Jeez... I don't think I ever once in my flying career even had to flash a card to pilots for anything - just when ratings were needed for state, national park sorta stuff.
Trust me, there's no centralized blacklist keeping track of The Unclean who used the strip option.
Everybody and his dog DESPISES those ten-miles-worse-than-useless goddam Three and Four spots. Nobody can do three in a row anyway and you're more likely to get flattened by a piano falling out of a cargo plane than you are to do them WHILE you're being observed.
Twenty-five feet for a Four? Less than a wingspan? Those requirements date back to standard Rogallos when you could win an XC contest by flying fifty feet.
I told a local Observer when we were up at Hyner View for a fly-in that I wanted to get my Four spots signed off.
Set up a circle that evening, nailed it.
Took an early morning flight the next day when he was in the LZ, nailed it.
Sonuvabitch told me he wouldn't count it because I hadn't declared it for that flight. Fuck that bullshit.
I think if you blasted your way into USHGA headquarters with an assault rifle and deleted spot landing requirements from their hard drive people would set up and break down your glider and drive free retrieval for you for the rest of your life. I know I would have.
Chuck Rebert - 1984/02
Portola Valley, California
Some aspects of the rating system are frustrating and discouraging, and could be responsible for dropouts. I think, especially, of the spot landing requirements for Intermediate and Advanced ratings. There are some individuals for whom the advanced task is nearly impossible under the high pressure of a test, whereas they can consistently hit spots when flying leisurely.
The spot landing requirements should be revised for several reasons. One, the Advanced requirement is unrealistic. There is probably no circumstance where such a tight landing would be imperative. Two, the task is not necessarily a valid indication of pilot skill. Certainly, one who can consistently land in a fifty foot diameter circle is a skilled pilot, but not being able to do that three times in a row under observation does not necessarily indicate a poor pilot. Some people just do not test well. Three, the requirement which is designed to promote safe landings, is often counterproductive. I've seen pilots do all sorts of unsafe maneuvers to hit a spot.
I recommend that a point system be adopted for the landing requirements for intermediate and advanced pilots, as follows. Intermediate applicants must achieve fifty landing points and Advanced applicants an additional fifty. Landing with good form within a fifty foot radius on declared flights provides five points, with an additional five for landing within the central twenty-five foot radius. Landing outside the fifty foot radius on a declared flight results in the subtraction of five points. In the case of landings within the fifty foot radius circle without good form, one to eight points shall be assigned at the discretion of the Observer. A point balance can be easily logged in any checkbook register. This modification of the landing task requirement will bring joy to many current pilots, and remove an obstacle that may appear too difficult for many beginners, discouraging them in their pursuit of flight.
Paul Gazis - 1990/09
Sunnyvale, California
I am an Intermediate pilot, an Observer, and have been flying for almost five years, during which time I have accumulated 200 hours of airtime. This spring I quit going for my Hang IV rating.
The reason for this decision was simple. According to my logbook, I flew 152 declared spot landing attempts during 1988 and 1989. Of these 152 flights, I was able to beg Observers to watch eight.
That's right, eight flights. For the remaining 144 flights--at Dunlap, Ed Levin, Elk, Hull, Elsinore, Kagel, McClellen, McClure, Tamalpais, Peavine, and Slide--no Observer was willing to watch me, or worse, the Observer who promised to watch me did not. On one epic occasion at Kagel, I lined up no fewer than THREE Observers for each flight, not one of whom could be found after I was on the ground.
Eight flights out of 152 is a terrible ratio, and I feel that it reflects badly on the Pilot Proficiency Program. Perhaps the fault lies with me--perhaps I am such a vile person that no one wants anything to do with me--but I feel that much of the fault lies with the Observers. There are a few exceptions, but most Observers cannot be troubled to watch someone they do not know.
I will keep making spot landings because it's a skill that comes in handy. I will retain my own Observer appointment, for a while at least, to try to spare other pilots the frustration that I have gone through. But I will never declare another task. I feel that the Pilot Proficiency Program has become a test of one's proficiency at begging for favors, and this is not a skill I wish to learn. I would much rather learn to fly.
Joe Greblo - 1998/08
Saddled With Tradition
Change is difficult, sometimes scary, especially when it is preceded by decades of history. It's not surprising that we often resist change. We've seen this many times in hang gliding; the need to hold on to those things that we think have served us well. Such was the case with spot landings and figure-8 and S-turn landing approaches. How dare anyone suggest that we promote landing on a 200-foot line instead of a target, or perform a conventional aircraft landing approach (downwind-base-final)!
Fortunately, some of us embrace change. The Pat Denevans and the Greg DeWolfs are there to give us a tug whenever we get bogged down with old-fashioned techniques that haven't kept up with other technological changes in our sport.
Yeah, I know, we got towing now so a bunch of consecutive high flights in short order is no BFD but I have few happy memories of asshole Observers and that kinda crap.
I made my recent trip to Lookout with someone who was trained by Joe Greblo. We talked about him a bit on the drive and I must say the more I hear about him the more I like him.
I'm glad at least one high-profile instructor is progressive enough to shun spots.
Yeah, I just wish he were a little more vocal and obnoxious about some of these issues.
So... Did the topic of hang checks come up? (Feel free to respond in a different thread.)
