At 11:05 PM 19/04/01 +1000, you wrote:
>Maybe someone should start a weekly MOSP quiz on the list ... LOL !!!
>
>Regards
>
>Jason Armistead (Allan's son !)
I had hoped that mindless quoting of the MOSP could be avoided.
It can do no harm and might do some good to question the hidden assumptions
that go into the rule making process.
Some of the questions that might be asked are:
Do we really need a weak link?
How many accidents does having one prevent?
How many does it cause?
The rest of the world seems to have the weak link at the glider end. What
do they know that we don't?
Why don't they worry about the rope catching on fences etc?
Why do we fly in low tow when everyone else uses high tow?
Why isn't the rest of the world convinced by our reasons for standardising
on low tow?
Why would you want to manoeuver through the tug slipstream at an altitude
less than that at which you can do a safe return to the runway?
Why do so many aerotow operations start the takeoff run with 300 meters or
more of good runway behind them? This isn't necessarily bad if there are
good options in the event of a low altitude launch failure but it is being
done when there aren't.
Why use short tow ropes?
What minimum length should be tolerated?
Why do we make it so difficult to become a tug pilot? The best tows I've
ever had were in Texas at a US Nationals where the itinerant aircaft owners
who turned up - "we hear there's a glider contest here next week" - had
hooks fitted at the maintenance shop across the field and were given a
briefing to "fly attitude at 70 knots and don't exceed 15 degrees of bank".
No problems.
Given that the gliding accident statistics in the major gliding countries
aren't much different from each other and the rules differ it is possible
to conclude that the local rules are *fashions* rather than vital flight
safety rules.
We've fallen into the CASA trap of trying to prescribe in minute detail how
to aviate. Not necessarily a bad thing in an airline operation which relies
on standard procedures for crew co-ordination in a very structured
environment but not necessarily good in sport aviation where less than
optimum things continue to get done because the rules say "that's the way
to do it" and become a substitute for thought.
Mike Borgelt
Borgelt Instruments - manufacturers of quality soaring instruments
ABN 75532924542
Box 7474 Toowoomba M.C.
Queensland 4352
Australia
Tel 0746 355 784
mob 0428 355 784
0429 355 784
fax 0746 358 796
International
phone: int'l+ 61 7 46 355 784
Cellphone:int'l +61 4 28 355 784
int'l +61 4 29 355 784
fax : int'l+ 61 7 46 358 796
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
website:www.ozemail.com.au/~mborgelt
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