Can any fellow pilots help bit confused over circuits?

Question

I fly a glider and I am confused over the dog leg know how to do it with correct speed and control, but keep missing finals any suggestions and know sarcey comments please I have to get this right. apart from this instructor says everything else on track.

Answer 1

How do you miss finals? D'you mean you're turning early or late, or are you over-running the touchdown point?  It really depends on the aircraft you're flying and for that matter the characteristics of the field you use.  I recommend more chat with your instructor.  Don't worry too much, we all at some time or other have a problem with one particular aspect of flight which after a while suddenly becomes obvious . . .

EDIT Ah, well if you always fly the same aircraft get the instructor to fly a few turns onto final while you look out and try to line up something prominent, maybe the wingtip with a particular tree, the canopy arch with the touchdown point or whatever and make a mental note of the picture for future reference.

I had a friend (now gone) with his own glider and he had a series of felt-tip pen marks on the canopy; he used to say "Ah, well if I'm landing at so-and-so and I'm at 500ft on a right-angle base leg, I lines the red one up with the touchdown point to turn in, and If I'm landing at xyz I uses the blue one . . . "  How much was true and how much was just a gentle leg-pull we never knew, but his landings were always picture-perfect.  Mind you, he also had a note stuck to the instrument panel which read "Flaps, you tw*t!"

Answer 2

I've never flown a glider but I work at a field with a million of them (makes my job very interesting in the summer).

One thing I notice about gliders is they can glide forever or drop like a rock.  If you've done a rope break or even seen one, you know how far you can glide with no spoilers with 300ft of altitude (even in an old S 2-33).

For a proper approach, the key is to put yourself in a position on final that will put you comfortably on the runway with half-spoilers.  This is a guessing game every time since there are different gliders, different winds, thermals (yes, right on final) and different phases of the moon and planetary alignments.  

What you want is some wiggle room either way.  If you are too high, you can give it more spoiler and/or side slip.  If you are too low, you can pull the spoilers off and glide in.  But if you are going to err, err on the high side.  I've seen some wicked, hedge-hopping, ground effect approaches that look cool but aren't consistent with safe flying.  Some pilots here turn final at about 1/8 of a mile at 500ft and make it down on a 3000ft runway no problem.

Remember that you are probably doing alright, but your instructor wants it to be perfect to give you some wiggle room for nerves when you solo.  Make sure you talk to your instructor about the problem.  If he isn't giving you advice on how to correct these deficiencies, he's not doing his job.

One trick I use in powered planes (because I hate adjusting the throttle on approach) is to use a curved approach path from downwind to final.  You just adjust the rate of turn to adjust your approach angle, even though your decent rate is constant.  I suspect you are crowding the field too much.  Just don't turn as fast (cut the corner) when going from base to final.

Answer 3

Flown a piper,but that bu++er had an engine!

Answer 4

The required technique for not over shooting or undershooting final approach is a system I call TLAR. It is such a simple concept and I see many pilots having trouble mastering TLAR. And if you can't master it in a glider in particular you'd best let somebody else do the flying and it pertains to every other aircracft as well and to many other situations other than a dogleg to final but the concept is the same in every case.

Oh, sorry. Should have explained TLAR in a little more depth huh. The comcept of TLAR can be completely covered in the four words that the acronym comes from.

THAT LOOKS ABOUT RIGHT.

Can't be taught. Must be learned.