Articles

Pilot Induced Oscillationsby Dean Carswell

In the last twelve months, there have been several reported cases of substantial damage to Grob sailplanes arising from the pilot's failure to control the glider correctly during the flare and touchdown phases of landing. Both the two-place G103 and single-place G102, with nose wheels, are prone to the problem of pilot-induced oscillation (PIO). Here is an example taken from a recent NTSB factual accident report more

Tips on Flying the Grob 103 by Paul Schneider

Check out the landing gear: The Grob 103 has a nose, main and tail wheel. When empty, it sits on the main and tail wheel. When you get in, it settles on the nose wheel. If you walk out to the wingtip and look down the wing to the root, you'll notice the wing is mounted at a slight angle of incidence to the fuselage. The implication of this fact is the importance of getting the nose wheel up ASAP, a few seconds after the take-off roll begins. more

Runaway Safety by Paul Schneider

Imagine waking up one morning ready to soar and having no, I mean zero, worries about anything going wrong. WX perfect, sailplane in total airworthy condition, thermals predicted to go up a 8-10 knots with no over-development, a smile on everyone's face at the airport , a clear runway with you being in the number one slot for launch and a full oxygen bottle. Is this a crazy idea or something we can look forward to in the future? My belief is that we can sure come close to this now. How? With Runaway Safety! (Read: play on words) more

Silly Season by Martin Hellman

The silly season is the result of pilots who have not flown for several months attempting controlled flight early in the spring. You will have an opportunity to witness all kinds of silly errors that most of the time are not serious, just embarrassing. more

Safe Soaring by Paul Schneider

As glider pilots we make lots of in-flight decisions. This article focuses on decision heights glider pilots should be thinking about and acting on during flight. more

Why We Fly - Music Takes Wing by Thomas A. Horne

Louise Vickerman may be the principal harpist with the Utah Symphony and Opera, but one of her more recent major accomplishments lies well outside any musical orbit. After years of yearning to fly, she finally earned her private pilot certificate at suburban Salt Lake City’s Bountiful Airpark (BTF). more