by Steve Rodrigues » Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:17 pm
Hi Dave,
I appreciate the points you have raised, let’s kick some more ideas around.
We can probably agree on a few things:
1: More and more pilots are practicing touch-and-go’s, and, many pilots start their launch run a fair distance back from launch.
2: The bush blocks the line of sight between a glider flying at cliff level in front of, or just north of the observation deck and anyone else who is behind launch, from ground level and up to about 20' AGL. This creates a blind spot between gliders flying perpendicular to each other. (ridge running and launching)
3: A mid-air collision between a ridge racer and a pilot launching or doing a touch-n-go could easily be fatal.
I agree with you that we all need to keep an eye on other traffic, clear our approaches, and maintain situational awareness. But the fact is that anyone can make a mistake or just not see another glider. It’s happened to me, ever happen to you? And no matter how diligent we are, none of us can see through the bush.
As a result, many people, including myself, are concerned that sooner or later there will be a serious incident that could cost us a dear friend (or two) and put the site in jeopardy. The question is what measures would best protect our friends and the site?
The first idea was simply to have pilots slow down when flying through the launch window. Getting pilots to fly around trim or best glide would help, but I agree that due to the tail wind component, it’s not a perfect solution.
So yes, gliders are being hidden by the bush, but really, the only real danger is from a glider entering the launch window from the north, and more specifically, a glider heading south and flying between the cliff top and the top of the bush.
If the ridge running glider was above the bush they would be visible to others, and if they were well below cliff level they could not physically interfere with other gliders flying off launch.
So how about a rule stating that gliders flying south through the launch window must be either above the top of the bush or at least 25’ below the cliff?