Off to walk the Hollyford Track (South Westland).
Taking a big raincoat...
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Post flight Analysis
SeeYou allows all sorts of post flight analysis.
In this case I reviewed my last land-out, this time in Mangakino.
Attached is the track log. The circles are me trying to get a climb as well as checking out the paddock well before it was required...1500ft above the final paddock. Admittantly I had a number of others lined up as well but when another glider landed in the final paddock it acted like a big magnet and dragged myself and one other into the ground.
Interesting.
It shows my final resting place was 800ft AMSL.
I was at 1280ft AMSL as I startd a turn on to base leg.
However I was also 500 meters away from the paddock...1760 ft.
If you use your old high School math it suggests the angle between me, the ground and my aiming point was 20 degrees. That's well less than the recommended 30 degrees.
A few interesting points come to mind...
The ground over which I was completing my downwind leg was much lower than where I eventually landed...which probably gave the impression of being higher above the aiming point than I thought.
Despite this we had to use plenty of airbrake on final...hmmm.
Also I have heard suggestions that your final should be about 30 seconds long (I have no idea why or where this comes from). In this case it was about half this at 18 seconds...hmmm.
What the picture doesn't show but SeeYou does is I landed directly into wind...that's a big tick.
However I (we...as 3 of us ended up in the same paddock) choose poorly as the paddock next door was flatter and had short grass...we landed in a paddock of quite long grass..which could have removed a gear door or two. The long grass was hiding a few large holes, all of which we missed but the outcome could have been different.
In this case I reviewed my last land-out, this time in Mangakino.
Attached is the track log. The circles are me trying to get a climb as well as checking out the paddock well before it was required...1500ft above the final paddock. Admittantly I had a number of others lined up as well but when another glider landed in the final paddock it acted like a big magnet and dragged myself and one other into the ground.
Interesting.
It shows my final resting place was 800ft AMSL.
I was at 1280ft AMSL as I startd a turn on to base leg.
However I was also 500 meters away from the paddock...1760 ft.
If you use your old high School math it suggests the angle between me, the ground and my aiming point was 20 degrees. That's well less than the recommended 30 degrees.
A few interesting points come to mind...
The ground over which I was completing my downwind leg was much lower than where I eventually landed...which probably gave the impression of being higher above the aiming point than I thought.
Despite this we had to use plenty of airbrake on final...hmmm.
Also I have heard suggestions that your final should be about 30 seconds long (I have no idea why or where this comes from). In this case it was about half this at 18 seconds...hmmm.
What the picture doesn't show but SeeYou does is I landed directly into wind...that's a big tick.
However I (we...as 3 of us ended up in the same paddock) choose poorly as the paddock next door was flatter and had short grass...we landed in a paddock of quite long grass..which could have removed a gear door or two. The long grass was hiding a few large holes, all of which we missed but the outcome could have been different.
But does all this prove landing out is risky?? No, cos we had more accidents and damage (none serious thankfully) at the main launch point than we did in out-landings.
So lets have a look at another one. Landed out at the Spud Patch. Landed into to wind...albeit only a few knots.
A much skinner outcome. I knew the field as land-able. I knew another glider was just behind and above me looking at the same spot to land-out. My gadget said we'd make the strip with 600ft to spare (my safety margin built into both final glide calculators).
Long strip with short grass and options from either end...I eventually aero-towed out.
Shorter finals...only 12 seconds.
But the angle between me, the ground and the aiming point was 22 degrees...or thereabouts...same as last time.
Needed airbrake on finals and landed short to allow the other Discus to land long.
Monday, February 13, 2012
How do we successfully intergrate the Duo into club flying...
It was a bold move by our intrepid Australian to enter the club's Duo in the Nationals.
For a while it looked like no-one would, I was certainly much too timid to take the risk, and everyone else was either busy, intimidated by the risk, missing the required ratings (X-country, engine starting, tail wheel use, Oudie etc etc), or where frightened by the cost.
So what happened??
Well he had a couple of outstanding days...135kph and second on the ridge day was an excellent result.
However I suspect the engine issue raised it's head a few times...when to start it?? 1500ft AGL which was one of the very early suggestions from other club motorglider pilots...or 1200ft, or 1000ft, or not at all??? Or do you dis-regard the motor and accept the land-out risk?
From my own experience during the contest if I'd applied a 1000ft cut-off I would have flamed up on 3 occasions and ended my day...i.e. I managed a get a thermal between ground-level and 1000ft. On 2 other occasions I landed out...Mangakino and the Spud Patch. To be fair, on the day that the contest was cancelled mid-task, the Duo was with me at Mangakino (albeit 1000ft higher), he motored home and I visited a farmer.
How do we handle this...I understand the desire to make the right decision (re when to give away the day and fire up) and to be on the conservative side (although quite what constitutes a conservative height is open to question - 5000ft might be questionable in the Landsbough) but it's an extra strain on the PIC.
Equally, who is in charge...do the 2nd seat pilots do any flying or decision making? Should they be current and up to date with the glider, contest flying and X-country flying? If they are not would it be best to treat them as a passenger? If that happens then the learning experience might be reduced. I know that 2nd seat flying with one Sth Is pilot allowed for no input on my behalf...
The cost?? Because we charge it out at a higher rate than the all the other gliders, and it's insured with an excess of $2500 (whereas the other club gliders are self insured), how does the PIC deal with this. And the glider suffered a small crack in the canopy due to a series of unfortunate events...so who should pay?? The rules say one thing...I'm less than convinced that in this case it is fully fair and reasonable. However I guess if I damage my own glider I'm up for $5000. However that's solely my choice and covers the whole year.
Which beings me back the first question...are we sure the actual costs of flying, plus the insurance excess risk, the second guessing of when to start the motor, and the hassle, will encourage anyone to enter the glider in a contest with the actual desire to win...as opposed to loitering around at the back of the grid providing training exercises??? Maybe that's what members want???
Some thought is required. Contests provide a great avenue for X-country training and flying. On 3 of the 7 days we flew the weather was marginal (isn't it always at contests)...and yet due to the persistence of the contest director, we set a task, launched, and pilots got around (unless the day was cancelled mid-task...but that's another matter). If it was a normal club day people would have ambled off claiming it was un-flyable.
So what's the main aim?
To win or provide training?
Maybe we should talk to Auckland and how they handle their Duo GDX. It flew in the contest, with a variety of pilots at the controls, however it has flown at other contests with 1 pilot always PIC, and with 2 pilots sharing the days.
For a while it looked like no-one would, I was certainly much too timid to take the risk, and everyone else was either busy, intimidated by the risk, missing the required ratings (X-country, engine starting, tail wheel use, Oudie etc etc), or where frightened by the cost.
So what happened??
Well he had a couple of outstanding days...135kph and second on the ridge day was an excellent result.
However I suspect the engine issue raised it's head a few times...when to start it?? 1500ft AGL which was one of the very early suggestions from other club motorglider pilots...or 1200ft, or 1000ft, or not at all??? Or do you dis-regard the motor and accept the land-out risk?
From my own experience during the contest if I'd applied a 1000ft cut-off I would have flamed up on 3 occasions and ended my day...i.e. I managed a get a thermal between ground-level and 1000ft. On 2 other occasions I landed out...Mangakino and the Spud Patch. To be fair, on the day that the contest was cancelled mid-task, the Duo was with me at Mangakino (albeit 1000ft higher), he motored home and I visited a farmer.
How do we handle this...I understand the desire to make the right decision (re when to give away the day and fire up) and to be on the conservative side (although quite what constitutes a conservative height is open to question - 5000ft might be questionable in the Landsbough) but it's an extra strain on the PIC.
Equally, who is in charge...do the 2nd seat pilots do any flying or decision making? Should they be current and up to date with the glider, contest flying and X-country flying? If they are not would it be best to treat them as a passenger? If that happens then the learning experience might be reduced. I know that 2nd seat flying with one Sth Is pilot allowed for no input on my behalf...
The cost?? Because we charge it out at a higher rate than the all the other gliders, and it's insured with an excess of $2500 (whereas the other club gliders are self insured), how does the PIC deal with this. And the glider suffered a small crack in the canopy due to a series of unfortunate events...so who should pay?? The rules say one thing...I'm less than convinced that in this case it is fully fair and reasonable. However I guess if I damage my own glider I'm up for $5000. However that's solely my choice and covers the whole year.
Which beings me back the first question...are we sure the actual costs of flying, plus the insurance excess risk, the second guessing of when to start the motor, and the hassle, will encourage anyone to enter the glider in a contest with the actual desire to win...as opposed to loitering around at the back of the grid providing training exercises??? Maybe that's what members want???
Some thought is required. Contests provide a great avenue for X-country training and flying. On 3 of the 7 days we flew the weather was marginal (isn't it always at contests)...and yet due to the persistence of the contest director, we set a task, launched, and pilots got around (unless the day was cancelled mid-task...but that's another matter). If it was a normal club day people would have ambled off claiming it was un-flyable.
So what's the main aim?
To win or provide training?
Maybe we should talk to Auckland and how they handle their Duo GDX. It flew in the contest, with a variety of pilots at the controls, however it has flown at other contests with 1 pilot always PIC, and with 2 pilots sharing the days.
Friday, February 10, 2012
If u haven't had your fill yet...
Today looks like a great day.
Strong climbs and bases of 5-6000ft right across the Waikato/Bay of Plenty.
I'm off to spray gorse and level some tracks with a tractor...
But I'm sure some-one wants to do a 300km.
Little westerlies will allow the Kaimai's to be used as a launch point to the south or a fall back option on the way home.
Here's a great article about people trying something new, and with a healthy dis-regard for the rules.
Want to build a nuclear reactor in your kitchen or your garden shed??
This young Swede discovered you can with items available on the internet but it's banned apparently...
By who? Well his landlord for a start...oh and the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority...
In 1995 a chap in the US of A built one in his garden shed...all was well until 11 men in protective suits turned up to end the party...
Seems there is always some-one wanting to spoil the fun...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/03/jon-ronson-diy-science-experiments
Strong climbs and bases of 5-6000ft right across the Waikato/Bay of Plenty.
I'm off to spray gorse and level some tracks with a tractor...
But I'm sure some-one wants to do a 300km.
Little westerlies will allow the Kaimai's to be used as a launch point to the south or a fall back option on the way home.
Here's a great article about people trying something new, and with a healthy dis-regard for the rules.
Want to build a nuclear reactor in your kitchen or your garden shed??
This young Swede discovered you can with items available on the internet but it's banned apparently...
By who? Well his landlord for a start...oh and the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority...
In 1995 a chap in the US of A built one in his garden shed...all was well until 11 men in protective suits turned up to end the party...
Seems there is always some-one wanting to spoil the fun...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/feb/03/jon-ronson-diy-science-experiments
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Someone got me thinking...
Jill actually...
Could we hold a Grand Prix Club Class-ish style on the Kaimai's???
Even out the field by allowing varying amounts of water ballast...some complex calculation would be required.
We have a bunch of LS4's, Discus's, ASW20's and Hornets/Mossie etc in the local area.
Wait for a ridge day...
Start all together at the road crossing...low level for the spectators in the car-park.
Race down to Tirohia...put in a small tri-angle of TP's to avoid too many opposing tracks and race back.
First cross the start finish line wins...
Wait 10 minutes and do it again...
Anything for a bit of fun and practise...
Could we hold a Grand Prix Club Class-ish style on the Kaimai's???
Even out the field by allowing varying amounts of water ballast...some complex calculation would be required.
We have a bunch of LS4's, Discus's, ASW20's and Hornets/Mossie etc in the local area.
Wait for a ridge day...
Start all together at the road crossing...low level for the spectators in the car-park.
Race down to Tirohia...put in a small tri-angle of TP's to avoid too many opposing tracks and race back.
First cross the start finish line wins...
Wait 10 minutes and do it again...
Anything for a bit of fun and practise...
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Sometimes being an individual is not a good idea..
Phew...last day of the contest and the pressure started to show.
For myself, with another very good competitor just 20 points behind me and first place maybe within grasp, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take an unusual track on the leg back south. Bad idea...resulted in a very slow and low struggle to get back in the game. Yet again I found myself at Tahuna below a 1000ft AGL ruing a missed opportunity...however you live and learn.
I think for the top 3 places in the standard class it was a fair result. Last year in the club class (which where essentially the same pilots in this year standard class) I ended up second, this year third or forth...I'm not sure. Update...I ended up fifth...out of 15...given that they scored the ASW27's in the same class...more practise required...
The mighty JS1 suffered a similar outcome with the local pilot under pressure to beat a past world championship place getter...
With no more 15 meter gliders being produced (except maybe under license and in Eastern block countries) I think the long term outlook for the Standard/15 meter class is time limited. The last real new purpose built gliders in this class were the ASW27 (an outstanding glider), Discus 2, Lak 17a, and LS8 (also very good). A few of the later 18 meter gliders had removable tips but really the glider had been designed for the 18 meter class.
This means one of two things...either the class will remain highly competitive as a flash new model won't detract from the outcome, or the pilots will slowly migrate to the 18/Open class....we will see.
If the class gets too small it may go the way of the PW5/sports class in NZ...which is really struggling for numbers...which is sad as I started my contest life in a PW5...4 or 5 times. Ahhh, those days of gliding off into the blue hoping to make the next cloud...and if that cloud failed to work you were on the ground 10 minutes later...still it developed stick-ability, and plenty of out-landing practise. I've now met 40 different farmers...albeit one chap twice...and I've landed on our own airstrip twice so do I count Lesley as a chap...or chapess, or, or ???
However I have digressed again...a good week and a half...slightly weird to finish on a Wednesday. I still think that the day that was cancelled after we had all started was a wee glimpse of how things maybe moving in the future...the days of everybody landing out might be over.
NZ won the Trans-Tasman...will done Tim...well done indeed. You beat me on 2 or 3 days, we can't have that...time I picked my game up a bit. The Aussie competitor was an outstanding bloke as well...
But I've had enough of gliding for the meantime. Off to walk the Hollyford Track in 2 weeks...not a glider in sight...and no blokes in funny white floppy hats...
For myself, with another very good competitor just 20 points behind me and first place maybe within grasp, I decided to throw caution to the wind and take an unusual track on the leg back south. Bad idea...resulted in a very slow and low struggle to get back in the game. Yet again I found myself at Tahuna below a 1000ft AGL ruing a missed opportunity...however you live and learn.
I think for the top 3 places in the standard class it was a fair result. Last year in the club class (which where essentially the same pilots in this year standard class) I ended up second, this year third or forth...I'm not sure. Update...I ended up fifth...out of 15...given that they scored the ASW27's in the same class...more practise required...
The mighty JS1 suffered a similar outcome with the local pilot under pressure to beat a past world championship place getter...
With no more 15 meter gliders being produced (except maybe under license and in Eastern block countries) I think the long term outlook for the Standard/15 meter class is time limited. The last real new purpose built gliders in this class were the ASW27 (an outstanding glider), Discus 2, Lak 17a, and LS8 (also very good). A few of the later 18 meter gliders had removable tips but really the glider had been designed for the 18 meter class.
This means one of two things...either the class will remain highly competitive as a flash new model won't detract from the outcome, or the pilots will slowly migrate to the 18/Open class....we will see.
If the class gets too small it may go the way of the PW5/sports class in NZ...which is really struggling for numbers...which is sad as I started my contest life in a PW5...4 or 5 times. Ahhh, those days of gliding off into the blue hoping to make the next cloud...and if that cloud failed to work you were on the ground 10 minutes later...still it developed stick-ability, and plenty of out-landing practise. I've now met 40 different farmers...albeit one chap twice...and I've landed on our own airstrip twice so do I count Lesley as a chap...or chapess, or, or ???
However I have digressed again...a good week and a half...slightly weird to finish on a Wednesday. I still think that the day that was cancelled after we had all started was a wee glimpse of how things maybe moving in the future...the days of everybody landing out might be over.
NZ won the Trans-Tasman...will done Tim...well done indeed. You beat me on 2 or 3 days, we can't have that...time I picked my game up a bit. The Aussie competitor was an outstanding bloke as well...
But I've had enough of gliding for the meantime. Off to walk the Hollyford Track in 2 weeks...not a glider in sight...and no blokes in funny white floppy hats...
Monday, February 6, 2012
Back in the saddle...
After yesterdays shambles today was much better...for me anyhow.
Started with the news that the scorer could retrieve a trace from a combination of the GPS-Nav and my IPAQ. So from 10 points to 577...back into 4th.
Then a few fellow pilots lost part or all their points due airspace violations...
Today was a tough...especially for for the task setters...8/8 cloud cover all morning.
The task got shortened twice until finally it was a 140km AAT.
We sent a sniffer up at 2pm...the sky was working...just.
Away we went...about half of each class got around with many landing back at the halfway point (which was luckily back by the start line).
Not a fast day with slow climbs of 1-2 knots. However the day was scored with is the point I guess...
Started with the news that the scorer could retrieve a trace from a combination of the GPS-Nav and my IPAQ. So from 10 points to 577...back into 4th.
Then a few fellow pilots lost part or all their points due airspace violations...
Today was a tough...especially for for the task setters...8/8 cloud cover all morning.
The task got shortened twice until finally it was a 140km AAT.
We sent a sniffer up at 2pm...the sky was working...just.
Away we went...about half of each class got around with many landing back at the halfway point (which was luckily back by the start line).
Not a fast day with slow climbs of 1-2 knots. However the day was scored with is the point I guess...
At the risk of sticking my head in a noose...tomorrow looks like a ripper. Good climbs, bases of 5-6000ft, plenty of Cu's, but maybe a bit of overdevelopment...lets see.
I've had better days...
The joys of being at the front of the grid...
After launching into a weak sky and missing the only climb around I choose to take a re-launch...bad idea.
So I started late...which I thought was a good plan...nope.
Made the top turnpoint OK.
Then the fun began...at Tahuna myself, along with 3 others, had to back-track to find a climb. Not much about so I pushed on...I finally found a climb over my choosen land-out area at 600ft AGL...phew.
So off we go again..down the Cambridge hills and into Putaruru...Thank you Fonterra...
A climb over the Tirau Milk Powder Plant and another one over the Lichfield Cheese Factory...pity Fonterra hasn't got a factory in Tokoroa.
However on the way home things had over-developed and a land-out at the spud Patch became the only option...
A fairly lousy result.....
and now I discover that the scorer couldn't retrieve the track-log...something is wrong as the IPAQ has mal-functioned as well..
So that ends my chances in the standard class...second over-all to an also ran...bugger...
Pilots meeting this morning...that'll be interesting...will we endorse the concept of the CD cancelling days after the fleet has started??? I hope not...
Sorry there is no pictures or tracks...between doing the weather for the contest, helping task set and organising my own glider...my time gets a little short...
After launching into a weak sky and missing the only climb around I choose to take a re-launch...bad idea.
So I started late...which I thought was a good plan...nope.
Made the top turnpoint OK.
Then the fun began...at Tahuna myself, along with 3 others, had to back-track to find a climb. Not much about so I pushed on...I finally found a climb over my choosen land-out area at 600ft AGL...phew.
So off we go again..down the Cambridge hills and into Putaruru...Thank you Fonterra...
A climb over the Tirau Milk Powder Plant and another one over the Lichfield Cheese Factory...pity Fonterra hasn't got a factory in Tokoroa.
However on the way home things had over-developed and a land-out at the spud Patch became the only option...
A fairly lousy result.....
and now I discover that the scorer couldn't retrieve the track-log...something is wrong as the IPAQ has mal-functioned as well..
So that ends my chances in the standard class...second over-all to an also ran...bugger...
Pilots meeting this morning...that'll be interesting...will we endorse the concept of the CD cancelling days after the fleet has started??? I hope not...
Sorry there is no pictures or tracks...between doing the weather for the contest, helping task set and organising my own glider...my time gets a little short...
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Another ridge day...
Off we went on another ridge task. 282 kms.
The wind was forecast to be 20-15 knots...yup got that part nailed...
Thermal heights/cloud bases of 4000ft...yup pretty close with this too...
Going blue after about 12 O'Clock...failed...we had well marked cloud streets all afternoon.
As a consequence of the forecasts we under called the day a bit...we could have sent all the classes further west at the top end and probably further south at the bottom end. Oh well.
When setting a task we are mindful of making sure no one could get home in under 2 hours...otherwise the day gets devalued. So a 282 km task would require a speed of 141kph...at 11am we thought that would be impossible...but guess what??? GZM did the task in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 27 seconds.
The stand-out performance for our club was the mighty pairing of a South African and a citizen of the West Island (otherwise known as Australia) in the Duo Discus...135kph and second in the Open Class. This will mark the most impressive performance of a club member in the new glider...chocolate fish all round...
The wind was forecast to be 20-15 knots...yup got that part nailed...
Thermal heights/cloud bases of 4000ft...yup pretty close with this too...
Going blue after about 12 O'Clock...failed...we had well marked cloud streets all afternoon.
As a consequence of the forecasts we under called the day a bit...we could have sent all the classes further west at the top end and probably further south at the bottom end. Oh well.
When setting a task we are mindful of making sure no one could get home in under 2 hours...otherwise the day gets devalued. So a 282 km task would require a speed of 141kph...at 11am we thought that would be impossible...but guess what??? GZM did the task in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 27 seconds.
The stand-out performance for our club was the mighty pairing of a South African and a citizen of the West Island (otherwise known as Australia) in the Duo Discus...135kph and second in the Open Class. This will mark the most impressive performance of a club member in the new glider...chocolate fish all round...
As a result of the westerlies on the Waikato side we got wave in the Bay. Cool eh...
This morning we got an answer to the question of why yesterday was cancelled mid-task. The first time a day has been cancelled mid-task for some time...if ever. The only recorded one I can find is an Omarama Regionals where a thunderstorm sat over a Turnpoint...although interestingly gliders had already got through the storm undamaged...
The Contest Director was worried we were heading into difficult terrain with uncertain weather conditions...worrying is part of a CD's job...I know I've been there myself.
As a past CD I understand the pressure that is brought to bare by well meaning volunteers/helpers/support crews, as well as the short time window to make a decision. I also accept that all those pilots who started late or were slow to get into the backcountry were probably happy to call it a day...cos they didn't require a long retrieve and no scoring points were at risk.
However a number of questions do arise...
How does the CD know how far various pilots have, or will, get despite the weather conditions? On the day in question it was highly likely that 4 fast class gliders would or could have passed 80kms from the start line and generate a scoring day. The spot tracker should have shown at least 1 of these gliders was already in the Mangakino area.
How does the CD actually know what the conditions are like on track?
What constitutes a safety risk?
The risk of landing out is not currently classed as a major safety issue (not yet anyhow)..therefore sending gliders out of glide range of an airfield in changing weather does not meet the safety test for cancelling the task after we have started.
What signal does this send for the future??
This was a Nationals...where pilots are expected to have completed a regional contest in the past...be current, have maps, parachutes, gliders that are up-to-date etc.
I will test this outcome with the SRC (Sailplane Racing committee) so we can gain some guidance for the future...at the very least the CD should be required to consult with the forecaster and/or a task setter...either by radio or in person...
At the very least we should ask what are the parameters for an organiser on the ground many many kilometers away from the "action", with out full knowledge of progress of the racing fleet, without any idea of the location of glider to land-out spots, with limited knowledge of the developing weather on track, can use to call off a day.
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