Mid-Air in the UK

[John Phelan]

Thermalling Mid-Air over in England.

Pilot died in mid-air gliding competition crash (msn.com)

John Phelan

[John DeRosa]

Sad news.   This appears to have happened August of 2023 during a contest.

 

Here is more information about the accident with some flight trace images and analysis.   https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-report-ventus-2ct-g-kads-and-e1-antares-g-clxg-on-17-august-2023.

 

Being part of any gaggle is something that takes extra care when entering, circling, and exiting.  At a contest even more so due to the number of gliders all wanting to climb better than everyone else.  Just today the latest Wings & Wheels newsletter covered just this topic.  I have copied the content below.  Sign up for these interesting newsletters at http://wingsandwheels.com

 

Be careful out there!

 

– John DeRosa (OHM)

 

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<h1>Play Nice With Others in a Gaggle</h1>
In a past article, I wrote about leaving a thermal and accelerating while in the lift. That way when you encounter the sink you are already at or near cruise speed and get through the sink quickly. That is great when you are alone. However, let’s think about what happens when we have company.

 
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Everything Changes in a Gaggle</h2>
When you exit it is considered bad form to cut through the core of the thermal, dive onto the glider below you, and cut-off the guy that was next to you. Actually, it is considered such bad form they may ask you to leave, assuming you didn’t have to use the parachute to complete your thermal exit.

Gaggles can be more efficient in finding the core and spreading out to find a thermal. Not only must we have our heads on a swivel we need to remember that the last mid-air at a WGC (that I remember) was not someone in a large gaggle but 3 guys on course. Two were focused on the one circling and they collided watching the one guy thermalling. I watched one midair where gelcoat was traded as the two pilots pulled up and one turned directly into the other glider, denting the bottom of the wing.

 
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Entering a Gaggle</h2>
Entry is like merging onto a crowded freeway with a bunch of A$$holes. Nobody is going to let you in, sometimes they physically can’t because the spacing is already worked out. As you approach a gaggle you need to look for an opening. Look for the other glider merging. Slow down before you merge and be at thermal speed as you slide in. You cannot hit the lift pull hard and directly into the gaggle. It is too easy to misjudge.

 
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Leaving a Gaggle</h2>
When you decide to leave, you leave on heading assuming you can safely exit when you want to. Then slowly lower the nose once the wings are level then build up your speed without major nose changes to not collide with the glider that may have left under you. There are a few seconds where you have to accept it could have been done more efficiently but compromised safety.

You also have to fly a little faster as the gaggle gets busier. A little faster gives you more control and a little farther away from stall speed. You cannot make every small correction for centering because that might cause a mid-air. Quite often the gaggle can still be quicker on course than a solo glider even with these inefficiencies.

 

Next, read the article on gaggle thinking.  https://wingsandwheels.com/blog/post/avoid-stupid-group-think

 

 

 

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