Subject: Fw: [flycape] Spiral safety notice Created by gaynor on 11 Oct 2005 18:43:58 1 Message #1 of 1: Date Posted: 11 Oct 2005 18:43:58 by gaynor -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Hamerton" To: Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2005 12:16 PM Subject: [flycape] Spiral safety notice I'll be putting together an article on spirals for the magazine, but in the meantime, I thought it might be useful to pilots to read my: SPIRAL SAFETY NOTICE A spiral is a dangerous manoeuvre due to the risk of disorientation, high descent rate and possible loss of consciousness. It should only be attempted with proper training. Every pilot should complete the theory training, at least. Talk to your nearest> instructor. For a start, you could read some theory on http://eternitypress.co.za/freshair/loresivm.htm Practical training is vital to prevent a pilot from freezing or blacking out. Once this has happened the glider may not recover, regardless of DHV rating. Many modern wings are spirally stable, which means they will not recover UNLESS you put the correct piloting input in. There is nothing the instructor can do to rectify the situation. Many manoeuvres can lead to a spiral through incorrect piloting. Instructors should be wary of students / pilots who are overly nervous of doing manoeuvres, as panic can set in when under stress. Practice the exit from spirals at low speeds and slowly increase the speed. Beware of relying on radio contact  wind noise in spiral can be severe. A minimum entry altitude of 350m above the ground is recommended for manoeuvre training, to ensure adequate time to initiate recovery instructions and to deploy a reserve parachute. Recommended minimum exit height for spiral training : 250m. To exit from a spiral, engage the outer brake  the opposite brake to the one used to initiate and maintain the spiral  until you notice a deceleration. If there is no deceleration, release the inside brake as well, and weight-shift to the outside while braking the outer wing. For a smoother exit with no pitch problems, reapply the inside brake as soon as you begin to decelerate. This allows the spiral turn to continue as the wing climbs out. If possible, Safety Manouevre Training should be done over water. Although a fatality can still occur during a hard water landing, at least there is a chance to survive a high-speed impact. Instructors : if the pilot is not responding to a call for a specific brake input, try hands up! first, then throw your reserve! If the pilot is misinterpreting the first command, this gives them a chance to hear and try something else. -- Greg Hamerton ETERNITY PRESS 1 Brounger Road Constantia 7806 SOUTH AFRICA +27 (0)21 794 3291 +27 (0)83 285 3775 Skype : Hamerton www.eternitypress.co.za greg@eternitypress.co.za Report abuse Home | Help | Find Group | Create Group | Feedback | Terms | About | Advertise Privacy and Cookie policy Gauteng PG Forum Gauteng PG Forum