Vintage Gliding, some Cautionary advice, from Chris Hughes.
As well as having vintage gliders, we are getting an increasing
number of vintage pilots, most of whom are very experienced and
perfectly safe in the right circumstances. As the years roll on,
the difficulty is in the detection of the reduction in one's ability
to cope. To my mind, there are four particular items to watch
out for and hence to compensate for.
The first is the Switch Off syndrome. In later years
this seems to be more complete than in younger days. It produces
the "how did I get this far down wind?" or "where
on earth did that glider come from?" situations, and
hence requires a far greater determination to switch on at the
beginning of a flight and to remain swiched on.
The second is the Blank Screen syndrome. This is
where a sudden and urgent change of plan is required, and no new
plan comes to mind regardless of how much one tries. An experienced
pilot can usually rely on some instinctive flying to get him out
of trouble, but an inexperienced pilot is likely to do anything,
the most likely course being to try to just arrive back on the
airfield, backwards if necessary! This seems to apply more to
the older brain, and so the need in later years to try to foresee
emergency situations becomes more important.
The third is the Look and Not See syndrome. Quite
often it is possible to glance round and just not register anything
of importance, like a glider heading straght for you. Again, this
is to a certain extent a function of age, and it means that much
more careful scanning and re-scanning is required. This is particularly
significant if one's eyes are not quite as good as they used to
be.
The fourth is the Head Down syndrome. In the past,
a quick glance at the old-style instruments plus the noise of
an audio vario could provide almost all the information required
in an instant. Now, what with digital readouts, flight director
systems, GPS, vario averagers etc, the information cannot be picked
up at a glance, and it is very easy to become engrossed in the
wealth of information displayed, and to forget to keep a good
lookout. In later years it certainly takes longer to lap up all
this instrumentation. Don't get fascinated by the instruments.
All these syndromes are particularly important when trying to
keep a good lookout, and for vintage gliders even more important
because of the often poor range of vision and lower speeds. Hitting
the ground hard is one thing. Taking somebody else with you is
another!