Proficiency - Safety Corner 3 jun 20<br>
<br>
As we think about our first flights of the season and getting our proficiency 
back, the windy conditions on Sunday offered some lessons. Seven or eight very 
experienced cross-country pilots decided to fly their own ships. A number of 
less experienced pilots – and a few experienced ones who had not flown in quite 
a while – hoped to get back in the air. Most of the latter – including a couple 
of instructors – decided not to fly. Why, and were their decisions reasonable?<br>
<br>
What should be your goals for early Spring flights? Be safe, first and foremost. 
Then fly to get back your confidence, situational awareness, and judgement. On 
Sunday, at times, the winds got up to 20kts, gusting to 25. As we watched the 
great white fleet takeoff, their tows looked pretty normal; maybe a little more 
movement in tow position than on a calm day, but not much. And they all had 
good, long flights. Recent experience and proficiency counts.<br>
<br>
At the end of the line, a low-time pilot launched in a club ship (this was his 
third flight of the season). He landed ten minutes later, unable to contact any 
lift. His tow looked wild from the ground, and the pilot confirmed it afterward. 
The tow required frequent full stick deflections, and his head hit the canopy 
twice.<br>
<br>
For the folks who decided not to fly, they had evaluated their own abilities to 
handle various conditions safely and confidently, and established decision 
criteria based on that. For example, one instructor decided to make his first 
flight only when the wind was no more than 10kts, gusts no more than 5kts, wind 
direction no more than 15 degrees off runway heading. The conditions on Sunday 
exceeded his decision criteria. He stayed on the ground, and the final takeoff 
of the day made him glad he stuck to his criteria.<br>
<br>
We all need to self-evaluate -- honestly. If you are looking for benign 
conditions for your first flights, the club will help you find them. We’re 
planning to set up some operations – maybe late afternoons or other calm, 
non-soaring days – to get you started. And if you would like to fly under an 
instructor’s supervision for those first flights, we’ll try to accommodate that, 
as well.