safety
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November 02, 2023
Thermals, those invisible columns of rising warm air, are a glider pilot's best friend. These natural updrafts allow pilots to soar effortlessly through the skies, conserving energy, extending flight time, and distances covered. While thermals are commonly associated with high altitudes, where they can carry us to great heights, they also exist at low altitudes, naturally, where they
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October 05, 2017
Navigating to the turnpoint safely is crucial. It is very easy to get caught up looking at the GPS. It displays the mileage and direction. But what it does not do is see other traffic, follow energy lines, look for thermals, read the clouds, plan your next leg...
Everyone took a different path and made thousands of decisions however many times they all end up evening out and arrive to the turnpoint -
August 24, 2017
Do not be intimidated. With new students, there is one glider circling and they want to run the other way, while I am telling them to aim for the glider. Visualize their circle and merge into it just as you would merge onto the freeway. The concept is the same with 1 glider or 50.
However, 50 leads to other problems. It can get very inefficient and hard to get away from once you have joined. -
August 10, 2017
One of the most common safety issues that come up at contests is gaggle etiquette. At the JWGC 2015, my brother Boyd was the Club Class Safety pilot. His most common "chat" with offending pilots was their inability to safely gaggle fly. Many were being very aggressive trying to gain a few extra feet by compromising safety.
Aggressive gaggle flying is when you cut off another glider in a thermal