While I know the argument has been about "spin training" and whether it should be carried out, and I think it has been well demonstrated that it should. It seems to me that the most important part of the training is not just about what is the appropriate recovery action, or even how long it may take for the aircraft to recover. Likewise I see little value in describing aircraft as "unsafe" because they take longer to recover from a spin anymore than I see value in branding an aircraft as unsafe because it doesn't "store" energy and therefore can lose speed easily. These are all characteristics of the flight regime that must be understood and mastered, in order to be qualified to fly that type. With regard to preventing spin accidents (which was the aim) I think the most important thing is to equip the student with the skills to detect the onset of stall and the incipient stage of the spin.
Seems to me that if we do that well, the argument about what happens to a particular aircraft when spinning is somewhat less important. We need to give early solo pilots the skill set necessary to make them safe, ie ability to detect stall and incipient stage of spin and recover with minimal height loss, along with instruction on how to recover from a spin should they enter one, and instruction and discussion about the way different aircraft may or may not respond. Along with that we should be drilling them with the advice "safe speed near the ground" or if you prefer "never low and slow" which applies as much to intentional spinning at low level as it does to any other mode of flight. Detection of the onset of stall or spin and the skills necesssary to detect loss of energy especially when winch launching and when landing or in the circuit, have to be the key outcomes from this part of the flight training. Additionally I believe we should give the student enough familiarity with the spin (in an appropriate calm atmosphere) to ensure they are not going to panic should they end up spinning one day. Negative G senstitive students should have been long before identified and encouraged to the point that they will not overreact when introduced to the spin or encouraged to try another sport. After all not everyone will be or should be a glider pilot. Intentional spinning of different aircraft by solo pilots should then be managed by appropriate instruction and training. A well defined curriculum for continued training for pilots as they gain expererience seems to me to be one area that is lacking in our sport. There is I think a culture that says "I don't need any further training or advice, I am a xxx hours pilot" David Olsen _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
