http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l6...ion/11dy6s.jpg

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l6...tion/5oy9s.jpg

...dead stick landing? ;)

OK OK...bad joke...

Not that simple.

Increasing the radar cross section isn't going to help radars that work on doppler principles detect slow moving and constantly turning gliders.

I don't know of any off the shelf radar beacon that works with a large number of different radars.

Well, I was going to respond to the piece on gliders and right aways (being an active glider pilot), but....


I just saw the picture of the cockpit of the Hawker. And DAMN, that must have scared the crap out of the captain!!!!!

The captain of that plane did her job very well. I hope she got a fat tip from her well-healed passengers for bringing that baby and her passengers home safely. I'd hire her.

ryane,

Interested to hear from the glider perspective. What's the attitude like in that community? Is it "we have the right of way, and the right to fly wherever we choose", or is there some training/planning involved regarding where you guys fly? Don't want to make any assumptions here but some glider pilots seem pretty brazen in their choice of flying areas.

Since the glider "got hit" -whose insurance pays?:confused:

I don't think we as glider pilots really push the right of way thing. I know that if I am flying, and I see another aircraft, I watch and avoid it like any other powered pilot would. I think we are more conscience of the right of way when coming into land. It is more of a big deal when we are within 1,000ft of the ground.

I know I have personally turned out of a thermal to avoid powered traffic. To be honest, I don't care who has the right away, as long as we don't collide! I think the best way is for powered pilots to try and give glider pilots their space, especially when landing. I have gone around a few times in a powered aircraft just because I was close pretty close to a landing glider, and I wanted to give them their space.

As for where we fly, we are very conscience of powered traffic where I fly (Boulder, 1V5). I know that I never hang around the north side of the field below 1700ft AGL. I also know where the towplane descent area is, and try to avoid low altitude thermalling around there (even though that is sometimes the best air around). We stay away from the traffic pattern. We stay below 18,000ft unless we are talking to Denver center.

I've said it long before this accident, Gliders should be required to have a transponder.

Flying the star into ABQ from the southeast almost hit a glider in a 727 doing 350 kias. It was lucky it was circling away from our path as we passed.

The kicker is it was right on the arrival at 19,500. We were heads down, looked up, and there it went. Happened very fast. I didn't know it was physically possible to urinate my pants that fast.

Told ABQ center, and he said he did not have a target...not even a primary.