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Hornet Pilot handling guide – June 09
Pilot responsibilities
Understand how to DI the glider
Understand how to operate the glider (including limitations)
Understand how to fill and fly with water ballast (including limitations)
Understand how to Rig / De-Rig the glider
Make yourself familiar with the Hornet trailer
Enjoy your flight in the Hornet
Supplementary Notes: Trailing Edge Airbrakes
Trailing edge airbrakes have a reputation in some people’s eyes of being dangerous and the cause of
some accidents in the past. Unlike standard scissor type airbrakes that increase the stall speed when
opened, trailing edge airbrakes reduce the stall speed when opened. This is because they act similar
to flaps only with a lot more drag.
The argument is:
The glider on short final has full airbrake out and is flying just above the stall speed. The pilot then
finds him/her self undershooting and puts the airbrakes away. The glider now stalls because the
stall speed is now higher than the airspeed with the brakes away.
It is easy to see that main problem with this argument is that the pilot should not be flying so slow in
the first place and one could say that they are asking for trouble no matter what type of airbrake
system they are using. Simply put, if you have the correct airspeed the change in stall speed will not
affect you.
Here are some tips regarding using trailing edge airbrakes:
Just like flaps, trailing edge airbrakes will tend to make the glider balloon or pitch the nose
up and slow the airspeed(standard scissor type airbrakes can tend to make the nose drop
and pick up speed)
Try not to put the airbrakes away when close to the ground (if you do, be prepared to lower
the nose if needed)
If it is the first time using trailing edge airbrakes then practice using them up high
Trailing edge airbrakes have the benefit of being powerful and are also are speed limiting (the glider
will not pass VNE with brakes out) so once the pilot gets used to the slightly different feel, they will
find them useful and easy to use.
