Paragliding Club Pilot Theory Draft 4

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Paragliding Club Pilot TheoryDraft 4

• Air Law
• Principles of Flight
• Meterology
• Airmanship

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Aircraft Safety
• Collision avoidance
• When and where to fly.
• Airspace
• Prohibited and dangerous areas
• Prohibited and dangerous activities
• Common sense rules!

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• 8 hours from bottle to throttle.
• Officially 1/2 drink-drive limit

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Notam - Notice to Airmen.
• Ring to find out about airspace restrictions and
  other flying activities.
• Tel [phone]

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Civil Advance Notification Procedure (CANP).
• Notify other air users of your presence.
• Notice appears on flight crew briefing boards
  approx. 4 hours after call.
• Give site name, grid ref., expected time of
  activity.
• Tel [phone]

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• UK aviation law is defined in Air Navigation The
  Order and the Regulations.
• This presentation contains edited highlights
  useful to the club pilot.
• For further edited highlights see The BHPA Pilot
  Handbook.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Radios
• Radio must be type approved by CAA.
• Glider owner or operator must have a station
  license.
• The pilot must either
• Hold a flight radio-telephony license.
• Or must use the following frequencies, with
  frequency changing not possible in flight
• 118.675 MHz, up to 5000 feet, PG HG only.
• 129.9, 129.95, 130.1, 130.125, 130.4 MHz, general
  sport aviation

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Pre Flight Requirements
• Aircraft must be daily inspected (DI)
  pre-flight checked.
• The forecast weather conditions must be checked
  and confirmed acceptable for the safe conduct of
  your intended flight
• All pilots and passengers must be in a fit state
  to complete the flight, ie not drunk etc.

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Club Pilot - Air Law
Rules of the air - collision avoidance
CAP 12 - ALL PILOTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT
CRASHING!

• Look
• Then manoeuvre

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Head on aircraft break right.

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Club Pilot - Air Law
Rules of the air - collision avoidance

• Ridge on the right in the right AIRLAW SAYS HOLD
  YOUR COURSE (in practice move right as far as
  possible until constrained by the ridge.)

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Overtake on the ridge side (dont box in.)

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• In open air, overtake to the right.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Converging aircraft of the same class - on the
  right in the right, other to give way.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Converging aircraft, precedence
• Powered aircraft gives way to airships, gliders
  and balloons.
• Airship gives way to gliders and balloons.
• Glider gives way to balloons.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• When landing give way to lower gliders.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Fly on the right of a ground feature when
  following it.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Built up areas
• You must not fly less than 1000 feet above the
  highest fixed object within 600 metres
  horizontally.
• You must always be able to glide clear to a safe
  landing.

600m
1000 feet
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Club Pilot - Air Law

• You must not fly within 3000 feet of a gathering
  of more than 1000 people.

3000 feet
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Club Pilot - Air Law

• You must not fly within 500 feet of any person,
  vehicle, vessel or structure, unless taking off,
  landing or ridge soaring.

500 feet
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Club Pilot - Air Law

• You may only drop fine dry sand or water.

Water
Dry sand
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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Airspace
• Temporary airspace no-go.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Airspace is shown on an air-map, typically
• 1500 000 shows all airspace.
• 1250 000 shows airspace with a lower limit below
  5000 feet or FL55, and we fly a lot higher than
  that.
• However there are low level 1500,000 maps
  available...

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• UK airspace is divided into categories
• Categories A to D
• No go without ATC clearance.
• Category E
• You may enter providing you maintain VMC.
• Categories F and G
• Not subject to ATC clearance. Uncontrolled
  Airspace.
• Riddled with smaller hazards.
• Look at an air map!

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Visual Meteorological Conditions
• VMC (relaxed) under 3000' less than 140 knots
  Clear of Cloud in sight of the ground 1500m
  vis.
• See the free CAA table for full definitions.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• We fly during the day only
• Day between 30 min before sunrise until 30 min
  after sunset, at ground level.
• We are allowed to fly at night providing the
  correct lights are shown, but this is incredibly
  dangerous...

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Airspace measurement

4000 feet
5500 feet
About FL55
Height above airfield
Height above mean sea level
Flight Level above 1013.25mb (over 3000)
1013.25mb
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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Airspace measurement
• QFE Above field (take off or landing)
• QNH Above actual sea level (airspace with base
  below 3000 feet)
• QNE Standard pressure altitude (1013.25 mb) (for
  FL XX) (above 3000 feet) (goes up and down!!)
• Rising 30 feet reduces pressure by 1 mb.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Aerodrome traffic zone (ATZ) 2 nautical mile
  radius, 2000 feet AGL high. If runway longer than
  1800m then airspace 2.5 nm radius. no-go.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Military air traffic zone (MATZ) legal, but
  hazardous.
• MATZ contains an ATZ.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Dimensions of a military air traffic zone (MATZ).

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Areas of intense aerial activity (AIAA) legal but
  hazardous.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Danger areas no-go when active.
• Serial number D011.
• Ground to 10 000 feet
• Occasionally up to 24 100 feet.
• See the map key for times, contact numbers etc.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Prohibited areas no-go.
• Serial number P106
• Ground to 2500 feet

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Restricted areas no-go.
• Serial number R104
• Ground to 2400 feet

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• Convention is to enter thermals in the same
  direction of rotation, from outside the circle
  (tail follow.)
• Do not fly straight at the core.
• On SHGC sites, thermal clockwise.

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Club Pilot - Air Law

• When thermalling, our convention is to give way
  to lower paragliders and hang gliders.
• Sailplane convention is to give way to higher
  aircraft!

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Club Pilot - Air Law
Infringement of airspace could spoil it for
everyone
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Why does it fly? Why did it stop flying? How to
get flying again? How fast to fly it?
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Venturi effect
Angle of attack
At max glide, (max L/D) about 2/3 lift is due to
the Venturi effect reducing the pressure above
the wing.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Stalled aerofoil - Angle of attack too large
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Low pressure over wings
• Wingtip vortices

• Induced drag from wingtip vortices
• Profile / Parasitic drag from clutter.

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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
L/D Glide ratio e.g. L/D 91 9 metres
forward for 1 metre down
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Relative velocity
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Polar curve

• More weight more vertical and horizontal speed.
• More weight same glide angle.
• More weight collapse resistance and dynamic
  recovery.

Speed bar low angle of attack risk of
collapse, dramatic recovery.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Homework - do this exercise for your glider.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Homework - do this exercise for your glider.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Homework - do this exercise for your glider.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight
Homework - do this exercise for your glider.
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Rapid descent techniques
• Big ears, with speed bar.
• Good for cloud escape, ideally with compass.
• Reduced control.
• Closer to stall, so not recommended near the
  ground.
• B-line stall (note stall).
• Spirals.
• Pilot induced - progressive, with height.
• Due to collapse / cravat - must be stopped.

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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Instability

• Asymmetric collapse.
• Course then correction.
• Dont stall the good side.
• Long elephant pumps.

• Symmetric collapse.
• Brakes off.
• Self recovery.

Big collapse, low height? - DEPLOY
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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Stalls.
• Only pilot induced.
• Violent recovery, cravat and spiral a possibility.

• Hold, pre-release until all but tips open,
  release.
• Damp the dive if required.

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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Spins.
• Only pilot induced, but easy mistake when
  thermalling.
• Hands up at first sign, damp the dive.

• Active flying - keep in touch, dont let it
  collapse!
• A SIV course can help you live longer.

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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Harness types

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Club Pilot - Principals of Flight

• Harness settings
• Wide chest strap
• Violent feedback, strong weight-shift, good
  collapse resistance.
• Close chest strap
• Soft feedback, weak weight shift, poor collapse
  resistance, risk of twists in the event of spin.

• Gliders are developed and certified with a
  particular harness and chest strap setting.
• Chest strap settings should be adhered to.

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Finding some safe air to fly.
• Airflow
• Finding lift.
• Forecasting.

Bad air is the biggest hazard but you cant see
it!
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Rotor and turbulence.
• Found downwind of obstacles (trees to mountains)
• Can extend ten times the height of the obstacle.
• It gets lots of pilots!
• Visualise like water flowing in a stream.
• Think about it!

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Winds on launch
• Low average speed and low variation smoother
  and safer
• High average speed and high variation rougher
  and more dangerous

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Thermals
• Hot ground heats air by conduction expands and
  becomes less dense (lighter)
• Triggered (whatever means)
• Rises so long as less dense (i.e. warmer) than
  surroundings (thermal cools at 3C per 1000 feet)
• Forms a cloud if it cools to dewpoint (might not
  get that high)
• Beware of big, active, lifting clouds!
• Thermals turbulence!

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds are formed by water condensing. This can
  be caused by
• Orographic lifting effects
• forming Orographic clouds - banner clouds, hill
  fog
• Convective lifting
• forming cumulus cloud types
• Wave
• forming lenticular and rotor clouds
• Mass ascent.
• Forming stratus cloud types

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Cumulus on top of thermals (big or small)

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Stratus - even layered cloud

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Cirrus - very high ice clouds

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Nimbostratus - raining stratus

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Alto stratus / cumulus - high ones etc, etc.

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Orographic (hill fog)

I wish Id bought a CloudRacer compass
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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Clouds
• Cumulo nimbus - huge cloud of death.

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Club Pilot - Meteorology

• Wave
• Lenticular rotor clouds
• Too windy usually
• Danger - false windspeed
• SAILPLANES AND FAST HG ONLY.

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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Low level flow. Direction turns Right with Height
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Wind anticlockwise around low pressure
Wind clockwise around anticyclone

• Isobaric chart

4mb isobar joining points of equal pressure
Windspeed scale
Occluded front
Warm front
Cold front
Internet links via www.Airworks.co.uk
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Cold Front
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Warm front
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Occluded fronts
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Club Pilot - Meteorology
Sea Breeze Cell
Pressure slope
Low pressure
High pressure
Low pressure
High pressure
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Club Pilot - Airmanship
There are old pilots and there are bold pilots,
but there are no old, bold pilots.
Learn from the mistakes of others - you wont
live long enough to make them all yourself.
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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Assess weather before and during flying.
• Strive for constant improvement.
• Seek advice.
• Make your own decisions.
• Dont become one of the flock.
• Always have a good bottom landing option.
• Always have a plan A, B, C and D. - keep thinking.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Constant aspect landing approach
• Set up upwind of your field
• Fly downwind leg to the end of field, adjust
  angle.
• Fly base leg, adjusting length to maintain aspect
  (height)
• Fly into wind final to land

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Strong winds
• Set up at windward edge of your chosen field.
• Consider big ears speed-bar.
• Get into PLF position at 100.
• S turns drifting backwards are acceptable.
• Consider A-risers or D- risers to collapse
  glider.
• Run towards glider grab it, only then are you
  safe!

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Top Landings
• Approach on the slow beat.
• Dont go too far back into rotor.
• Turn (flat) into wind, even at the last moment.
• Dont mush in (do another circuit.)
• If in doubt, bottom land.
• If getting blown back, gain height then turn and
  run away from rotor.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Trees
• Land in the biggest tree you can.
• Allow glider to over-fly the tree to stop you
  falling out.
• A-brace arms across face
• Grab anything once you have stopped moving
  forwards.
• Dont attempt to self recover.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Water
• Treat water landings as probable suicide.
• Unclip all harness straps.
• Remove boots if time permits.
• LAND AWAY FROM SURF LINE.
• Land downwind and allow glider to over-fly you.
• As soon as you touch the water forwards roll out
  of harness swim away.
• Stay near to glider but dont risk entanglement.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Glider Certification Bodies
• These bodies test glider stability and handling
  grade them to assist you the pilot in making your
  glider selection. All testing is performed in
  still air - real incidents dont usually occur in
  still air!
• AFNOR system Standard, performance, competition.
• DHV - The German association DHV 1, 1/2, 2, 2/3,
  3
• CEN - Central European Normalisation. Not yet in
  force. CEN 1, 2, 3

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Towing.
• Further conversion course.
• Do not attempt DIY - risk of lockout.
• No Kiting.
• If line breaks, release ASAP.
• If not possible to release, fly S-turns until
  touchdown whilst avoiding over-flying the tow
  line.
• Keep in line with the tow line to avoid lockout.
• Maximum 60 m without CAA permit.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship
BHPA Pilot Rating Scheme
Advanced Pilot
Pilot (can now fly XC)
Hang-glider conversion
Tandem Pilot
Club Pilot (Novice)
Paramotor endorsement
Trainee Instructor
Elementary Pilot
Ab initio
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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• BHPA.
• Governing body for free flight in the UK.
• Keep a logbook, required as evidence for further
  ratings etc.
• Fly insured.
• File an incident report for all accidents / near
  misses / equipment failures.
• Keep to club / site rules.
• Use Club Coaches.
• Red ribbons are used by pilots of less than 10
  hours experience.
• EP Easy-peasy.
• CP Novice pilot. May fly unsupervised on club
  sites.
• Pilot Knows enough to fly XC.
• AP Top level / competition.

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Club Pilot - Airmanship

• Instrumentation.
• Anemometer - measures wind on hills or airspeed
  in flight.
• Vario - measures climb and sink rates, visual and
  audio output.
• Altimeter - measures height using air pressure,
  relative to three datums.
• GPS - gives location and ground speed.
• Radio - communication. 2m (143 - 144 MHz) is
  standard but illegal in UK.