Safety Information
ON THIS PAGE: (alphabetic)
AOPA Safety and Training Links
Wave Windows Nevada & Williams
White Mt. Soaring Procedure Alpha
Do you know your Dual Tow Safety Procedures?
Review Dual Towing on the VSA website. Scroll down the VSA page to the Dual Tow section.
"Flying by myself in a tiny aircraft over lonely woods: I have no one to blame if I make a bad judgment, and the laws of physics won’t listen to my excuses.
What would my life be like if I always had to take full responsibility?"
~ Mark Olson (Plant biologist and National Geographic Emerging Explorer)
Low and 76 Miles From Home
Adobe PDF Files
Many Articles posted on the PASCO web site are in Adobe Reader (PDF) format.
Have a Safety Hint, Link, or Article?
Email the PASCO Safety Officer:
ASH25 Shadow - Ridge Soaring
PASCO Flight Safety
Safety Committee
PASCO's flight safety Committee Chairman: ________________
- Safety is everyone's business.
- You can help make soaring safer.
- Be alert, speak up when you see something unsafe.
- Volunteer !
- Your comments and suggestions are welcome.
- Is there something you would like to see on this page?
- Important training materials you are aware of?
Email safety comments or suggestions to: safety@pacificsoaring.org
Safety Articles & Documents
- Complacency: What Me Worry? (html)
- By Martin Hellman - Presented at the PASCO 2007 Soaring Seminar. None of us think of ourselves as resembling Alfred E. Newman, the "What me worry?" Mad Magazine character – until after an accident, when we rigorously review what we could have done differently More .....
- Safety Comes First (PDF 64KB)
- By Bruno Gantenbrink - A candid commentary on soaring safety. 'That sentence, "The most dangerous part of gliding is the trip to the glider field" is the dumbest, most ignorant saying that has found a home in our sport.' More...
- Mountain Flying Safety (PDF 114KB)
- By Richard Pearl - 2006 - Do you know the affect of high altitude on your glider? What speed should you fly? Take off? Landing? ... More...
- Generic Safety - What Causes Accidents (PDF 271KB)
- By Bill Reuland - 2006 What Cause High Percentage of Accidents? Fatigue.. lack of practice.. Failure to maintain situational awareness... More...
- FAA Physiological Training Course Brochure (PDF 182KB)
- High Altitude Chamber Ride and the FAA Basic Survival Course information. What it is, and where to schedule it. You must have a FAA Class 3 medical to go into the High Altitude Chamber, but not for the classes.
- Physiological Hazards of Soaring Flights ( PDF 1.3MB)
- By Dr. Walter B. Cannon MD 2003 - Medical conditions which could create dangerous situations in flight... Hypoxia, Skin Cancers from Chronic Sun Exposure... more...
- White Mountain Safety - Procedure Alpha Map & Info card- (PDF 51KB)
- You should print and memorize this information (two pages)
and have them in your cockpit when flying the Whites.
- Set Altimeter to Bishop ASOS Pressure Alt (freq. 119.025)
- Report Position on 123.5 per the position map.
- Maintain 1,000 ft vertical separation.
- Open and PRINT the Procedure Alpha Document.
- See the entire PowerPoint Presentation "Nose To Nose in the Whites"
http://www.soaringsafety.org/presentation/safety.html
Transponders - ATC Communication
- IMPORTANT: Mode C Transponders - Reno-Tahoe Airport Area
- The Potential conflict
between gliders and commercial air traffic near Reno has increased with
the growth of commercial jet traffic into Reno-Tahoe Airport (RNO) . PASCO
emphasizes that glider pilots operating in the Reno area must be alert
for all air traffic arriving and departing RNO.
Transponder signals are received by Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS) on board commercial aircraft as well as by Air Traffic Control (ATC) Radar. By Air Traffic Control (ATC) Letter of Agreement (LOA) ...". gliders in the Reno area can transmit the 0440 transponder code in the blind, without establishing radio contact with Reno Approach Control."
PASCO recommends that gliders operating cross country, within 50 NM of Reno-Tahoe Airport, install and use a Mode C altitude encoding transponder. - Transponders in Sailplanes (PDF 391KB)
- By Eric Greenwell. Information on Selecting, Installing, and Using a transponder.
- Minden - Flying Out of Minden
- Pilots soaring out of Truckee, Air Sailing, or Minden should study the material added to the Minden Soaring Club web site.
- Reno Air Traffic ATC Procedures "Talking to ATC" (PDF 15KB)
- By Mike Schneider. A great 3 page "Cheat Sheet" list of radio communication lingo to use when talking to ATC, includes common phrases and expected responses.
- Reno Air Traffic Cockpit Card (PDF 120KB)
- By PASCO. Cockpit Reminders for Gliders Flying in Airspace Around Reno, NV. Action list with examples: i.e., Monitor and contact Reno Approach when within 20 NM from Reno....
- Reno ATC - Glider Pilot Briefing Card - (PDF 195KB)
- By PASCO. Larger version map of the one used in the Cockpit Reminder card above.
- Reno Air Traffic Control (PDF 2.9MB)
- By Don Brooks PASCO 2006 - So you think you are alone in the big friendly skies? - Don's presentation will open your eyes.
- Reno ATC - Talking To Reno Approach - Audio ( MP3 27MB - 38 Minutes)
-
Thanks to Soar Truckee's initiative, Mark Beadle, representing
Reno TRACON briefed us about "Talking to Reno Approach." It
is well worth listening too.
Downloading only takes only 2 minutes over cable or DSL. If we want to
fly and play in this airspace, this is a must listen. A very lively discussion
and great questions and answers. Thank you, Mark. Well done. Thanks to
Francois Brahic for the recording. (Note: the first part
has a lot of background noise, but it gets easier to hear later in the
recording).
OR Windows Media File (WMA 18MB)
AOPA, and SSA Safety Links
- AOPA SAFETYCAST Seminars - http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/safetycasts/
- TAKE ADVANTAGE OF NEW ON-LINE SEMINARS -
http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/safetycasts/ -- 21 (and growing) on-line aviation safety courses available free. Thanks to a grant from United Technologies Company. The preliminary numbers are in, and the AOPA Air Safety Foundation's new online SafetyCast series is a blocKBuster hit with pilots across the country.
Which SafetyCasts are most popular? Not surprisingly, safety expert and aviation funnyman Rod Machado leads the pack with his "Aviation Humor" and "Yoke and Pedal" seminars. "Say it Right: Radio Communication in Today's Airspace," "Top 5 Mistakes Pilots Make," and "Single-Pilot IFR" round out the top five. Not yet qualified for the new WINGS program (AOPA is working on it) and not all are glider only oriented, but many are pertinent! - AOPA Air Safety Foundation
- Ranges from publications to online courses.
- Soaring Safety Foundation http://www.soaringsafety.org/ - Major Goals:
-
Reduce accident rate in soaring
Increase pilot awareness of safety
Disseminate Training Information and material
FAA & NTSB Safety Links
- FAA Physiological Training Course Brochure (PDF182KB)
- High Altitude Chamber Ride and the FAA Basic Survival Course information. What it is, and where to schedule it. You must have a FAA Class 3 medical to go into the High Altitude Chamber, but not for the classes.
- FAA - FAAsafety.gov -
Safer Skies through Education - Aviation Learning.
- NTSB- National Transportation and Safety Board - Aviation Division - Accident Database & Synopses, Accident Statistics.
Wave Windows - FAA & Soaring Agreements
Minden, NV Wave Window - Oakland ATC - LOA (PDF 426KB)
Air Sailing, NV - Pyramid Wave Window - Oakland ATC - LOA (PDF 367KB)
Williams Soaring Center Wave Window - http://www.valleysoaring.net/wave.htm- - Visit the Valley Soaring Association (VSA) web site to view the Wave Window.