At 06:20 PM 13/06/2008, you wrote:
Mike Borgelt wrote:
So we forget to do a proper daily inspection AND don't do a proper
control check before takeoff for this to happen. We don't fly in
cloud so icing is unlikely. Seems nothing has been learned since
the Libelle accident back in about 1979 in WA.
Things break - doing a DI doesn't guarantee that! We had a Puch
airbrake failure in the last 12 months!!!
So what was that from? Poor annual inspection? Bad design?
In any case I was referring to the brakes taped shut scenario.
Much noise was made about the Libelle accident but the wrong
conclusions were drawn and wrong lessons promoted. Much fuss about
the design flaw that lets the ailerons actually work (in reverse)
when the drives are swapped but the real problem was lack of proper
procedure during the daily inspection and preflight control check.
Are the divebrakes really more likely to fail than the elevator,
rudder or ailerons?
I don't know - but I *do* know that if the elevator or rudder fail
the only way out is on a parachute.
Maybe you don't know so much. I hope you haven't just told your
students this. It depends on the failure mode. If the rudder was
merely in trail I'd probably not bail out with its attendant risks.
Even a rudder hard over might be flyable. Do you know the elevator
control system of your glider? Will the trim give you a backup pitch
control? The flaps might if your glider is fitted with them. Yours
is. Have you tried controlling pitch with them? If the ailerons are
merely totally disconnected from the stick have you tried the
secondary effect of rudder to see what it does on your glider?
What if the failure is below reasonable bailout attitude? Are you
just going to give up and die? Club training operations are commonly
done without wearing parachutes. Stupidly, in my opinion.
If the airbrakes fail I can still get the glider down as they
aren't primary controls, so knowing how to side slip properly
sounds like a good investment.
Of course sideslipping is a part of proper flight training. Just get
someone who won't crash while teaching you.
Mike
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
phone Int'l + 61 746 355784
fax Int'l + 61 746 358796
cellphone Int'l + 61 428 355784
Int'l + 61 429 355784
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website: www.borgeltinstruments.com
_______________________________________________
Aus-soaring mailing list
[email protected]
To check or change subscription details, visit:
http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
