft!

[BigTruck]

do gliders have electronics of any sort?  (lights, comm, gps, anything like that?)  It looks like a blast, just coasting in from a few thousand feet up, it's gotta be surreal while you are up there...

[beaky]

Sold it for me Rotty, & to be honest i had no idea it was that cheap! It would definatley be a good experience. Jealous  ;)

As for flying properly Hagar......! I hate how some pilots try to make themself seem special by acting like flying is such a massive art (& im not saying that as a frustrated crap pilot either, I went solo in under 8 hours!). I took my 10 year old sister up flying at the weekend, and as soon as we got out out the control zone handed over with controls & didnt touch them for over an hour! The real skills in flying are to do with the safe conduct of a flight (safety procedures, nav etc), any monkey can control an aircraft!

A valid point- your typical light single will more or less fly itself once it's trimmed for cruise.  And from what I've seen aloft and on the ground at airports, there do seem to be quite a few lower primates who've earned their wings!

But there seem to be three key areas where pilots come to grief in such planes: overall good judgment, knowledge of how the airplane does what it does, and respect for its limitations. Judgment- about weather, checklists, fuel management- is something you really need to bring to the game, although many old hands stop exercising it, and wind up dead because of some tiny omission or assumption. Maintaining that mindset is part of the art- like a musician practicing scales.

The latter two, I think, are best learned by flying with as little as possible... I thought I really understood how to manage an airplane's energy until I flew behind 65 horsepower- I was mistaken.
In the Champ, I also found myself without a DG, navaids, or even a gyro horizon to help me; it's possible that my judgment was enhanced slightly by those limitations.

That was very educational, and I think it will always help me, no matter what I fly in the future. I've always believed that pilots are most at risk in airplanes that are loaded with goodies designed to make their job easier or simpler, and the accident record confirms that to a great extent.

And flying without an engine at all... well, it stands to reason that it would be better to start that way, because flying the wing is what it's all about, especially when things are not going as planned.  ;D We'll see how your monkey does  when the wind gets behind him while landing on a short runway, or something starts smoking in the cockpit!

And it stands to reason that a pilot without an engine has to rely more on himself, which should sharpen all those basic skills.

And while gliding down from a tow over the home drome is easily mastered, really soaring- finding lift, covering long distances to other destinations- poses some very challenging flight planning, and a heap of the aforementioned judgment, knowledge, and respect.