1. 2015 Soaring Season First Safety Session
Dr. Gerald A. Smith, DMD; CFIG

2. Welcome to the 2015 Season

5. NESA has a great safety record...

7. Complacency Kills We may have flown hundreds of flights BUT…
It's the current flight that matters

8. needs to be continually reinforced
The culture of safety
needs to be continually reinforced

9. General Aviation vs Airlines
Commercial Airline: .16/100,000 flight hours
GA: 5.85/100,000 flight hours
36 X higher for GA!

10. Why?

11. Professional Pilots Fly well maintained aircraft
Weather capable aircraft
Two pilot crews
Train frequently
Fly frequently
Think Safety

12. We may not be professional Pilots
But we can fly Professionally
fly frequently
train regularly
think safety

13. How Safe is our sport? Query of the NTSB filtering for gliders only
25 accidents in 2014
3 fatalities

14. One was close to “home” Warren VT in October Aborted tow
Glider struck tow plane

16. Pop Quiz: Airport Operations: CTAF KVSF? ASOS KVSF?
Runway Length 5/23?
Runway Length 11/29?
Airport Elevation?

17. Flight In what airspace does KVSF lie? What airspace overlies this?
What are the cloud clearance requirements?
Glider to glider frequency?
Boston Center frequency?

18. SGS 2-33A (Dual)
Vne?
Va?
Vs?
Min. Sink?
Best L/D?

19. It all begins with the Pre-Flight

20. Pre-Flight

21. It is really preflight thinking...
It is everything before one flies;
Begins with the first thought of "gee I think I'll go..."

22. Soaring; March 2015 Teaching Soaring by Bob Cook
“Q: When do we begin to plan for the landing?
A” The night before, when we watch The Weather Channel”.

23. PAVE Model (helps frame the process)
Pilot
Aircraft
enVironment
External Pressures

24. Pilot Current? Last Flight Review? Fit to Fly? IMSAFE Illness
Medication
Stress
Alcohol
Fatigue
Eating

25. Aircraft Is the aircraft legal/airworthy?
Is the aircraft suitable to the mission?
Do you know the numbers?
Vne Va Vs
Weight and Balance
Where can you find this out?

26. POH

27. N1242S
DUAL
Vne 98 mph
Va 65 mph
Vs 33 mph
M/S: 42 mph
L/D: 50 mph

28. enVironment Airport(s) we'll be operating in Airport Elevation
Traffic Patterns
Frequencies
Runway Configurations
Emergency options
Unique Features/Considerations
Where do we find this?

31. EnVironment (continued)
Our ground operations essentially make us pedestrians in on a public use airport:
WE MUST BE VIGILANT
radios
eyeballs
brains
Weather
NOTAMS

32. Today's NOTAM
Do you check each time you fly?
Can you interpret?

33. Obstruction within 10 nm:
Navigation:
!VSF 08/012 KVSF NAV ILS RWY 5 DME UNUSABLE BEYOND 20 DEGREES RIGHT OF COURSE PERM
Communication:
!VSF 04/001 KVSF COM REMOTE COM OUTLET OUT OF SERVICE EST
Service:
None
Obstruction within 10 nm:
!VSF 03/056 KVSF OBST HILL (ASN UNKNOWN) UNKNOWN (2NM ESE VSF) 1389FT (UNKNOWN) NOT LGTD EST
Airspace:
Special Use Airspace:
!SUAE 04/327 KZBW AIRSPACE R4102A ACT SFC-1999FT
!SUAE 04/294 KZBW AIRSPACE R4102A ACT SFC-1999FT
!SUAE 12/047 KZBW AIRSPACE W106B ACT SFC-5000FT
!SUAE 12/045 KZBW AIRSPACE W105A ACT SFC-10000FT
!SUAE 12/044 KZBW AIRSPACE W106C ACT SFC-5000FT
!SUAE 12/043 KZBW AIRSPACE W106A ACT SFC-3000FT
!SUAE 12/042 KZBW AIRSPACE W105B ACT SFC-5000FT
Runway:
Taxiway:
Apron:
Aerodrome:
FDC:
Other/Unverified:
Military:

34. External Pressures
Excitement to fly
Give someone a ride
????

35. Soaring Signals (ground)

36. Soaring Signals (air)

37. “Lagubang Lesson” (AOPA Pilot April 2015)
“Every landing is a maximum effort maneuver”
“How do you fly when no one is watching?”
‘It all comes down to professional self discipline.”

38. This Season Please Think! Act Safely
Exercise Professional Self Discipline