Using the Lessons for Real World Training

If you intend to fly a glider in real life, you are strongly advised to use these lessons with the guidance of a qualified gliding instructor.

The objective of this lesson is to provide the basics of using the glidingschool.com lessons in the Real World, and makes the distinction between it and how they would be used in the Condor simulator world. In the real world, you will obviously have an instructor overseeing your training, providing the briefings and managing the flight exercises. In this case, glidingschool.com provides an easily accessible learning resource and a timely reminder of the key points you need to learn and revise pre-flight. 

Learning Points

This lesson describes how to use glidingschool.com: the structure of lessons, how to use them, and the demonstrations. Obviously in the real world, the exercises are real flights, flown under the guidance and supervision of your instructor. If you have Condor2, you will be able to use the flight exercises in the simulator, either with an instructor or on your own.

Lesson Structure

The lessons usually have three key elements:

• Description – a page like this.
• Demonstration – a playback of a Condor flight showing how the skill is performed.
• Exercise – your chance to practise the skill.

Description

The Description is self explanatory, providing a written briefing of the skills being taught.

Demonstration (Video)

The Demonstration is shown using the video link within the lesson. To gain the most benefit, be sure to read the lesson’s written briefing as well as watching the demonstration.

The demonstrations are parts of flights previously recorded in Condor2. We are developing the format of these videos to make them easier to use online.

In the first instance, they are simply recordings of what is displayed in Condor’s Flight School. In these videos, as in Condor, explanatory messages appear at the top of the screen, ideally timed to match important moments in the demonstration. The messages fade away after a few seconds. New messages will appear above any remaining on the screen, which can be a little confusing – the new message is always at the top. Use the video controls to pause and rewind as needed. You may need to view the demonstration a couple of times to absorb the messages before focusing on the action.

We are enhancing these videos for use on the website. The most recent demonstrations have messages that are easier to read, especially on a small device. Some also have a voice-over. The underlying demonstration is the same, although the online versions exploit pausing and so on, which only affects their duration.

Exercise (for Real World flying)

In the Real World the Exercise is flown with your instructor, who will brief you accordingly. Lessons are likely to be somewhat opportunistic in what can be taught, although specific objectives will almost always be set and agreed in advance, and lessons will be taught in a way that builds on your previous experience. However, the exercises are not as predictable or as easily controlled as in Condor, so expect the unexpected. You might plan to tackle stalls, only to find that real life throws a launch failure your way.

Demonstration Scenario (Video)

This section describes the demonstration and the conditions in which it takes place. The most frequently used set up is:

• Still air: so you can focus on the skill being taught. Condor’s turbulence is very effective!
• Flying the Standard Cirrus: realistic early solo glider performance.
• Scenery: Slovakia is used throughout, as it is the default scenery and varied to suit our needs.
• Airfields are selected to suit each lesson. Some benefit from a level horizon, whereas others benefit from obvious ground features such as mountains or runways.

Demonstration Video

Every glidingschool.com lesson has a demonstration video recorded in the Condor Soaring Simulator. They illustrate the learning points described in the briefings and show you how to fly the exercise.

The video is best viewed in YouTube in Full Screen mode, to easily see the on-screen messages during the demonstration. Use view, pause and rewind as needed to grasp the content and timing of the messages displayed, and other features that may help, such as the location of the airfield, then focus on the action.

Further Reading and References

References to useful material, notably from:

• Gliding From Passenger to Pilot, 2nd Edition
• BGA Instructors’ Manual, 4th Edition.
• BGA Instructors’ Reference Cards.
• Gliding: The British Gliding Association Student Pilot Manual, and website.