Some Notes on Useful Things
By Max Speedy, South Gippsland Gliding Club
This is a compendium of some notes that I think are some of the more important issues with gliding generally and especially for those who are new to the sport. There is no question that there is plenty of information available in quite a range of places; the difficulty when you are new to gliding is how do you know where to go?
The GFA web site is a good place to start and your fellow pilots are able assist but asking the right question can be daunting sometimes and navigating the GFA web site if you don’t have a good idea of what you want is not that easy. So this is my list which is a fair start for you.
None of this overrides any GFA document, it is just that what is here can get you started. Some of these papers have additional references in them for further reading on that topic.
Links to the Flight Manuals for both the Twin Astir and the two single Astir CS’s will be on the Club Web Site but they are best read in conjunction with viewing the aircraft. The hard-copy manuals specific to our aircraft are in the hangar. You need to understand the aircraft flight manuals in any event before your first solo.
Here are the papers that will assist the new and aspiring glider pilots in our Club to gain an insight into some of the questions that maybe you were too afraid to ask:
- Users’ Guide to the GFA Web Site
- Some Gliding Safety procedures
- Safety Response Duty Pilot
- Lift and Drag Info
- Use of Air Brakes
- That First Cross Country
- Gliding Weather and the GFA Met site
- (If you are really keen), Tephigrams https://anla.gr/attachments/Tephigrams.pdf and / or search for Gordon Dennis on Tephigrams.
Compiled September 2019.