Teaching Flight Maneuvers

1
Teaching Flight Maneuvers

• Soaring Safety Foundation
• FIRC
• Rich Carlson

2
Basic Teaching Steps

• Preparation
• Presentation
• Application
• Review and Evaluation

3
Common Student Errors

• Under/Over controlling
• Stress overload
• Fixation on a single task
• Loss of situational awareness

4
Necessary Flight Maneuvers

• Normal and Crosswind Launch
• Straight and Turning flight
• Ground Reference
• Stalls and Spins
• Slips to Landing
• Normal and Crosswind Landing
• Emergency procedures

5
Pre-flight Inspection

• Before first flight or Before every flight?
• Is assembly enough?
• Reduce/Eliminate distractions
• What should be checked?
• Use POH based checklist
• Positive Control Check
• Reduce or Eliminate distractions

6
In flight maneuvers

• Orientation to airport/runway (upwind)
• Determining heading (using landmarks)
• Picking the heading for stalls
• Turning left or right
• Basic glide performance
• How much altitude needed to cover 1 mile?

7
Which picture is different?
8
Simple Math

• Solve for X Find X

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Simple Math

• Solve for X 5 Find X

Here it is
3
X
4
10
Emergency Procedures

• Discuss/demo T.O. Emergencies
• PT3 at low/mid/high altitude
• Distractions during T.O./Tow
• Canopy opening
• Bugs, Snakes, Object on runway, etc
• Discuss/demo Landing Emergencies
• Too low to fly normal pattern
• Off-airport landings

11
Approach Landing

• The Glider Flight Instructor does an excellent
  job of teaching T.O. Emergency procedures
  including practicing low altitude rope breaks.
• The SSF accident statistics show that this
  practice has paid off by a low number of PT3
  accidents.

12
Approach Landing

• A review of glider accident statistics shows that
  over 70 of the accidents occur in the landing
  phase of flight.
• The Law of Primacy states that the first thing
  learned is what is remembered during times of
  stress.

13
Approach Landing

• What we teach
• Complete the landing checklist
• Reach the IP at xxxx ft AGL
• Enter the downwind leg and correct for x-wind
• Opposite Touchdown point
• Turn Base
• Turn Final and aim for T.D. point
• Use spoilers to control height, elevator to
  control speed

14
Choose Your Approach
Goal is IP?
15
Goal is IP point
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Approach Landing

• Major drawback is that primary focus is on
  reaching the IP.
• This technique works well when students plan
  ahead to reach the IP at the desired altitude.
• What happens when this planning breaks down and
  the student is 1 mile out at 1200 ft and runs
  into 500 fpm sink?

17
Approach and Landing

• What we really mean
• Make sure you control your speed to keep from
  stalling
• Make sure you control your height and position so
  you reach the intended landing point

18
Choose Your Approach
Goal is Touchdown Point?
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Goal is Touchdown Point
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Optional Approach 2
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Optional Approach 3
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Optional Approach 4
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Which Approach is Best?
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A Goal Orientated Approach

• Focus the students attention on the landing area
• Practice standard and non-standard approaches
  but ignore naming the legs
• 1st approach standard
• 2nd approach non-standard, base/final only
• 3rd approach standard
• 4th approach non-standard, right vs left
  pattern
• 5th approach standard
• 6th approach non-standard, overhead join at
  mid-field
• Review previous approaches and begin naming legs,
  while maintaining focus on primary goal
• Law of Primacy view

25
Emergency Procedures

• Practice arrival from various directions
• Practice left, right, straight-in, downwind
  approaches
• Practice arrival from various altitudes
• Demonstrate the effect of constant headwind
• Demonstrate the effect of a decreasing headwind

26
Out landing at new field
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2002 Std Class Nationals

• http//soaring.aerobatics.ws/LOGS/HomePage.html
• 12 Pilots Landing Traces

Tom Beltz Walter Cannon Bob Epp Chip Garner Ray
Gimmey Sam Gitner
Gary Itner Tom Knauff Baudouin Litt Liz
Schwendler Ken Sorenson Tim Wells
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Post Flight De-briefing

• Essential component of lesson to discuss why this
  approach was different and how it affected other
  gliders/pilots
• Emphasize the skills you are trying to impart
  (Judgment Training and problem solving skills)

32
Determining When to Land

• What effect does the wind have on landing?

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Effect of 20 Kt wind
Time on Downwind More, Less, no Change? Altitude
loss More, Less, no Change?
20 Kts
35
Effect of 20 Kt wind
Time on base More, Less, no Change? Altitude
loss More, Less, no Change?
20 Kts
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Effect of 20 Kt wind
Time on Final More, Less, no Change? Altitude
loss More, Less, no Change?
20 Kts
37
Effect of 20 Kt wind
Which path is your student likely to fly? Which
path do you want them to fly?
4
20 Kts
3
1
2
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Final Approach(No wind)
60 kts _at_ 500 ft/m decent rate 121 glide slope 24
seconds
200
2400
39
Final Approach(20 Kt Head Wind)
60 kts _at_ 500 ft/m decent rate 81 glide slope 24
seconds
200
2400
1600
40
Final Approach(20 kt wind shear)
60 kts _at_ 500 ft/m decent rate Maintain constant
speed during approach How much time remains?
200
20 kts
0 kts
X
Y
2400
1600
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Decision Time

• With a 20 kt shear, are you likely to
• overshoot (into area Y)
• undershoot (into area X)
• Said another way, what actions do you need to
  take to reach your intended touchdown point
• close the spoilers to extend (undershooting)
• open the spoilers to sink faster (overshooting)
• Another variation, what will the aim spot do?
• move up on the canopy (undershooting)
• move down on the canopy (overshooting)

42
Transition through Wind Shear Line
43
Final Approach(20 Kt Wind Shear)
2 seconds for the glider to stabilize at the new
sink rate AOA increases from 0.5o to 5.0o
200
20 kts
0 kts
2400
1017
1600
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Distance Altitudeduring recovery phase
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Final Approach(20 Kt Wind Shear)
3 seconds to accelerate back to 60 Kts Glider
nose is 20o below the horizon
200
20 kts
0 kts
2400
1300
1600
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Final Approach(20 Kt Wind Shear)
Start recovery process after 1 second (at height
of 88 ft)
200
20 kts
0 kts
2400
1600
1647
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Final Approach(Likely outcome in 3 cases?)
No Wind Constant headwind 20 Kt Wind Shear
200
2400
1600
1300
48
Shear Encounters

• When can this happen?
• Landing in gusty conditions
• Landing area shielded by obstructions
• During good thermal conditions

49
Recommendations

• Plan for this loss of energy
• Pick an approach speed that will allow for some
  loss
• Move base leg closer to runway edge
• Be higher turning Final
• Be prepared to close the spoilers
• Be prepared to pitch forward to maintain/recover
  airspeed

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Conclusions

• Shear line causes loss of Total Energy
• Large Pitch change required to rapidly recover
  lost energy
• Large amount of Time lost while total energy
  changes
• Immediate action is required to reach original
  touchdown point!

51
Effects on Landing

• Steady wind requires more energy
• 800 feet closer or 100 ft higher for 20 kt wind
• Changing wind requires more energy
• Sink requires more energy
• Ask yourself Are you more likely to wind up
  getting low or high on final?

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Normal Landing at Home field
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Another pilot landing at home field
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Pilot after contest finish
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Determining When to Land

• Before take-off
• Emergency item on check-list
• Develop a number of plans, and execute the best
  one for this situation

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Distance Altitudeduring recovery phase
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Determining When to Land

• What altitude do you start thinking about
  landing?
• Immediately upon release?
• When reaching a specific altitude?

60
Approach Landing

• Serial Tasks
• Time independent
• Step by Step procedure
• Completion depends on completing all steps in
  sequence

• Parallel Tasks
• Time dependent
• Multiple simultaneous procedures
• Different tasks may finish at different times

61
Glider Systems

• Instruments
• GPS
• PDA
• Flight recorder
• Transponder
• Barograph
• Clock

• Instruments
• ASI
• Altimeter
• Compass
• Vario
• Radio
• Yaw String

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Glider Systems

• Pneumatic
• Pitot
• Static
• Total Energy
• Electrical
• Batteries
• Fuses
• Switches

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Glider Systems

• Control systems
• Aileron
• Rudder
• Elevator
• Trim
• Flaps
• Spoilers
• Gear

64
Performance Issues

• Speed to fly
• Minimum sink
• Best L/D
• Thermaling
• Inter-thermal cruise
• Determining approach speed
• 1.5 time Stalls ½ wind gusts

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Approach and Landing

• A Goal orientated approach
• Pick your touchdown point on/off the runway
• Determine where base/final turn must be
• Determine where downwind/base turn must be
• Determine where entry point will be given current
  situation (altitude, position, and speed)
• Complete landing checklist prior to landing
• Law of Primacy view