CONDOR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xqf0HqpnySA&sns=em

EDIT:
http://www.flabber.nl/sites/flabber.nl/ ... nbusHD.mp4

(thanks to Erik)

_________________
CN: TXS
TX-ScubaSteve

All things considered, I’d say he did alright under the circumstances. I mean, I’ve flown 1-26 but never landed out so I’m not so sure I would have done any better.
But, having said that, and observing in hindsight, in the comfort and safety of my computer chair, a few things came to mind that I would like to think that I would have done differently.

The 1-26 dive brakes are not as effective as the spoilers on most glass ships, hence, I would have used a lot of slip, and this would have let me set down preferably in one of those fields to the right of the road he landed on.

The strait road with no cars coming must have looked most inviting, but even with the 1-26’s mere 40 foot wingspan, it is nearly impossible not to hit something. However, due to skillful flying and keeping a cool head, he still managed to set it on the road and nearly pulled it off! And he would have, if at the moment of touchdown, applied full wheel brake and pushed stick forward, driving the 1-26’s awesome steel clad under the nose skid into the pavement. Man, the sparks would have flown and there’d have been one hell of a squeal, but I’ll bet he’d have gotten her stopped before he reached the garbage cans.

Just my theory, but club pilots would rather rollout the whole length of the runway than stop immediately and then have to push their ship the rest of the way. This can become an ingrained habit, and at the moment of truth, forget the nose skid!

In closing, I wish to congratulate this pilot for his character. Not only did he hang in there and fly the shit out of it to the end, but also, because he released this video for our benefit knowing that jerks like me would critique the crap out of it.

Oh, one more thing comes to mind, liability.
The property damage could have been waaaaay worse. Does anyone know how much liability insurance a soaring pilot in the USA should carry, and about how much the annual premium would be?

Well I have to say it was appalling airmanship, and he was lucky not to injure himself and I doubt the glider flew again for some time. To have left himself with no options but to land in a built up area suggests flight planning of the worst kind. I had a syndicate partner once who landed our Olympia 463 in a suburban street. He hit the lamp posts with both wing tips and the glider was under repair for nearly a year. I was for chucking him out of the partnership, but in the end I left anyway, going to a new job.

In my time we were told never to overfly towns at less than 3 thousand feet and only then if we were sure we could clear the area with a thousand feet in hand. On a normal out landing (and I made more than a few) the drill was: Select your field at 1200 ft minimum (more in the hills) - do a complete circuit to check for obstructions, animals, and crop, and use the longest landing run even if it means a cross wind landing. Full brake and sideslip if required to get in, and a few extra knots to ensure you can cope with any upward slope. I never broke a glider, or did any damage to crops or animals though the cows that were hiding under the trees in one field did try to eat my glider.

_________________
Old wooden ship pilot
Reg No. 464 (LLC 377)
CN: AW

I get "This video is private"

_________________

It is now although it wasn't when I watched it.

I'm not surprised!!

_________________
Old wooden ship pilot
Reg No. 464 (LLC 377)
CN: AW

mirror: http://www.flabber.nl/sites/flabber.nl/ ... nbusHD.mp4

_________________
Erik EP | virtualsoaring.eu | Facebook | YouTube | Gliding TV

Thanks Erik - amazing!

_________________

Perhaps lost from the YouTube posting was that the pilot was a post-solo transition (from power) pilot.
This was a flight some time after solo that was supposed to be supervised by an instructor. For our
students off field landing training at this stage of instruction is very rudimentary; we go into more
details when the students are working on their bronze badge after earning their pilot license.

The pilot was very, very lucky. The error occurred when he allowed himself to be washed off the back
of a ridge. After that he was stuck with whatever was available.

-- Matt

If he was liable to make a mistake like that he should not have been flying solo. I have instructed at both flat and ridge sites, and at the latter you had to be absolutely sure that a pupil understood the dangers at a ridge site which do not exist on a flat one. If this hapless guy had had a bad accident then the instructor in charge on the day would have been having to answer some very awkward questions at the official enquiry, or inquest (if it had gone that wrong).

I sense a shrugging of the shoulders here. Aeroplanes bite fools, and this has to be uppermost in your mind when deciding whether a pupil should fly solo.

_________________
Old wooden ship pilot
Reg No. 464 (LLC 377)
CN: AW

Yes, my point in particular. Frequently I will put limits** on my solo endorsements (e.g. "OK for solo in mild conditions").
Our club requires solo flights to be supervised by an in-person instructor as well.

This student did manage to do one thing right: he didn't try to re-cross the ridge from the lee side. The ridge instruction must have gotten that far at least, and the landing on the road probably was transfer from his time
as a power pilot. He did manage to walk away from the accident.

** (Endorsing transition pilots in the US has to be time limited, since otherwise your student will vanish from your life
to legally fly unsupervised forever!)

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=835_1344412426

Should have turned back or put it in the paddock before he got to the forest with no options left..

_________________
Chris Wedgwood,
Condor Team

I think that could have been a good plan OXO. It was a bit of a give away when he touched down on the runway again!

I can't believe the dude was filming everyone after the crash - especially the pilot. Very weird and a bit sick really.

_________________
REGO: VH-SPR
C/N#: S72

I think this was someone else who should not have been flying solo or carrying passengers. Thank God we in the gliding movement have more control over who flies and when. We still manage to have accidents but how much worse it would be if you could just turn up with your glider and fly with no check at all on your licence or experience. There but for the grace of God and the BGA go we.

I did think the closing sequence was extremely distasteful, but that's the USA for you.

_________________
Old wooden ship pilot
Reg No. 464 (LLC 377)
CN: AW

Turn out the takeoff strip was at 6500 ft, and +28 C gave a density alt of 9000 ft. (source pprune.org)

Expecting a fully loaded 165hp plane to manage was optimistic to say the least.

_________________
Chris Wedgwood,
Condor Team