lookout for glider pilots

8/14/2019 Lookout for Glider Pilots

1/31

Gliding Federation of Australia


2/31


3/31

At approximately 1550 hours on Sunday 27 March 2005, two LS7s made

heavy glancing contact at a height of about 3,000 feet. The canopy of XJJ

was thrown open by the impact. The pilot was able to exit the aircraft and

deploy his parachute; his arm was broken during the deployment but he was

able to land under his parachute safely. The airframe of XRR was damaged

by the impact. Its pilot was able to eject the canopy but could not exit the

aircraft. XRR, with pilot on board, crashed in an open field. Assistance was

available within minutes, but the pilot was pronounced dead on site.


4/31

Mid-air collisions are an ever-presentflight hazard of which all pilots must beaware.

The mid-air collision accident rateinvolving gliders has been of concern formany years and indicates that glider

pilots should guard against this hazardwith particular vigilance.


5/31

What is theessential Elementto achieving asuccessful lookout?

An effective andefficient scanningtechnique.


6/31

Be conscious of your Lookoutresponsibility 100% of the time.

Set up your cockpit (instrument layout,GPS operation, map handling, etc.) tomaximise your time outside the cockpit.

Good situation awareness is essential.


7/31

Cruising Scan Forward conical scan - 60 degrees left/right, up

and down.

Full Scan Complete visible sky scan. Each side, above and

below, behind each side round to as far back aspossible. Vital for situation awareness.

Targetted Scan Used in specific circumstances. Scan concentrates

on that part of the sky where the hazard isexpected.


8/31

Use a scan technique appropriate towhat you are doing, viz:-

1. CRUISING SCAN Straight glides

2. FULL SCAN Cruise scan plus appropriatepriority to the flight situation (e.g. Circuit).

3. TARGETED SCAN Cruise scan plus targetedpriority to the flight manoeuvre beforeinitiating (e.g Pull-up into thermal).


9/31

Flight ActivityFlight Activity Scan RequiredScan Required

CruisingCruising

Constant Heading,Constant Heading,Constant attitudeConstant attitude

CRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCANCRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCAN

Change Situation:Change Situation:E.g. Approaching aE.g. Approaching agaggle, aerodrome,ongaggle, aerodrome,onfinal glide, etc.final glide, etc.

Ongoing CRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCANOngoing CRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCANplus TARGETED SCAN specific to the situation.plus TARGETED SCAN specific to the situation.

Flight Manoeuvre:Flight Manoeuvre:

E.g. Pull up, turn, etc.E.g. Pull up, turn, etc.

Ongoing CRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCANOngoing CRUISING SCAN plus regular FULL SCAN

plus TARGETED SCAN specific to the situation.plus TARGETED SCAN specific to the situation.

NOTE!NOTE!The frequency of use of FULL SCAN andThe frequency of use of FULL SCAN andTARGETED SCAN in each Situation or Manoeuvre willTARGETED SCAN in each Situation or Manoeuvre willbe adjusted by your SITUATION AWARENESS.be adjusted by your SITUATION AWARENESS.


10/31

Look in particular for turning glidersindicating a gaggle thermalling ahead.

Slow down before entering an identified

area of lift especially if it alreadycontains gliders. When thermalling at turnpoints and in

the circuit, experience will readily dictatewhere to look for potentially conflictinggliders so use a targeted scan.


11/31

When pulling into a turn, remember that youhave changed the situation significantly so youneed to take primary responsibility for remainingclear of other gliders.

Scan back along the track direction whenentering a thermal looking for expected andunexpected gliders on that same track.

Because gliders around us will sometimes beeasy to see and other times will disappear as welook, it is necessary to make a conscious effortto maintain situation awareness i.e. keep trackof the gliders around you and what they aredoing.


12/31

Modern gliders have high energy - speeds arehigher than before.

Height gain in pull-ups is significant and rapid.

Hazards are greater on cross-countrycruise/racing, so stay alert.

Increased stress at contest start points, gettinglow on track, approaching a turn point, navigationchecks, etc. force pilots back into the cockpit.

Be particularly aware of this and force yourself tolookout !


13/31

Be aware of and allow for the effects of:- Age;

Fatigue;

low blood sugar; Dehydration; and

mild hypoxia.

If you have any of these be sure toconcentrate more than ever ontechnique.


14/31

The table below shows the visual target size and timeavailable to avoid a conflict at various target distances.

The visual target size is defined as the apparentwingspan of a 15 m glider subtended at 1 m i.e. armslength at the chosen range.

Actual distanceActual distanceto gliderto glider

Apparent TargetApparent TargetSize WingSize Wing

SpanSpan

Time to collision at closing speedTime to collision at closing speed

50 kts50 kts 100 kts100 kts 200 kts200 kts

500 m500 m 15 cm15 cm 20 sec20 sec 10 sec10 sec 5 sec5 sec


1500 m1500 m 1.5 cm1.5 cm 60 sec60 sec 30 sec30 sec 15 sec15 sec



15/31

Image size of a glider (at arms length as above)at initial detection is rarely much smaller than 1cm so normal first detection range is ca 1500m.

This means that, even at 50 kts, proceedinglonger than 60 seconds without a visual scan isequivalent to flying blind!

Clearly, the high closing speed and small targetarea of head-to-head conflicts make suchconflicts more difficult to see than otherconflicts.


16/31

Analysis of glider collisions tells us that one gliderwould have had a clear view of the other.

The picture we see in our brain is not updated

by any automatic process.

It is all too easy to look without seeing.

In order to see the small target provided byanother aircraft we need to make a consciouseffort to see when we look 100% of the time.


17/31

Focus on the horizon and notice somedetail.

Examine each section of the sky with theeye focused on infinity and stationary fora short period of time before moving tothe next segment.

A moving eye will not see any detail.


18/31

Consciously retain good situationawareness by being aware of the likelytraffic patterns and any known aircraft in

your vicinity.

Target the scan to the areas of potentialhazard.

Think of the possible even if unlikely.


19/31

Where the traffic pattern is random (lonecross-country or local soaring)concentrate the scan on straight ahead

and then to about 60o

to each side.

When flying fast, concentrate more onstraight ahead.

When flying slower expand the area ofconcentration.


20/31

Regularly do a full scan to the side and asfar back as possible, especially where:- Slowing;

Weaving; or to achieve situation awareness when heading

off from the top of a thermal or approachingthe airfield.

The highest risk of collision is glider-to-glider, cross-country flying.


21/31

The area within 5 miles of an aerodrome isusually a high traffic area with random traffic.

This is particularly dangerous airspace and

lookout needs to be excellent.

High speeds in this area are not appropriate.

Flying pre-start in a competition is aparticularly hazardous situation.


22/31

Beware of gliders on reciprocal headingswhen flying in streeting conditions oraround turning points.

Gliders on a reciprocal heading are verydifficult to see.

Avoid such circumstances and where thisis not possible take special care.


23/31

When gliding in a group or on a set task,much of the traffic will be on a similarheading.

Head-to-tail conflicts are easily avoidedbut gliders doing a pull-up, weaving,turning or backtracking provide an

ongoing hazard.


24/31

Do not fly in another aircrafts blind spotby following directly astern and higher.

A glider doing a pull-up can be in adouble blind situation there is noobvious fix for this so prevention is theonly defence.

Be predictable!


25/31

When weaving or entering a turn make sure yourlookout goes as far back as you can see.

The responsibility for clearing the air remains withthe turning glider for at least the first full turn.Subsequently the responsibility may be sharedwith other aircraft.

Look over your head to see traffic conflicting withyour turn particularly back along the mutual track.

If a conflict is likely, roll level to allow theconflicting glider to pass in front before re-enteringthe turn.


26/31

When following gliders, particularly if youare higher than the leading glider, thepilot must be aware of the likelihood of a

turn associated with a pull-up and beready to take appropriate action.


27/31

Situations where the following glider is afew hundred feet above the leading gliderare potentially dangerous.

Avoid double blind situationsdeveloping.


28/31

Be particularly careful when back-tracking (in lift) as this creates a head-to-head conflict.

Other areas where there are obvioustraffic patterns are:-Turn points;

When final gliding; Within 5 miles of an aerodrome; and In the circuit.


29/31

Flight SituationFlight Situation Specific Scan RequiredSpecific Scan Required

Start PointStart Point Full scan. Up/down. Left/rightFull scan. Up/down. Left/right

Turn PointTurn Point Full scan. Up/down. Left/right. Check opposing,Full scan. Up/down. Left/right. Check opposing,crossing tracks. Into and exit from Turn Point.crossing tracks. Into and exit from Turn Point.

Approaching AirfieldApproaching Airfield Full scan. Radio alert. Check crossing tracks.Full scan. Radio alert. Check crossing tracks.Approaches and DeparturesApproaches and Departures

Final GlideFinal Glide Full scan. Radio alert. Watch for finishing gliders.Full scan. Radio alert. Watch for finishing gliders.Circuit traffic.Circuit traffic.

In the CircuitIn the Circuit Targeted scan. Radio alert. Watch for power aircraft.Targeted scan. Radio alert. Watch for power aircraft.Watch for modified circuits.Watch for modified circuits.

Receive radio call fromReceive radio call fromnearby aircraftnearby aircraft

Full Scan. Target traffic location.Full Scan. Target traffic location.


30/31

Flight ManoeuvreFlight Manoeuvre Scan RequiredScan Required

VeeringVeering Prior to veer, scan in direction of veer including behind andPrior to veer, scan in direction of veer including behind andup. This is more than clearing the airspace you are about toup. This is more than clearing the airspace you are about toenterenter

TurningTurning Prior to turn, scan in direction of turn, behind and up andPrior to turn, scan in direction of turn, behind and up and

down. Continue to look through turn. Look for followingdown. Continue to look through turn. Look for followinggliders.gliders.

Pull-upPull-up Prior to pull up, look each side, and behind each side andPrior to pull up, look each side, and behind each side andoverhead as high as possible.overhead as high as possible.

Approaching a ThermalApproaching a Thermal Full scan above and below. Look for thermalling gliders andFull scan above and below. Look for thermalling gliders andapproaching gliders. Look for opposing gliders leaving orapproaching gliders. Look for opposing gliders leaving ortraversing the thermal.traversing the thermal.

ThermallingThermalling Maintain 200ft horizontal and vertical separation. Look forMaintain 200ft horizontal and vertical separation. Look forgliders joining.gliders joining.

Leaving a ThermalLeaving a Thermal Full scan. Look down. Commence cruising scan plus full scanFull scan. Look down. Commence cruising scan plus full scanprocess.process.


31/31

A presentation byA presentation by

Christopher ThorpeChristopher Thorpe

Chief Flying InstructorChief Flying Instructor

Beaufort Gliding ClubBeaufort Gliding Club

lookout for glider pilots

Documents