What Gliders Teach Us (power pilots)

[Exadios]

A couple of articles which lay out the benefits of a glider endorsement for power pilots.

 

What Gliders Teach Us

 

Barry Schiff on Gliders

 

 

[kaz3g]

All true!

 

Kaz

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

how to use rudder

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Quite a bit more than that, actually, tho the debate on EFATO seems to show that as a major failing in pilots without gliding experience.

 

 

[eightyknots]

Quite a bit more than that, actually, tho the debate on EFATO seems to show that as a major failing in pilots without gliding experience.

That is a valid point, D L

 

 

[kgwilson]

Every landing in a glider or hang glider is a forced landing without power. If you have done this a few hundred times it isn't too hard.

 

 

[Guernsey]

One advantage with a glider is spoilers.

 

Alan.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

One advantage with a glider is spoilers.Alan.

Yes; however the equivalent in a powered aircraft is side-slipping, which gliders don't do all that well. Or if you have a constant-speed prop., shut the throttle in fine pitch. These are tools one needs to know how to use. I particularly dislike powered aircraft in which side-slipping (or "forward" slipping, if you want to be pedantic) is prohibited with the flaps extended.

 

 

[facthunter]

I have to mention that closing the throttle in full fine pitch is hard on a Radial engine as the big end bearing is subject to high loads. Most jets have spoilers. Hard to stop them skipping if there are no spoilers on the ground and you would get a lot less braking too. The thing I notice with (later) gliders is how clean and little sink they have in still air. So little lift and you can keep flying, (when the sun is out). Nev

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

Higher than at full power? The dive brakes on gliders are very effective, because their area is large in relation to the aircraft weight ( the effective area is that of the top and bottom surface bakes plus the frontal area of the wing in between them), but small in relation to the wing area - so they give a lot of braking for relatively little loss of lift. People often ask why light aircraft don't have them; it's because the loss of lift is higher, and the braking effect much smaller, in relation to the aircraft weight.

 

 

[facthunter]

Much higher load than full power. In a radial every second cylinder is on compression. The power pulses keep the whole rotating mass of conrods loaded inwards. With power off there is none of this to balance the massive centrifugal forces. It doesn't happen with in line engines. A radial on cruise is lightly loaded. Quite a few operators are not aware of this Dafydd and find out the hard and expensive, way

 

With my limited knowledge of gliders I cannot see how you would be able to land one without spoilers, unless you had a salt lake or such. Nev

 

 

[Exadios]

Much higher load than full power. In a radial every second cylinder is on compression. The power pulses keep the whole rotating mass of conrods loaded inwards. With power off there is none of this to balance the massive centrifugal forces. It doesn't happen with in line engines. A radial on cruise is lightly loaded. Quite a few operators are not aware of this Dafydd and find out the hard and expensive, wayWith my limited knowledge of gliders I cannot see how you would be able to land one without spoilers, unless you had a salt lake or such. Nev

Landing without spoilers is a standard part of training.

 

 

[Dafydd Llewellyn]

G

 

Much higher load than full power. In a radial every second cylinder is on compression. The power pulses keep the whole rotating mass of conrods loaded inwards. With power off there is none of this to balance the massive centrifugal forces. It doesn't happen with in line engines. A radial on cruise is lightly loaded. Quite a few operators are not aware of this Dafydd and find out the hard and expensive, wayWith my limited knowledge of gliders I cannot see how you would be able to land one without spoilers, unless you had a salt lake or such. Nev

Good point.