Re: Tom Knauff's newsletter

> 
> Examples of the questions include:
> 
> During a left turn on aero tow, which side of the towplane should the
> glider pilot see?
> 
> A.	Left side
> B.	Right Side
> C.	Both sides equally
> D.	Which side does not matter as long as the glider is not too high.
> 
> During a steep, continuous left hand turn, how are the controls held?
> 
> A.	Left Aileron, right rudder, back stick
> B.	Left aileron, left rudder, back stick
> C.	Right aileron, right rudder, back stick
> D.	Right aileron, left rudder, back stick
> 

First, I think Tom is mostly right, but I'll make a couple of points.

Look at the two questions above.  I'd suggest that these questions are 
both moot.  On the first question I would have originally said A, but 
this past weekend while on tow I realized that the angle is pretty small 
and you can actually see both sides almost the same as long as the turn 
isn't very sharp.  But WHO CARES????  Just because I couldn't remember 
this visual image with photographic memory doesn't make me a bad pilot 
or an unaware pilot.  I can certainly recognize when I'm out of position 
laterally without having to ask myself if I'm looking at one side of the 
towplane more than the other.

Same goes for the second question.  I CAN make very steep coordinated 
turns.  I don't have to verbalize to myself what I need to do with the 
controls in order to do it.  It just happens.  Again, not being able to 
verbalize this doesn't make one a bad pilot.

Now, back to the original point.  There ARE some number of people who 
have mis-understood the rudder wag signal.  Tom's solution is to blame 
those people and he's mostly right.  I'm not saying that there aren't 
plenty of people flying today who couldn't pass the FAA written right 
now, but IF (big IF) a different signal could be developed that was LESS 
prone to confusion with the rock off signal we might keep a couple of 
people from at least cra****ng, if not dying.  IF the towpilot is giving 
the rudder wag signal to someone, that gliderpilot is probably already 
in a stressful situation because the tow isn't going well.  True, they 
should be more prepared, but if a different signal could be developed 
that helped, wouldn't we all be better off?