More to Learn

[mcgowantk]

I also had two fun flights at Woodstock yesterday. However, I had two experiences that I would like to share in the hope that others may do a better job if they are confronted with the same situation.

The first one was inexcusable. After getting nice and high with Pete (and thinking we had our own radio frequency) I noted how other pilots were staying far below us. Mark Cavenaugh quickly pointed out that he was working on the issue, and that situation was quickly remedied as Mark specked out and I sunk out and landed a few minutes later. Mark went on to fly for another 3 hours! Never tease Mark about being below you!

The second experience was a little more serious. When I sunk out after my first flight, I flew to the LZ with a couple of hundred feet to spare. When checking the windsock, it was blowing about 7-8 mph directly away from the mountain. I couldn't believe my eyes. I had thought about this before. I remembered Middleon asking me before my first flight at Woodstock how I would handle a 3 mph east wind in the LZ. At the time, I thought I would just land up the hill because that would help mitigate the downwind landing. However, yesterday with that wind I thought that I would land too high on the hill and really pound in due to the tail wind. I thought about cross wind landing along the top of the hill, but that didn't seem too great an idea based on previous attempts to land along the top of the north/south hill. Plus, I thought how the wind could change quickly to due north or south and really mess me up. Given the minute I had to think about it, I ended up trying to land cross wind along the top of the hill and had a poor landing.

In hindsight, I have wondered what I could do differently and how I could think more clearly about my alternatives during the one minute I had to decide. Landing up the hill may have been a better option than I thought. I could have tried to stick it deep down the hill and hope for no wind; however, that seems more risky than a 90 degree cross wind landing. Another thought was that I should have flown to another field in the hope that the east wind was a local issue related to a thermal. I did have a vague thought that landing near others in those landing conditions might have some benefits so I ruled that out. I am not sure I could have reached the river field anyway (which was likely my only alternative). When I landed after my second flight, the wind was north cross but at that time I just thought a cross wind landing would not be a big deal and it wasn't.

I am a believer in trying to think about scenarios that may ocurr while flying and how I would handle them. I hope that thinking of similar situations may have helped me in this case, but I have to admit that I didn''t feel in total control of the situation or that I was making quick reasoned decisions. Not that I should preach to the choir, but I recommend that new pilots think about what they would have done in that situation, if they haven't already. This is the second time in over 1,000 high flights where I was suprised at the wind direction. I would have thought that being surprised would have happened more often. Landing in the middle of the afternoon contributed to the likelihood of changing wind directions due to thermal activity too.

Maybe the best way to prevent this from happening again is to fly til dark like Mark!

Tom McGowan

[mcelrah]

I'm a big fan of diving it into the hole at the bottom of the Woodstock LZ and then having the up-slope flare you. Seems highly likely to be in a wind shadow whichever way it's blowing at that red hot moment. Ya gotta be ready in case you encounter wind-shear, microburst or whatever it was that caused Joe G. to pound in on a Falcon 195 a few years ago. How to "be ready"? Dive it in, but round out promptly, I guess... - Hugh's 2 cents

[markc]

I was a few miles south of the LZ and a few hundred over when I heard Tom on the radio describing the conditions that he had landed in. Since I had a bit of altitude, I decided to try tracking _away_ from the mountain.... And it worked, I definitely found lift as I followed an "upwind" course. So whatever was going on was a lot more than just local to the LZ!

I've had a few landings at the Woodstock LZ late in the day, with catabatic winds of a few mph blowing down the mountain. In those conditions, landing 'normally', uphill, is usually just fine. I don't know what the heck I would do with winds that were sustained and stronger than that.... Woodstock isn't like High Rock or Pulpit, where you can radically modify your approach to handle unusual conditions.

Heck, Sunday was just the SECOND TIME in 15 years of flying where I've said "Wow, I really have to land along the spine!" Luckily for me, the direction was solid N/NE, as opposed to what Tom had earlier in the day.

Familiarity breeds accidents. Thinking about what-if scenarios, like Tom suggests, is something that we should all do more often.

[XCanytime]

Tom I applaud your willingness to discuss your first landing scenario and the thoughts going into deciding which approach to take. Thanks for taking the time to describe everything that was happening. As an eyewitness to your approach and landing I think you did everything right given the scenario you were presented with. Don't beat yourself up about your decision making. It was spot on in my opinion. Your landing was just a case of flaring a little late. It also seemed to me when your left hand went to go up on the left downtube, your hand hit the keel wire and may have thrown off your timing for your flare. Bacil

[RichH]

I think every pilot at one time or another is faced with this problem..Usually on days with a high lapse rate and strong thermal conditions you can see the wind sock change several times in a short span of time..I'm far from an expert but when I know there is a good chance of this in the LZ I try to give myself some extra time by starting my landing process with extra altitude/Time ..I'll try and fly over the LZ with extra time so to examine the wind direction as much as possible and if it is fluctuating I'll try and set up my final by splitting the difference in the direction.. If I see the sock has been moving lets say between S and E I'll come in on my final SSE so I can give myself one last opportunity when I come out of my final base leg turn to adjust 20 or 30 degrees in either direction to get the best chance for a good flare..Again, the dynamics of the landing field might prevent this especially if its narrow or sloping..but its a technique I've had to use often at Blue Sky since on a very good thermal days the direction can change dramatically during your flight..Again this works best in more open fields..Such as Blue Sky or Highland etc..Wouldnt work in narrow fields such as HR or Hyner...Just a thought..Great topic by the way ,,Rich Hiegel

[Flying Lobster]

This post caught my eye for a couple of reasons--one is that Tom is one of the most intelligent and talented pilots that I know--the other is that the "unpredictability" factor he describes is one that I encounter quite frequently at Lookout and their lz. I've found the lz at Lookout to be one of the most consistently challenging lz's I've ever landed in--despite it's large size and manicured condition.

Even on days with a strong, consistent wind direction and speed--I have several times been well into my final approach when the wind suddenly switched--sometimes 180 degrees. Since I fly fairly well loaded on a topless--this can have profound consequences. For some reason--I've yet to encounter this "switchiness" whenever I fly and land at any of the Sequatchie valley sites.

I've concluded from many landings--as well as valley crossings and flying around the lz--that the air "inflows" can be very dynamic due to nearby foothills and the overall tendency for "valley flow." The lz is surrounded by sizable foothills. If you can picture rushing water flowing around a big rock in a stream--you might be able to see how a "leeside back eddy" could rotate and reverse direction to the prevailing flow. That's my theory anyway.

marc

[Ward Odenwald]

Here’s my philosophy - treat every landing as if you’re going into a field for the first time. With that mind-set coupled with a deep respect for pain, the extra altitude and focus that it brings will take care of a lot of last minute surprises and it just might give you the option of flying to a secondary LZ. Whether you’re flying XC or at a familiar site, arriving at an LZ with only a couple hundred ft to spare, no matter how familiar, is pushing your luck! Like Mark said, “Familiarity breeds accidents.” Most of my top-ten scary flying stories deal with my desperately trying to make it into an LZ that I either selected at the last minute or I mentally locked onto that were way to far-away (totally insane, stupid situations that still wake me up at night). One additional thought, if you’re landing mid-day during thermal conditions, cross-wind/down-wind situations on final are a frequent event especially if you’re landing in a field for the first time with no wind indicators. If I sense that my final is not directly into the wind and the ground looks reasonably "wheel friendly", I’ll keep my hands on the control bar and land on my wheels. In addition to my parachute, I consider wheels an essential safety device - no mater what type of glider your flying.

Ward

[uplandann]

Ward, I'm glad you mentioned landing on the wheels... also I've found that if there's a chance that I'm going to land downwind, I'm prepared to run out the landing. Running helps slow the glider.

Ann