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Emergency Procedures
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
• Landing in lakes.
If there are no fields in sight, lakes are preferable. Land parallel with the shore. Providing the canopy is either side or front hinged, unlatch it before landing, this prevents the canopy from jamming shut due to compression loads on the fuselage. Flaps should be set to the neutral position and the spoilers should be closed at touch-down. Flaps and spoilers were not designed for water loads.
Contrary to what may be intuitively obvious, it is important to lower the landing gear. It has been proven that there is less tendency for the glider to tuck under if the gear is down.
If a water landing is done correctly, the glider may well be flyable the next day. In some parts of Sweden water landings are done on a more or less regular basis as lakes are the only option other than trees.
• Landing in woods.
If a landing in the woods is unavoidable, never pick a clearing with stumps. Select a large tree with a full crown. Set a normal pattern, be sure to approach the tree into wind, then stall, nose high into the crown.
• Collision avoidance.
If, with the sailplane on the ground and rolling, it becomes obvious that it cannot be stopped in time to avoid colliding with a fence, ditch or other obstacles - an intentional ground loop may be a better alternative. But delay it as long as possible. Be sure to move the stick forward at the same time when applying ailerons, lifting the tail to avoid breaking the fuselage.
Obviously we cannot practice any of these emergencies, but we can be mentally prepared. By envisioning any and all eventualities and pre-planning the optimum way of dealing with them, we can significantly increase our chances of keeping our skin intact if we should ever be faced with unpleasant options. The prime objective is to maintain control of the sailplane, not matter what the circumstances.
• Maintain Control
The important thing is to maintain control no matter how impossible a situation you may be faced with. You may not be able to save the glider but the chances of personal injury is highly unlikely.
I have known a great many troubles,
but most of them never happened.
Mark Twain
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