I find it helpful to always push up on the canopy above my head just to double check it is fully locked and secure. Well done on not doing anything other than flying the aircraft 👍
In the UK, the check is "canopy closed, locked and resists upward pressure". I would suggest doing the last part using the canopy frame or tab, rather than pushing on the canopy perspex as this will mark and scratch it over time.
@@david3599good check but its when you forget the check that lets you down. So many time i find myself saying the checklist and not really doing the actions. It should always be an action sequence like canopy, reach the knob, look at it, confirm its actually locked, then say the result of your checking CLOSED AND LOCKED. Just saying the checklist like youve memorised is a false sense of security.
Not sure how to reliably mitigate pilots saying the words and failing to do the action in a single crew situation. Needs discipline. Perhaps could be picked up during annual checks.
In my experience the more current i am the more i tend to not do things purposefully. Maybe muscle memory and subconscious take over like when your driving somewhere familiar and get there and dont recall all of the drive, mind has been wandering.
Danke, dass du das mit uns teilst! Ich lerne auch gerade fliegen und genau vor solchen Situationen geht mir echt die (nicht vorhandene) Düse. Mach weiter so!
…wunderbar, dass du fliegen lernst! ja, manchmal kann der puls beim fliegen durch die decke gehen. mir haben in solchen momenten oft checklisten und mentales training geholfen. glück auf und auf bald in der luft!
Nice video - this year we added canopy check to our final pre-flight check I.e. Dolly Off - Brakes Closed and Locked - Canopy Secure (upward pressure) - Link (blue/red etc.)
The flight manual of the old Jastreb Glassflugel 304B that I fly says to use -2 flaps early on in the take off run to increase aileron control. I can not tell how much difference it makes, but I have noticed limited aileron control on roll out in some crosswind landings. Great that You show a video like this for benefit of others! I once had a serious problem on takeoff when the flap lever would not budge from -2 to 0. I sorted it out by briefly opening and closing the split flap brake which freed the flaps. No explanation was found and the problem could not be repeated on the ground. I believe something must have made the flap/airbrake interlock sieze, like a piece of gravel or similar. An unpleasant experience nevertheless. I since then always check "flap movement free" last thing before tow... I really like the flying qualities and comfort on long flights in this glider. The above is the only issue I had. The split flap system takes som getting used to.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience and sorry for letting you wait for some days. Your input is very helpful! Happy to hear that this scary moment of blocked flaps went out well. Yes, I agree that this glider seems not easy at first sight, but offer really good over all handling and especially a nice cockpit and very good gliding performance. It does really well run under the clouds.
After years of sailing, I've learned that when something goes wrong, it often cascades into a real sh*t-fight, as other , often unrelated errors occur. At least I didn't have to worry about falling out of the sky...
good point, this cascading brings the trouble! it may sounds confusing but in that case i tried not to solve the problem (unlocked canopy) immediately, because i wanted to buy time and height to solve everything in a less critical phase of the flight. its opposite of what your instinct wants to do, but i hoped not to get in this cascading and keep workload low…
@@flyneur I think you did everything correctly - including staying on tow. I would have done the same as you. - The only difference is that you would have suffered less stress - and better concentration during flt. if you'd known in advance that the canopy would be held in place by aerodynamic forces. You need to know that for this kind of scenario, and also if you need to bail out in an emergency. We need to know the characteristics of the glider we fly thoroughly.
@@KeithHays-ek4vr …true, I was really not shure and that brought a lot if stress…btw…it was the second flight on this model and I have been reading the manual some hours before…I guess that was as well a factor that I still did not have full trust like into a model I spent many hours with…
Nice video, amazing learning. I wonder if your right-wing dropped when the wing runner "pushed" his wing. 1:02 in your video. Thank you for sharing the learning experience!
…wing runners are briefed not to push and try to keep the wings level as long as possible, even the left wing is going up due to the prop wash or propeller thrust. thanks for sharing your feedback and observation! 😊
This fall, I also encountered a situation that shouldn't have happened. It was my ninth passenger flight of the day in the Arcus. Since it always took some time for the passengers to be seated, I usually completed half of my checks during that time. I always continued the check with the parts that could in any way influence me. In this particular flight, with rain approaching, I thought I had already checked everything and proceeded with the second part. At around 200 meters, it turned out that I forgot to lock the speedbrakes. Due to my hand positioning, I felt the movement of the lever, allowing me to retract them immediately. Nothing happened, but after that, I decided to stop flying for the rest of the day.
thanks so much for sharing your experience here! Happy to hear that you could manage the situation and that you and your passenger could land safely. I think you reacted very well to take your time to overthink and analyze the situation. I agree, that the routine of checklist are often interrupted on the start grid by many reasons. It helps always when all other pilots, launch-helpers and people around help to create a atmosphere of concentration at the start grid, in order to avoid distractions. It should become an ettiquette...
Thank you for sharing! Very good response, not panicing and holding down the canope until you're at a safer altitude! The wing strike during the tow didnt seem that dangerous to me. The 2 near-misses with the wingtips at around 1:13 looked scarier :D But maybe that was just due to the wide angle camera lens..
Thanks for your feedback and good observation. I guess that secondary near wingstrikes might be more a danger because of increased speed? And yes, I saw these early wingstrikes before, but often pilots continue. I am not sure if this is a good habit. I don't have clear answer here...My feeling says that canceling at low speed might be more safe...
I am very glad you stayed safe, but you should have at the very least radioed to the tow pilot to make it a pattern tow and not a half hour of towing in an unsafe condition. I recognize the field looked moderately busy, and with lots of obstructions, but this is exactly why you have a radio! Tell people what is happening! Others on pattern would have been able to make your landing easier and safer, and you woudnt have spent nearly one hour stressing over a canopy falling off any second.
Thanks for your helpful comment! Yes, my first thought was to land as soon as possible again. The soon as possible was for me that moment at a height which allows me to fly straight for a while to solve the issue with the canopy. That's why I felt more safe towing much longer (14mins) and as well it does not seem that the canopy fall of. Even though it was a stressfull for the level of my pilot skills and epxerience. I absolutely agree that informing on the radio is in general always good and helpful that all others get aware. This is a lesson I will take for sure! Thanks!
@@flyneur i can definitely understand the feeling! On my first flight in a single seat glider, i failed to notice how low in the seat i was despite having the parachute on, and on tow i could barely see the tow plane which made me very uncomfortable. I immediately radioed the tow pilot that i was unsure i wanted to keep going up, but i soon realized that i had already gone that many minutes without any major issue, and nothing would be solved until i landed, so i decided to continue with the tow. The flight went by perfectly and when I landed one of the club members said that was the best first landing they had seen someone do in that glider. Glad youre safe and enjoyed the flight, safe flying for your future!
Why would you use rudder to correct a wing drop? I think you mean left stick to correct for the wing drop. Also, not sure why the prop wash would cause a wing drop. Looked as though you were over controlling after the wing drop. Why did the canopy not lock properly and why was it not noticed before attaching the tow cable? As and added safety measure the wing runner should also check canopy closed and locked and brakes closed and locked.
Thanks for your helpful comment! Yes, you are right, left rudder is not correct, it is aileron or left stick. It is a germanism or language mistake from my side. In german it is called Querruder, so I guess I messed this up. The theory for the tendency for a right wing drop is that the prop wash is hitting the left wing causing more lift on that side (I guess this is due to p-factor ot torque of propellers, but I am not a pro in aerodynamics of a engine powered plane). Wing runners are always instructed in case this happens they keep the left wing a gently down and level as long as possible. Even I did closed the canopy handles, the pin did miss the holes by a few milimeters, which was difficult to notice for the wing runner or me. In future I will do always a gentle push against the canopy to be shure its closed AND locked.
@@flyneur Thanks for the reply. I did think you had just made a mistake when talking about the rudder. Still not sure about the prop wash thing though, it's not something I've ever encountered or heard any other pilots at my club talk about. As for the canopy locking pins - I've noticed this on some gliders and as I mentioned it is helpful for the wing runner to check before hookup as they can see from outside if the canopy is flush or not plus as you say apply upward pressure to check if the canopy is secure. It is good that you posted the video to show and explain the mistakes you made, this is how we all learn from each other. Stay safe brother and happy soaring.
A light wingstrike on grass runways at the beginning of takeoff-roll is not something to consider about severely. And for sure not to abort takeoff. If you can lock the canopy after having disconnected from the towplane that's fine also. So no stress.😢
I wish I would have that coolness you are talking about. In that moment I felt very much stressed because two things happened for the first time within short time...
Es ist immer leicht, im Nachhinein zu sagen, was man hätte tun sollen.... und wenn dann der Stress kommt, nimmt man das, was man zuerst gelernt hat. Das ist im Gedächtnis verankert. Deshalb ist eine gute und richtige Ausbildung so wichtig. Und ja, wir alle machen Fehler. Schöne Umgebung, welcher Flughafen ist das? Habt ihr oft welle? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-tENWuS3rUHI.html
Danke für dein Kommentar! Der Flugplatz heißt Unterwössen und hat eine empfehlenswerte Flugschule (www.dassu.de). Für verlässliche Wellen ist Südfrankreich wohl berühmter. Aber neulich habe ich etwas unerwartet eine Welle nahe dem Flugplatz erwischt. Das Video, dass du wohlmöglich schon kennst, findest Du hier. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZdeJuXFRLKY.html
@@chrisbehm5947 lucky you! its a great glider. in the beginning (as you saw) I had some problems but I liked it more and more! The one I m flying is chartered and as far as I remember it is just C.