Mary:
I know you are into gliding. So was I. In my spare time (from my professional career) I was involved for 17 years in running an RAFGSA club and ended up as the CFI.
I would like to tell you about a remarkable instrument flight that I had with a young lady pupil who had not long gone solo and who had absolutely no experience of instrument flying.
She was in the front of a Bocian and I was in the back. We got underneath a promising Cu and off we went. We did not have an artificial horizon but just a turn and slip.
I promise you, I never once touched the controls but managed to teach her how to instrument fly on very basic instruments such that she (not me) came out the top of said Cu at 9,200 ft (I still have the trace).
By the way, she went on to get the Alex Orde Award from the BGA for getting all three silver legs in one year.
I wonder how many pilots nowadays would be happy with just a turn and slip?
Furthermore; how many pilots nowadays would know how to recover from a spin in cloud using just a turn and slip?
I had to.
The Piston Provost was relatively easy but the Vampire required a great deal of concentration on the turn needle because if you didn't spot (or anticipate the needle coming off the stops) then it was too late and you were going the other way.
Mind you, when the aeroplane is losing 6,500 ft per turn, you don't have a lot of time to bu**er about.
I seem to remember that if you had not got the Vampire out of the spin by 18,000 ft then you got rid of the canopy. If it was still spinning at 10,00 ft then you made a Martin Baker let down.
Last edited by JW411; 20th Jul 2011 at 18:33.