Glider Pilot Confession: A turn that nearly killed me.

[@SteFly]

"And remember don´t crash" 😂Great and honest video, Tim!

[@PureGlide]

Thanks mate!

[@davesgliding]

From a safety perspective, aviation is encouraged to be a non-judgement zone. We need to be free to share our failures openly, else we don’t learn from each other. Thanks for being a good example for us in that. We have a saying. Airspeed is life, altitude is options. You’ve certainly clearly made that point in your commentary. Good lessons shared. Thanks.

[@barbermot]

Kudos for taking a critical look at yourself and posting it no less. Got nervous just watching you, but learned a lot from it.

[@PureGlide]

Quite frankly it made me nervous re watching it the first few times too

[@blubb9004]

Especially the (seemingly) sharp turn so close to the ground in the end...beginner as I am, I instinctively wanted to look down your left wing, how close it was. Good thing you are fine, you "have" to do so many more of your beautiful gliding videos!

[@tonywilson4713]

@@PureGlide When I first saw the thumbnail I thought "OMG another YYT clown doing another BS video about stuff they have NO IDEA about." Great all round video for people to learn from. You earned a new subscriber.

[@TheSoaringChannel]

Holy COW that was a CLOSE call on tow! That will rattle for a while I suspect. I'm so glad you have Flarm. Do the towplanes have Flarm as well? Man... Then to finish it off with that turn to final. You forgot to mention what you did Right! Here's what I'll say you did RIGHT: when you made the low turn you pushed the nose down and resisted stepping on the downward/inside rudder when you overshot!!! Cheers for the low angle of attack turning to a tight final even in spite of all that Bahia grass in your face. It takes a well trained pilot to push forward when confronted with Terra firma in their face and you did a nice deliberate push. That and the speed staying up gave you what you needed to make it down safely. The low AOA helped reduce the risks from ruddering it around on the turn to final. And as always: if the yaw string is pointing to the sky... At least it won't roll over in the turn if you come up short. Thank you for sharing this Tim. I'll be showing it to my children tomorrow as a lesson of what you said in the video; and also in humbleness. You've got that one dialed right in. 😊

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks mate, yeah I had a section on 'what I did right', but edited it out, and left in the bit about speed only, glad you picked up on it! Cheers

[@TheSoaringChannel]

@@PureGlide listen buddy - it's *OK* to beat yourself up and then follow up to teach the things you "at least did right". I did notice the speed comment. I'd like to learn more what else was done right. 😊 You're my favorite gliding channel Tim because of these analysis. I don't think people will see you as "puffing yourself up" if you discuss the what went right 😊 cheers buddy

[@evanhill110]

I can't speak for all clubs, but mine (BGGC in the UK) operates a Piper PA25 Pawnee as a towplane, and that has a FLARM unit in the cockpit, as do all of our gliders

[@MiniLuv-1984]

"Don't crash" - classic. Thanks for sharing the flight issues and the decisions. Cheers.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Benny

[@Pletharoe]

As a professional pilot recently taken up gliding it's great that you posted this video and I salute the lessons learned. A little tight on the landing I agree, but as some other comments have suggested my biggest criticism would be the use of the speedbrakes in the turn on final. I've seen many a private pilot come a cropper from this at low altitude particularly in a turn. It's vital to understand that doing so rapidly increases the stall speed on the higher AOA wing and can cause a stall and spin before you know what's happening. Better to land long or roll out first before applying. Thanks for sharing!

[@shaundawson4707]

I wouldn’t mind seeing OP talk about the spolier thing. This would seem to be a good time to skip that checklist item. If that’s what it was. It might have been gear…

[@mikeryan6277]

If he was concerned about being short why would he apply brakes?

[@simoncasey7770]

Hey Tim - probably one of your most viewed videos and one of the most effective. It took real courage to share this and you can see the appreciation from all the comments. One thing that one of our club members noticed was that your glider was in a skidding turn at 03:45 as shown by your yaw string. This is fairly common with low level turns that can quickly lead to a wing drop stall. I think your high airspeed saved you from this.

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks Simon, yeah it wasn't a perfect turn that's for sure! Yip speed is the key when low...

[@stefanastley]

Spotted this too, but Tim clearly made a conscious effort to add speed before that turn or at the very least change the attitude with a view to ensure the speed didn't decay, it's that sort of primacy being displayed in these situations that makes you very proud of our training - When Tim learnt, and also when he teaches others I am sure. I like anyone else cringed to see the glide get stretched to approach from that direction but knew it would be OK from the moment the nose went down. Even if it had been a crash, it was being actively flown into rather than departing from controlled flight.

[@BillPalmer]

That last low turn looked pretty scary on the video. 😮

[@PureGlide]

Agreed!

[@voornaam3191]

I've seen an SZD-51 Junior doing scary low turning. It was a broken off winch launch, and he was in an awkard position. Too much altitude for landing straight ahead, but not enough for the normal pattern. So he did a 360 turn and at the last moment he realised he would not have long enough a runway in front of him. But he had an escape, the other runway. So during his final he did a very very careful and perfectly coordinated turn to the right. Everybody was watching that turn, and he disappeared around the corner. But he won himself hundreds of yards of grass airstrip. I think the lesson was, if it gets that difficult to make it back to the runway safely, then please land on farm land just next to the airport. He could have passed the winch, there is a field there. Just watch out for cows. This young pilot showed us, that it is bloody important to keep flying normal. You often hear fear for banking, and applying too much rudder, well, that is how you enter a spin. Or pilots fear a low nose, thinking they'd go down. Such fears are fatal. And here is this young pilot, he simply did what he was taught, just a bit low, and he got himself out of trouble. And to go back to this video, he could have landed in the opposite direction. He had the runway for himself alone, after all.

[@Fidd88-mc4sz]

My old instructor, an ex RAF Meteor pilot, used to say "if ever you see anything wrong during a flight, be it your position, airspeed, other aircraft, whatever, (fortissimo) DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!". He was driving at the need to react swiftly, as a mediocre decision taken early, is much better than a better one taken late; and that nothing is more dangerous than failing to act at all. it demanded a pro-active approach to problem solving. The longer I flew, the more sense this made.

[@ToetFly]

Thanks for sharing. The big lesson is to keep critical at your own flying. May I add that pulling the spoilers in that last low turn onto final is something I as an instructor wouldn't recommend doing. It could easily result into a spin which could not be recoverable at that altitude. Thanks again Tim for sharing!

[@siggedd]

Just had near clip with the brushes at the start of the runway with the brake chute hanging in the back. Same issue of trees yet a known airfield. Didn't have too many options but to keep the speed up enough. I watched this video before, watching it again made me listen carefully again to "Deal with it early". What I've learned is that when it goes bad, it goes bad quickly. Act soon or it'll get ya.The last and only option you ever have left is speed.

[@samchaiton1288]

I thought that the wingtip was going to hit the ground. That was my biggest worry along with stall potential. Downwind landing is the way to go. That looked like a 120 degree turn to final.Fortunately, the line-up to final went very well.

[@sablatnic8030]

He scared me even more by unlocking the brakes while in the turn.

[@syrus3k]

Not a pilot but a big fan of these videos ❤

[@doningram3978]

Thanks for sharing. Another gotcha in the low turn onto final with a breeze is the severe differential in airspeed experienced by each wing due to pronounced wind shear and the increased likelihood of dropping the inboard wing tip. Shan't detail how I know that but I was informed that the comment was made regarding mistaking a wing tip for an agricultural ploughing implement. The benefit is that it's a wake-up call regarding increased planning for future hazard reduction ;-) ;-) As everyone's favourite Scott says... "Fly Safe"

[@PureGlide]

Yeah good point, cheers

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

Aye. Another Manley follower, I reckon.

[@cabanford]

@@The_Modeling_Underdog isn't everyone?? 😋

[@spadgm]

Had my heart in my mouth when you made that final turn, glad it ended well! This channel is so good at explaining the good and the not so good aspects of glider flying. Keep up the great videos, also love seeing my old home country of NZ ( I miss it a lot!)

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Spadgm!

[@mikevermey]

Thanks for sharing Tim! One should not feel ashamed to talk about mistakes or mis-calculations... it's good to be able to self-reflect. I would even say it's a caracter-condition every (glider) pilot should have. Looking at your video and the thing not mentioned here (unless I've overlooked it); in my opinion, opening or even playing with your air brakes (at 3:45) at that altitude in a sliding turn was the most critical part. Speed looked OK, but the momentum of sink while opening ones air brakes in that low turn.... brrrrr. That really gave me the creeps for a moment🙂. Anyway, thanks for the lessons!

[@anthonyf.8336]

One of the most important qualities of a pilot is having great self assessment skills. You did a great job evaluating yourself. Great video!

[@PureGlide]

Much appreciated, cheers

[@alexhatfield2987]

Respect to your humility and honesty. Impressive and adds to the power of your teaching.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Alex!

[@johnslater8998]

I’m not and have no desire to be a pilot. But I really appreciate your honest, clear-eyed analysis of your mistakes and the lessons you draw from them. You make it easy for non-flyers to understand and to apply your wisdom to any discipline in life.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you John, glad you appreciate the videos. Cheers

[@StayUpStrack]

Your unassuming self-critique shows enormous strength from which there's much to learn. Leaving the ridge too low implies you had the possibility of climbing higher before leaving. Depending on conditions that's not always possible. If that was your case here your desire to "keep moving" at 1,500' seems both correct and necessary. The decision whether to land downhill but upwind versus uphill but downwind 1 nm further is also not straight forward if you weren't familiar with the airfield. Such unfamiliarity is completely natural when you're flying in new places. I've never gotten into such a scenario but can easily imagine it happening to me. When it happens I'll remember don't crash. Thanks for sharing, Tim! Cheers!

[@PureGlide]

Hey thanks Taylor, yeah that's all exactly right - in hindsight I should have made an effort to climb on the ridge before leaving. My impatience while racing gets the better of me sometimes...

[@andy347]

Sign of an excellent pilot: shares his mistakes for others to learn from.

[@PureGlide]

Cheers!

[@maubunky1]

In college, in one of several aviation safety courses, we learned that the accident rate due to pilot error goes down steadily during the first two to three hundred hours of a pilot's total logged flying time, and then levels out for a while, but strangely begins to increase again after 1000 hours. Pilots can begin to get overconfident or complacent as they get more and more experienced. I lost a friend who had 4000 flying hours due to complacency while he was doing some agricultural spraying...not that it's the safest line of work to begin with. I think posting this video is a good idea because it's going to sink in to your brain better rather than just attending a continuing education course or an ordinary biennial flight review. Well done.

[@rickemmet1104]

Wow Tim, you were so low as you turned onto your final approach that I thought you would bury your port wing in the dirt! I almost jumped out of my seat watching this. Thanks for posting this, it's sobering to see such an incident.

[@PureGlide]

Hey Rick, yeah not something I ever want to repeat!

[@kieranthomas]

Thanks for sharing and kudos for being so open and honest.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks for watching!

[@gaurasrspublishing]

Possibly, the very best gliding video I've ever seen. Well done mate!

[@PureGlide]

Wow, thanks! Although I'd say it's some of the worst gliding I've ever done too lol

[@lhitchins]

Great share Tim... as my mentor always said to me, "Speed, Brains and Altitude, you must always have a combination of two"

[@PureGlide]

Luckily I got away with just enough speed and that was about it that day!

[@colinkellynz]

Thanks for sharing this Tim so that we can all take away a most valuable lesson.

[@PureGlide]

You're very welcome Colin!

[@shaundawson4707]

You are my hero for posting this! Great analysis!

[@PureGlide]

Thank you!

[@zooknz1711]

Thanks Tim - the honesty, in all your vids and the instruction is really helpful.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks for watching! Cheers

[@kaxis26]

Great video!!! Just a great reminder anyone can and do miscalculate. It's a boost to get honesty from an experienced pilot as most don't own up to mistakes.

[@PureGlide]

Cheers

[@PaddyPatrone]

Man that approach was so low, it would have been really uncomfotrable for me if I was in that glider.

[@PureGlide]

Yip uncomfortable for me too!

[@johnyves1246]

As an experienced pilot with 50 yrs of aviation under my belt, I truly appreciate your public mea culpa . It is the hardest thing to do but it may save lives. Never be the King of the Hill, always learn and share from mistakes.

[@johngal56]

Another great video Tim and proof positive that we're all human and anyone can make mistakes. I once had a check flight with an instructor who had taken over as CFI of my local club. The winch launch was without incident and I released at about 1600ft. After I trimmed the glider for 40 knots my instructor told me to simply fly straight and level. The weather was overcast with no lift. As time passed I kept tapping the altimeter while my instructor sat in silence in the rear cockpit. I attempted to demonstrate a few turns but he insisted I simply fly straight and level, all the while the altimeter slowly unwound and we were getting further away from the site. As the altimeter unwound below 1000 feet I decided to take matters into my own hands and started a left turn to head back for the field only to be stopped by the instructor. I thought he might be setting me up for a test but, as we descended below 800 feet on the altimeter I heard him tap the panel in the rear cockpit. There then followed a string of loud expletives from my instructor followed by a sharp 'I have control' instruction. He made a sharp left turn and we headed back towards the field. We only just made it back. He apologised insisting the incident was totally his fault. I was left dumfounded wondering how he could make such a simple error of judgement.

[@PureGlide]

Keep in mind as soon as you’re outlanding at another field, the altimeter is useless! We should really cover them up for most training around the airfield, except we need them for position reports…

[@johngal56]

@@PureGlide I knew we were getting too low and too far away from the field, why didn't he, a senior instructor, realise the same thing? He was not new at the club and had been a member for several years. One thing I didn't mention was that he attended an inauguration party for the new CFI at the club the night before and didn't leave until 3am that morning, I was not present at this party. I believe his judgement may well have been impaired following alcohol consumption at the party and/or lack of sufficient sleep. I was the first to fly that morning at about 9.30am.

[@fitme6650]

really good example of selfevaluation! Hats of to your honesty

[@PureGlide]

I appreciate that!

[@imbok]

Brilliant video. Nothing but complete honesty and openness about our own behavior will help us learn. If they help someone else, even better. Advice and practical pointers from an experienced pilot are the best. Well done.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you!

[@wearemany73]

It's easy to lie to others but dangerous to lie to yourself. Great video with a very important message. 😎👍

[@PureGlide]

Thank you!

[@Sara_PY]

A good, fundamental lesson. Honesty, with one's self. Oh, and that low level turn... Thank you, Tim.

[@PureGlide]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@a1nelson]

During my first watch of the video, I was almost certain that the mistake was going to be the left wingtip contacting the ground. Glad that wasn’t the case. (The camera probably distorts the apparent distance from the ground.)

[@michaelnixda8143]

The first step in getting better/learning anything is admitting, that you make mistakes/are not perfect. Without that, you only learn to deal with your deficencies better but not actually becoming better. Thank you for reminding me ;-)

[@PureGlide]

Cheers Michael!

[@christopherstevenson9737]

Thanks Tim. Brave and thoughtful for sharing. Agree on all points made! Many accidents are a combination of bad choices; not just one!

[@Poundy]

This was very inciteful, and as you said it's absolutely beneficial to talk about our own decisions and how that could have caused the outcome to be much better had we decided otherwise. We aren't infallible, there's always a chance of additional factors (unexpected sink, stronger headwind leading to needing more height) that can change the impact of a previous decision, and require reassessment along the way.

[@jimhudson2108]

Great video again thanks. As another option could you not have made your turn earlier (and therefore higher) and landed, say, half way down the strip? I'd be interested to know if you considered such an option. Thanks again

[@carljacobs1287]

As a glider pilot, I heard a couple of times "no harm - no foul" from pilots. But I think there is a really good argument for being humble and giving yourself "a good talking to". I know I made a couple of dodgy calls in my 400-odd hours of gliding, but I think it's important to recognise those moments, learn the lessons, and commit to do better the next time (i.e. don't repeat mistakes). The biggest problem of a repeated mistake is that it becomes the new habit - putting the pilot one closer to a possible negative outcome. Once again, thanks for the honesty, it is much appreciated, and I'm sure will see you keep flying safely for many years to come.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Carl, yeah I doubt there are many pilots who haven't had a 'moment' or two of their own. Thanks for your comments!

[@tonypybus8003]

Love the honesty - I am sure you gave given other food for thought

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Tony

[@daveskr4683]

Lots of Respect for shareing this

[@PureGlide]

Thanks!

[@TheDAVE858]

Low turns can kill. Stay safe.

[@maxfox3399]

Nice one Tim, we can all learn from that. I nearly strained myself through power lines many years ago. It certainly burst my "overconfidence bubble"

[@PureGlide]

Absolutely, we all need to be careful about that. Cheers

[@sweetwater5030]

appreciate your honesty. safe flying bois!

[@PureGlide]

Appreciate it!

[@mrusakow]

Hi Tim, thanks for sharing flight issues with investigations and conclusions (this one and all other). And thanks for being critical to yourself! Fly safe "and remember don't crash"! 🙃

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Michael, glad you enjoyed it.

[@XRP747E]

Excellent video. Your assessment applies to all pilots across the spectrum of aviation. Thank you. Subbed.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it. Cheers

[@Jerfish1]

I gain more from videos like this than most other ‘training’ videos out there, thank you for sharing and analysis

[@PureGlide]

Awesome glad you thought it was useful. Cheers!

[@diesdasananas69]

Great channel! As an aspiring glider pilot it's helpful to watch

[@PureGlide]

Thanks a lot!

[@christophjuvan900]

Thanks Tim! Valuable lesson for all of us... Love your channel.....

[@PureGlide]

I appreciate that!

[@Barrawitzkaa]

That´s the (rare) golden side of YT: Exiting, (even if not intended to be THAT exiting :-)) and very instructive.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah happy to do very exciting on OTHER people's videos :)

[@aehsrose]

Superb vid, thanks Tim! Good to share mistakes and successes!

[@PureGlide]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@ytlongbeach]

Great vid. Thx for the humble, solid self-reflections.

[@PureGlide]

I appreciate that!

[@philippbagus4631]

Great and honest self reflection - like that! Thanks for sharing this experience 🤠👍

[@PureGlide]

Thanks!

[@josephconleith9606]

Good on you for the mea culpa. That’s how we help people learn. It happens tu us all, I’m a FI(S) in Switzerland, a few years ago I landed an LS-4 wheels up. At the next mornings’s briefing I explained how it happened and and owned the problem in front of our members and students.

[@brianwhitaker6040]

Tim good stuff you can always learn from your mistakes and sharing them may save someone's life thanks for sharing

[@PureGlide]

Thanks Brian!

[@johnrobertson9945]

What a rush. Even watching from the other runway it looked pretty sporty.

[@PureGlide]

Haha yeah sporty is a good way to put it :)

[@jerseyshoredroneservices225]

When he was turning onto final I thought he was going to stick a wing in the dirt. Very glad that didn't happen!

[@PureGlide]

Same!!

[@premde]

Well done video - as always!

[@PureGlide]

Thank you Paul!

[@CLdriver1960]

I was thinking: Holy s**t!!! as you rounded that last corner. Thanks for your self debrief and insights, you just gave us an opportunity to learn from your mistakes! That’s why I’m a subscriber 👍

[@PureGlide]

Thanks!

[@b9y]

Beginners make stupid decisions, professionals make calculated risks that fail. And as we all know, to admit it is to learn for next time, and that's the reason in many cases that there IS a next time! Not a flyer, but motorcycling for years has taught me that philosophy!

[@Raumweiter]

pulling the breakes before being lined up for the finals gave me some shocks ^^

[@PureGlide]

That's because I was worried about running out of runway. There wasn't much at the top end! So had an aiming point in view and was using the brakes to get to it, even in the turn.

[@jpalmer999]

It's easy to critique others but much harder to critique yourself. Unfortunately it's just as important if not more so to critique yourself and recognize what mistakes you have made to prevent them from happening again. Great video, and keep up the great work!

[@PureGlide]

Thanks! And agreed, I thought it's only fair if I critique others...

[@jpalmer999]

@@PureGlide haha very true :)

[@rianmonnahan]

Thanks for the honest video!!!

[@PureGlide]

My pleasure!

[@justme.9711]

I remember a guy told me that what makes a champion golfer isn't that they don't get into trouble or the ruff, but their ability to get out of it and back on the fairway.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah great thought, thanks!

[@justme.9711]

@@PureGlide It's totally self centered of me, I'm an Ozzie bastard.... You knew it had to be one of us - there it is, I confess, I feel so much better now, lol. Just watching some NZ wilderness trout fishing, scenery is second to none bro, there must be hobbitis in there somewhere 200% beautiful. Also I just subbed and rang the bell. All sarcasm and cross Tasman joking aside, thnk you so much for your content. I am desperate for a glider cert. and would travel anywhere north of Sydney to train.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you so much. Yeah there are clubs near Sydney, go do it :)

[@johnkincaide9357]

Well said - solve the problem early! Many years ago I was solo on tow once at York Soaring near Arthur, Ontario Canada in a Schweizer 2-33 trainer. We banked right at about 400 feet and my heart jumped because the right-wing started dropping faster than normal, but was able to maintain control. Each time we turned right I had to counteract with an opposite aileron and a bit of rudder. As soon as I got enough height about 800feet AGL I popped off the tow and entered the circuit making a safe landing, concentrating on my turns to make sure I did not spin so close to the ground In this case, I was scared, but not overwhelmed with fear. Fortunately, I kept my focus. I also talked out loud to myself to help me concentrate and think. No one will hear you - but it helps you to slow your fear because the extra verbal feedback slows down your thinking just enough to possibly a good decision rather than another bad one. I got into this habit even during good flights. I guess it replaces the absent instructor voice of reason that you experience that is usually behind you on a training flight. This habit served me well. In this incident, for a less experienced solo pilot that could be tragic if he or she had panicked. After I landed I told the flight line manager about the glider's "dangerous" right wing. He told me that glider had a "heavy" right-wing, without expressing too much concern, and kept the glider on the flight line. In my humble opinion, I thought that 2-33 should have never been on the flight line and it needed an aviation mechanic to repair the problem. In the 1990s when I flew at York Soaring, the club's day started when other pilots inspected and signed off on each of the gliders' daily inspection booklets, before being positioned on the flight line. From a physical inspection, the glider was OK - until you flew it. My mistake was not going to the clubhouse before the flight and reviewing the daily inspection booklet to see what if anything was reported on the glider before I left the ground. Unless you flew there every weekend, and other pilots told you about the heavy right-wing on that one glider, you may never have known: As I did - I had no such knowledge. I'm reporting this for the same reason Tim had mentioned - share your mistakes or knowledge to avoid other accidents - or worse fatalities. Tim's good advice is - don't crash. We had another saying at York Soaring: A mid-air collision can ruin your whole day! [especially in crowded thermal with other gliders] Keep up the great work Tim. Really enjoy your videos - this Expat from the Great White North.

[@PureGlide]

Thanks for the comment!

[@geoffreywilliams663]

good to share, the last 5km is often the most dangerous

[@PureGlide]

Agreed!

[@DB-thats-me]

I have fond memories of bringing ‘Charlie Duck’, a Slingsby Swallow (now a museum piece in Tauranga) in on a skinny approach from across the river into the westerly vector at this field. Observers on the ground gasped when they saw the airbrakes pop out. But landing checks still needed to be completed. Even with CD’s notorious L\D, I landed well into the field. Chalk one up for the ‘flying armchair’. 👍 Historical note; Carlie Duck got her monicker by doing an out landing into a settling pond. Hence, Duck.

[@PureGlide]

Great story!

[@johnhudson1009]

Watching those double yaw strings at 3:45 was the scariest part... Glad you landed safely.

[@PureGlide]

Keep in mind the camera is off to the side, so it isn't quite as bad as it looks!

[@mellissus]

great and honest response of your mistake. when i fly cross country i try to stick as much as posble to 300 meter(900 feet) no go or go rule with a glider that has an engine. the reason behind is there is plenty of hight you can start your engine safely or make an out landing. there is no reason to push, the only thing you gain out that is a story and risk or saldy more.... cheers fly safe.

[@michaelkergadallan]

We may have close calls for different reasons. You are right to say it is from early on and the spirit we are in. We may be confident but down the line we have to respect some limits. I was sad to come back one day to an airfield just to know the guy in charge for safety just pushed it a little bit and did not make it. It was a critical reminder that we are not immune because we know. We have to respect it and not push “too much” because we know better

[@LaffaTheWise]

Thank you very much for this video. I'm a novice glider and this is an excellent example for me :)

[@PureGlide]

Glad it was helpful, cheers

[@asya9493]

One thing about a very low level circuit is a more pronounced slip or skid illusion induced by a crosswind, but not in this video I think. The proximity to ground objects gives them a higher angular rate of movement from both airspeed and crosswind drift, and this more the case at typical low glider circuit airspeeds. This can cause a pilot already in balanced flight to incorrectly offset where not needed, causing actual slip or skid and consequent performance loss, so scan should include skid ball or yaw string.

[@beozzie690]

Nice one and thanks.. A lesson for all of us..

[@robzerbe]

Thanks for sharing this. You don’t critique your final turn, and I’m only looking at a tiny screen, would you say it was too low?

[@PureGlide]

Oh yes, way too low, that's the point of the video!

[@ZCHRL4]

That base to final turn was a gasper!

[@johncarr123]

Wow! I was sweating when you were above the ridge line.

[@PureGlide]

Haha I wasn't worried so much about that!

[@UnitSe7en]

So common. You get an idea in your head as to a thing you want to do. You're _going_ to make it to the strip. Your thoughts become focused on that objective at the cost of fluidity of dealing with changing outcomes. You pulled it off though with just the right amount of alt. Bit of luck and some experienced energy management paid off. A great video. Humility is what makes people better.

[@PureGlide]

Thank you :)

[@bramgoos442]

Land out while you can ...safely. Even close to the airfield. It might damaged your ego, but not your plane or your 'life and limbs'. Shift ypur focus. Great video. Thanks for sharing.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah exactly, cheers

[@tonypaull7327]

Hello Tim, I particularly like your reference to the fact that these things start to go wrong early. I crashed an SK13 at Boonah Queensland in 2012 after getting too low and clipping a tree on finals which stalled the wing and the rest as they say is history. I broke my back at the time but recovered fully. I have played the flight over in my head a thousand times now and can tell you nearly each mistake as they occurred. It was my first time solo in the SK13 I usually flew an ASK21 so as you know a lot of difference in glider performance just to start the ball rolling. Unfortunately I don’t have a video to share but it is an interesting story if you want to talk about it sometime. I am a below knee amputee and learnt to fly as such. A lot of club members thought it was the prosthetic that caused the crash because I was pinned in the cockpit in the accident. Couldn’t be further from the truth it was a combination of things mainly situational awareness and experience. I very nearly saved it but as I say that is long story. I look forward to your next video. Tony

[@frizzlefry5904]

Interesting, you are spot on, although I fly microlights, my instructor used to ask where my bad landing started.... and it would normally be on the downwind or even earlier in the hole leg, but at least I can initiate a go around ! thanks and fly safe.

[@carlhoogland479]

Great video mate, love the honesty.

[@PureGlide]

Much appreciated

[@AVMamfortas]

A BIG thank you.

[@PureGlide]

You're welcome!

[@brunotagliapietra6397]

Kudos for sharing. That was... weird to look at. And the last turn a bit scary too.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah you’re probably way more familiar with the area, I think it makes a difference! So you haven’t done an approach like that before?!

[@jamesbutterworth1993]

I think most pilots have had similar. Good on you for sharing.

[@PureGlide]

Yes, thank you!

[@Gianky640220]

Thanks a lot! One of the most useful video ever!

[@PureGlide]

Glad you think so, cheers

[@LongboatAline]

Thank you so much for those life-saving videos! May I throw in one more thing onto the list of preventive actions? On an unfamiliar airfield (or after some time of absence) I was encouraged to request a briefing on the possible landing paddocks around approach and departure routes, so at any conceivable low altitude situation, there was a pre-planned path to a hopefully safe landing in a field without drainage ditches, scenic rocks or lonesome fenceposts. Possible surprises on that area include formerly reliable outlanding grounds in dire need of mowing/harvesting, or dotted with baled straw or hay - hence the need to catch up on the current state of affairs after some time of absence even.

[@TriadAgone]

Small world! I flew out of Papawai back when they first came out from Wellington and brought GGR over the mountains before everything moved there in 2016. It's Tim Belchior, say hi to Ross and Alain especially for me!

[@TriadAgone]

Actually, the day we brought it over Britt Grieves was coming along to see what XC was like. I hasn't flown that side of the island before, and when we took off from Pram is was overcast and crappy. We found a hole and got over to the far side of rhe mountains. Once I had visual on Papawai and a nice +2000 final glide I released to feel out the mountains on the eastern side as I had only flown the ridges in summer westerlies from Wellington to Masterton (and occasionally out to Kapiti Island) Turns out the conditions were amazing! We did a nice 250 triangle with a 320km H flying nice mountain thermals, coastal convergence all the way from Wellington going north, and came back. ...only get covered in cowpie on landing... the field was a little underdeveloped at the time. But they were great hosts none the less!!!

[@stevemorris3710]

Thanks for a great analysis.

[@PureGlide]

My pleasure, Cheers

[@boilermaker7754]

Love this...and trees, you nailed it...I ended up low and slow over trees at the approach end of a runway in a C172...not as dire a situation as a sailplane granted, but it got my attention.

[@PureGlide]

Doesn’t matter what you’re in, there’s always something out to getchya!

[@markmuir7338]

Thanks for sharing - and explaining what went wrong and when. Very informative! I really wish there was a good glider flight sim (capturing realistic lift/sink situations and low-level turbulence) to practice on, to recreate these kinds of mistakes and try out each solution.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah no simulator is quite up to that level yet, but no doubt eventually! Microsoft flight sim is getting close, once they implement thermals properly

[@TheSoaringChannel]

The only way to practice real world decision making is in the real world. The first point of a good decision being made is identifying that one must be made. The second is seeing the whole picture so you can begin creating decision points. The next is to craft those decisions into images of possible outcomes in your mind - and use them, with a pinch of fear to help you make the safest choice. I'm not saying to fly in fear, I'm saying we must always be respectful of these possible outcomes and accept the possibilities so we can safely think through it. Want to simulate unexpected sink on Condor? Pop the airbrakes out 1/3 of the way on final glide. Condor is great but only at the very rudimentary training like handling and basic thermal, wave, and ridge technique. Aside from that it doesn't do much else. No convergence or sea breeze. No atmospheric wave. I think to recreate all of that would take an insane amount of work that just isn't practical. I've been using Condor quite a bit, even today. But it definitely has its limitations. You'll never feel a proper thermal entry and what it feels like in your pants. Or the feeling of the tow plane yanking you off the line if there was a pinch of slack. Or a winch and it's incredible acceleration and climb and your ears popping. Don't get me wrong. I'm with you. But there's a reason the real deal is the ultimate training ground. Sims are amazing and I utilize them literally every week with my kids and even for my own benefit. But there's just nothing like the real deal. Whew. Winded. I loved this video and Tim's humbleness.

[@josefsoltes8572]

@@PureGlide Aint Condor up there? I fly with it and it looks quite realistic.

[@Flying2ZC]

Respect for sharing

[@PureGlide]

Thanks

[@larrylewislarry]

Good on ya mate. Thanks for sharing.

[@PureGlide]

Cheers!

[@ericoschmitt]

Looks like a hang glider landing, such a tight final turn

[@PureGlide]

Yeah, not recommend with long wings

[@spadgm]

A perfectly performed unstable approach and landing ;)

[@PureGlide]

Ta :)

[@AN2Felllla]

Wow, you got to Papawai from the Tararuas with only 1500 feet? That's a feat!

[@PureGlide]

Ha well it’s debatable if I did safety! But technically yes. That’s part of the problem, the glider does glide very well!

[@justme.9711]

Actually I think that confessions of top and/or very experiences pilots sharing their mistakes and recoveries or results would be a great asset. They might think it's a terrible idea, LOL, but I think it would be very good for pilots and would be pilots of all levels.

[@PureGlide]

Yeah absolutely, that's why I was keen to make it! We all make mistakes, and there's really no reason not to share them with others

[@Brank0]

Thanks for sharing. Good analysis.

[@PureGlide]

My pleasure!