SurClaro Flight Simulator Resources

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

Yesterday I had another glider lesson. The weather was pretty good with the "right" clouds and local thermals.

The instructor and I made ready for a take-off. This time he handed me the controls on the t/o, and it went fine. We got up to 300m and then I was asked to turn left. I applied full rudder and moved the stick left. I remember the plane began to shake, and then it happened! I was too keen on the stick, too high on the angle of attack, which resulted in too little speed. And suddenly the plane turned to the side and began a spin! I remember seeing the ground right in front of me, so we might have dived a lot. Also, I rememer a lot of G's!

Ok, my first action was to pull the stick back, but nothing at all happened. The instructor suddenly shouted "DON'T TOUCH THE CONTROLS, DON'T TOUCH!". Scared I moved my hands and feets from the controls and he got us straightned up. He began the approch with a strange silence in the cocpit. We came down safe, but I only took 1 more flight that day...whoa, that was scary!

Brain Licker · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 129 Location: Dundee (EGPN)

so you could say you were: http://youtube.com/watch?v=gofeaMhvw4Y

or

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CMwdAc1Dzfg

glad you made it back safe !

harkonnen · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 12:26 pm Post subject:

Wow, 300 meters isn't a lot of altitude to play when. Good to hear you guys were able to recover quickly! Wow. Were you really calm or really scared, or somewhere in between? Did you have time to worry or was it all good before you really had time to react?

Hark (Living vicariously through others.)

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

You're right, not much altitude!

Well, I think I was somewhere in between... When it happened I just pulled the stick back and when nothing then happened, I just sat there, didn't know if I should worry or not, looking at the ground. I actually felt like it wasn't real..It's kinda hard to explain. Then, when we had recovered I wasn't actually scared, just enormous dissapointet over myself. It was actually first when I got down I got a little scared.. And then, on the flight after that one I couldn't really turn as sharp as I'm used to, without to feel a little fear... So next time I'll get up there, I have that fear to overcome before I can feel totally calm again.. But it was an experience I'll never forget!

harkonnen · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 8:19 pm Post subject:

Pretty cool story Behrentzs. How do you find the gliders in FS? Fairly close aerodynamics or is it a whole different feeling?

mel wilson · Posted: Sun Sep 02, 2007 9:07 pm Post subject:

FS Gliders dont hurt as much when you hit the deck in an uncontrolable spin. Plus you get a second try at the same manover. Beats playing the harp.

Mel.

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

Hark, honestly it's whole different in the real world. I think that the gliders in FS are ... hmm... in some way easier to fly... (yeah of course, but still). It feels like you have lift all the time too. In the real world you won't stay up more than 10 min without thermals.. (if you have a winch start, of course it's different if you are pulled up by a tow plane) However I have found some few decent ones, which are kinda like the real thing.. :D

harkonnen · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 7:43 pm Post subject:

Interesting, I guess the more challenging flights in FS gliders would be the ones where you don't start yourself off with a lot of 'safety' altitude to play with. Very cool that you're doing it in real life, great post...keep 'em coming. :)

King OF air350 · Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject:

gliders are fascinating, but i can never manage to avoid breaking the tow rope

My question is: how do you make it to an airport with the right amount of altitude remaining. Do you always shoot for the same airport? How do you know if you are going to make it back?

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

King OF air350 wrote: gliders are fascinating, but i can never manage to avoid breaking the tow rope

My question is: how do you make it to an airport with the right amount of altitude remaining. Do you always shoot for the same airport? How do you know if you are going to make it back?

In my area we don't have that many airfields close to each other. And considering I'm still a trainee I've only flown out and in of one airfield with the glider. We have a rule that you should be at about 150m when you go for the base leg. If you are that high you won't have a problem making it down to the field.

Well, you don't know for sure if you make it back... However when we go up, we search for some thermals. If we don't find anything, then we know it's time to start the approch. But that's one of the cool things about gliders: It's a challenge to keep em' up, you really have to concentrate and find thermals all the time if you want to stay airborne. However if we don't make it to the airfield it's no problem as we're surrounded by fields. Then we just land on one of them.

Hope that answeared your question :)

sonicboom2885 · Posted: Tue Sep 04, 2007 6:32 pm Post subject:

during a flat spin, depending on which way ur spinning, dont u push down on the stick n not pull up, and apply rudder to the opposite of the spin?

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

Yup Sonic. You have to apply full rudder depending on what side you spin to. And don't touch the stick, just make sure you get her level on the wings, and THEN you can start pulling the stick.

sonicboom2885 · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2007 6:59 am Post subject:

i knew those tutorials in those combat flight sims would work! =P

Behrentzs · Joined: 16 Feb 2006 Posts: 579 Location: Denmark

sonicboom2885 wrote: i knew those tutorials in those combat flight sims would work! =P

Haha Sonic, I should have browsed a few of those before I got up there.. :wink:

Cat1 · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:32 am Post subject:

Brain Licker wrote: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CMwdAc1Dzfg
glad you made it back safe !

Ahhh the 80's! When one hit wonders were an off the shelf commodity.
And depending on the band, they had better shoes, hair, clothes, and make up than some of the gals I dated... :roll:

Seriously though, very glad you you made it back to the ground in one piece Behrentzs.