AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014 - 70

After trusting us on takeoff, our forgiving tow pilots
proceeded to fly at full power and low speed while we
learned formation flying on a tether. My breakthrough
came when I realized that keeping the towplane on the
horizon required anticipatory, small responses similar
to those used in precise attitude flying. It was the biggest attitude indicator ever.
Release from tow is one of the most satisfying feelings
in aviation. After intense focus, you cut free, turn right,
and slow down. It's a sudden freedom ripe with possibilities. And without headsets or radios, it's a lot quieter.
Brandon described reaching 9,000 feet on a midweek solo: "It was a magic moment, seeing Phoenix
slowly unveil itself from behind the mountains; watching a Southwest flight depart," he said. "With all the
time on the sim, I've felt like, 'Am I a real pilot or just
a sim pilot?' Today was like, 'No, you're a real pilot.'"
Evenings and mornings were group study. We puzzled through cross-country planning with overlapping
glide cones to different airports; reading polar curves
for the best speed to fly with headwinds, tailwinds, and
rising or sinking air; and techniques for spiraling in lift
or riding the wind off ridges.
Then a shocker: Jim said that even though he loved
living and breathing aviation with us, he was stopping.
"I really like the landings," he said. "But the rest, I'm
not having fun anymore." We all understood. This was
smart given the trip was a vacation. He promised to
come back on Friday to hear how we fared, and we
got back in the air.
BATTING PRACTICE

Stalls and steep turns aren't that different in a glider,
except for keeping track of your glide angle back to
the airport. Not so with landing. It starts with an overflight of the airport to check the winds and available
runway. First choice is landing on an empty runway;
second best is stopping short of another glider that's
also on the runway. This happens often enough, it's
tested on the checkride.
Downwind starts about 1,000 feet agl with 50-percent dive brakes. These lift-spoilers, extending above
and below the wing, can increase the Schweizer's 200fpm descent to something pretty spectacular without
increasing airspeed. On approach, that amount is continuously adjusted to hold a
"that looks about right" glide
path, heading for the right spot.
The approach feels high
and, compared to soaring at 45
mph, fast. But you need that
energy for the roundout and
flare-occurring only three feet
off the gravel. Finally settling
onto the monowheel is easy,
as extending more dive brakes
sheds surplus energy. Rolling
along, you work to balance the

The sunbaked
airport is unassuming:
one paved and two
gravel runways,
simple buildings,
and a hangar full
of gliders.
70 | AOPA PILOT November 2014

THE ROPE ISN'T THE
ONLY WEAK LINK
On day one, Jason Stephans said
the worst timing for a rope break
would be at 100 feet, climbing
northbound. It's too high to land
before the gully and trees to the
north of the field, but too low to
sail over it.
On day two, it happened.
Actually, we were about 75
feet agl-"about" because I was
miserably failing to stay in position. Right and high. Left and
low. Right and, snap. Over the
years, I've been front seat for
both rough landings and one
airplane-totaling crash. This felt
more like the crash.
Looking back later while collecting myself (and while minor
glider damage was repaired),
I realized this was an accident
chain where the rope was, quite
literally, the final link.
It started the day before when
Stephans offered me a solo at 4
p.m. I declined, feeling too spent,
but that predisposed him to say
the next morning, "Your job is
to keep me quiet back here." He
expected solo-level performance
and would give me as much, uh,
rope as safety allowed.
Now add my inexperience,
first flight of the day, first time
departing northbound, and first
time in that specific glider-
which had a center of gravity
further aft than the others (I'd
later fly it with added ballast).
Finally, it was an older rope-retired after this flight. Take out
one or two of those and I might
have gotten my act together, or
Stephans might have intervened,
before the break.
Luckily, I had 8,000 hours of
accident-chain-breaking experience in the back seat who took
over, radically slipped us down,
and dug in the nose skid for
maximum braking-still thinking
to lift a wing over a bush while
doing so.
-JVW

AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - November 2014

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