Gliding Australia Documents

You’ll be observed while:

• you plan for a cross country flight • fly the task without assistance in a two seater with your coach

• Your flight planning and cross country competencies, and safety will be assessed

Accessing weather information • Wind speed and direction • Cloud layers • Thermal heights and strengths • The soaring window •  Threats • Prediction of cross country speed • Planning a suitable task

• Selecting a path through the air to improve achieved glide performance •
• Selecting and maintaining an appropriate cruise speed •
• Using height bands and choosing which thermals to select •
• Simple final glides

Advanced Variometers

• Averager and Netto modes • Speed to fly information • Configuration

Flight Computers

• Information available • Assumptions and limitations • Ground programming and use in flight • Safety 

Gliders spend a lot of their time flying at a high angle-of-attack and therefore have a high potential for spin entry.

Spins & spiral dives consume considerable amounts of height and are dangerous below 1000’ AGL.

You need to know how to recognise & recover from spins & spiral dives.

·         Describe types of a winch launch emergency.

·         Explain the approaches used to prevent a launch emergency.

·         Describe the actions to safely handle a launch emergency on the ground and in the air.

·         Explain why maintaining a correct launch profile is key to safely handling a launch failure if one occurs

Airspace and Navigation

Identify airspace classes and restricted areas on aeronautical charts

Demonstrate radio procedures in uncontrolled airspace

Use NAIPS to obtain NOTAMs

Explain altimeter procedures

Describe Search and Rescue (SAR) procedures

Basic Navigation

Develop the skills and knowledge required to plan, prepare and perform safe landing in an unknown field.

landing at the conclusion of a cross country flight

emergency situation (launch failure, low in circuit, etc) close to the airfield.

Describe the non-technical skills and knowledge that underpin aviation activity;

Assess the impact of Human Factors on operations of an aircraft;

Develop personal limitations on operating aircraft.

Describe types of aerotow launch emergency.

Describe the actions to safely handle a launch emergency.

Explain the approaches to prevent emergency, and safe actions in the event of them happening on the ground and in the air

Develop the skills and knowledge required to operate aircraft radio equipment during flight in the local area.

This Unit is a pre-requisite for first solo

•       The ability to assess crosswind conditions.

•      Predict the effect of crosswind on take-off and landing operations.

•      Know the actions to take if you have a crosswind on take-off or landing.

•       To provide a safe stabilised approach and landing, for a wide range of environmental conditions.

•       For a safe landing we must: -

o   Break off the flight – terminate soaring

o   Have a suitable landing area and pattern

o   Configure the aircraft for landing

o   Set up a final approach path with a safe margin over obstacles.

•       The purpose of the circuit is to arrive at the final turn in the right place, at a safe height (at least 300ft AGL) and speed, and with safe alternatives always available.

•       At an airfield it has the further purpose of setting up an orderly flow of traffic.