Overview

My CFIG colleague Nyal Williams claims, back in 1962, to have made a perfect turn in glider, and someday hopes to do it again, just to prove it wasn’t an accident.

In addition to providing the control inputs required to initiate, stabilize, and complete a turn in a glider, the pilot must manage what I call the glider’s “four un-commanded behaviors”.

Making a streamlined, constant speed, constant bank angle turn in a glider is a complex task, and takes a lot of practice to be able to do it well.  Understanding what makes the glider turn, and why it exhibits these un-commanded behaviors, will go a long way toward helping you manage the complexity of this seeming simple and fundamental maneuver.

Prerequisites

Airspeed Control

Documents

Reading/Work Assignment: