Are You Really Ready for Your First Flight of the Year?
By Rich Carlson, Chairman of the Soaring Safety Foundation Once again Spring has arrived and thoughts of long soaring flights fill your head as you open the trailer and pull [...]
American Soaring Signals
SOARING GROUND SIGNALS The standard American Soaring Ground signals. You may also find it useful to view animations of these signals by viewing the Online Wing [...]
Tow Pilot Course Introduction
Scope & Purpose The scope and purpose of this course is to provide standardized tow pilot training producing safe and competent tow pilots. Overview of Aerotow A glider [...]
Ground Handling
Introduction While safe ground handling is primarily the responsibility of the pilot-in-command of the glider, all members of the ground crew also need to be knowledgeable of these procedures. Safe [...]
Assisting the Pilot with Pre-Flight Preparations
Introduction Before the pilot is ready to climb into the glider for takeoff, a number of preparations and safety checks must be completed to ensure that the glider is in [...]
Tow Hook, Tow Ring, Tow Rope Inspection
Tow Hook Assembly Inspection & Operational Check American Type Tow Hook 1. Visually inspect the tow hook and release arm for damage, cracks, deformation, and freedom of movement [...]
Positioning the Glider for Takeoff
Introduction Once the pilot has completed all required pre-flight checks and is ready for launch, the glider can be positioned on the departure runway. This operation must be performed efficiently [...]
Takeoff Planning
1. After your inspections are complete, compute takeoff performance for the towplane using the approved pilot operating handbook (POH). As a rule of thumb the tow plane is normally [...]
Assisting the Pilot with Pre-Takeoff Checklist
Introduction Once the glider has been checked to ensure that it is airworthy (see Assisting the Pilot with Pre-Flight Preparations) and has been positioned for takeoff (see Positioning the [...]
Standard American Soaring Signals – Ground Signals
Normally, the Standard American Soaring Signals will be used to communicate between the launch crew and tow plane. In some cases, specific local procedures may be in effect. The [...]