Photo Chris Rudge, Southern Soaring
Mike Tucker flying his Discus 2CT in wave near Mt Cook during some pre-course lead and follow flying.
MOUNTAIN
SOARING COURSE By Mike Tucker, intro by Chris Rudge
Over the last four years five pilots have been killed flying gliders in New Zealand’s mountains. For every fatality, there have been many more non-fatal accidents where aircraft are substantially damaged and pilots are injured. The statistics are not good. Given we are out there to enjoy our sport and have fun, why are these accidents happening? There is no simple answer. Some of those pilots have been very experienced. However it is also true that many of the accidents have also occurred where pilots have lacked sufficient experience. Are pilots not being trained properly? What can we do about lowering the accident rate? A detailed analysis of New Zealand mountain flying accidents has not been completed but in recent years there have been some interesting trends that raise further questions. Most of the fatal accidents have involved aircraft impacting mountains high above the valley floor. Most of the non-fatal accidents occur when gliders are landing out. In some cases, pilots have crashed due to being too low and too slow. Wind shear was probably a contributing factor. In other cases, pilots have flown below their safe cut-off altitudes to fly to a nearby airstrip or suitable paddock. As a result, they have had to land in unsuitable areas. In recent months, three gliders landed in the mouth of the Lindis – none on airstrips. Two were damaged. Fortunately there were no injuries. Flying in the mountains can be fun and the scenery can be spectacular but the fun factor diminishes rapidly if you end up in places or situations that you do not have the skills or judgement to cope with. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be adventurous. Exploring new areas can be challenging and rewarding but it is important to build in adequate safety margins, consider the ‘what ifs’ and
14
April 2009
always have a Plan A, B and C so that, if the worst happens, you have already thought ahead and are prepared. It is also important to understand the weather and how wind behaves around mountains. Factor in the influence of the sun and you will then know what areas are likely to provide lift. You will also understand where not to fly. These things could be learnt by trial and error but mistakes made while mountain flying can have serious consequences. In the same way that we learn to fly by following a well thought out syllabus, learning to fly in the mountains requires a similar approach. To get the right balance of theory and practical training, the best way to learn is to do a mountain soaring course. Course content will vary with each club or organisation. Some clubs, for example, teach components of mountain flying within a cross country course. One interesting feature of New Zealand-based mountain soaring courses is that most of the pilots attending are from overseas. This is partly due to the exchange rate working in a foreign pilot’s favour and the fact that they cannot have similar experiences in their home countries. A recent exception to the trend was Mike Tucker, an A Cat instructor with the Wellington Gliding Club, who recently flew with Southern Soaring . The following article that Mike Tucker wrote explains why he chose to do a mountain soaring course with Southern Soaring and what he got out of it. Although we all make mistakes (we ARE human after all) and nobody is immune from having an accident, completing a course should go some way towards lowering the number of gliding accidents in mountainous areas, as well as increasing our enjoyment of the sport. Chris Rudge
