ANAC Glider Pilot cheat sheet

Gliders are certified in the sailplane category; the airworthiness certificate, flight manual, and maintenance records must be carried or available on board as required by the state of registry.

Visual flight rules minima in controlled airspace generally require 5 km flight visibility and 1500 m horizontal, 300 m vertical distance from cloud at and above 3050 m AMSL; below that, 5 km visibility and clear of cloud with surface in sight.

A glider may not be flown without a valid medical certificate or self-declaration where the state permits, a valid pilot licence with glider rating, and a current biennial flight review.

Right-of-way: a glider has priority over powered aircraft, airships, and helicopters; among gliders, the lower one has priority, and the aircraft on the right has priority in converging head-on or crossing encounters.

Aerobatics require altitude sufficient to recover above 300 m (1000 ft) for the pilot and passengers; prohibited over congested areas, open-air assemblies, and within controlled airspace without clearance.

Cloud flying and flight in instrument meteorological conditions are only permitted with the appropriate rating, instrumentation, and clearance; gliders without such equipment must remain clear of cloud.

Logbooks must record every flight with date, type, registration, route, and flight time; dual and solo time are recorded separately, and totals are used for licence renewal and recency.

Accident and incident reporting: notify the authority within the prescribed period; serious incidents and accidents require immediate notification, and the pilot must not move wreckage except to rescue or prevent further danger.

The airspeed indicator measures dynamic pressure via a pitot tube facing the airflow and a static port; blockage of the pitot produces a false airspeed that behaves like an altimeter, while static blockage freezes the altitude indication.

The altimeter is a barometer calibrated to the standard atmosphere; set QNH for altitude above mean sea level, QFE for height above the reference point, and 1013.25 hPa for flight levels.

The variometer measures rate of climb or descent; total-energy compensation combines static and dynamic pressure so that stick inputs do not produce false climb or sink indications.

The magnetic compass indicates magnetic heading; turning and acceleration errors occur because the compass is only reliable in steady, level flight, and it must be read in level flight for turns.

The glider's yaw string or slip-skid indicator shows the relative airflow; the string streams straight back in coordinated flight and deflects toward the inside of a slip.

The parachute must be worn for aerobatics and is packed and inspected at intervals specified by the manufacturer; the harness must be fastened before takeoff and released only after landing.

Ballast may be water or fixed; water ballast increases wing loading and improves penetration but must be dumped before landing if the flight manual requires it, and dump valves must be checked pre-flight.

The airbrake or spoiler extends to increase drag and steepen the approach; the flight manual gives the maximum speed with airbrakes extended, and asymmetric extension causes roll.

Wing loading equals mass divided by wing area (kg/m²); increasing wing loading raises stall speed and best glide speed while improving penetration and reducing sink rate in strong lift.

Best glide speed is the speed for minimum sink rate divided by the square root of the load factor; it increases with headwind, sink, and wing loading, and decreases with tailwind.

The glide ratio is horizontal distance divided by height lost; a 40:1 glider at 1000 m can theoretically glide 40 km in still air, and headwind reduces the achieved ratio.

The weight and balance calculation must keep the centre of gravity within the forward and aft limits; aft centre of gravity reduces stability and pitch authority, forward centre of gravity increases stall speed.

Maximum takeoff mass is the sum of empty mass, pilot, passenger, baggage, and ballast; exceeding it invalidates the flight manual limits and degrades climb and stall performance.

Final glide calculation: required height equals distance times the sink rate divided by ground speed; add a safety margin of at least 300 m (1000 ft) for arrival at the airfield.

Density altitude increases with temperature and altitude, reducing lift and engine performance; on a hot day, the takeoff run is longer and the climb rate lower.

The speed to fly in sinking air is higher than best glide, and in rising air is lower; MacCready theory sets the speed by the expected climb rate in the next thermal.

Hypoxia symptoms begin above about 3000 m (10 000 ft) in unacclimatised pilots; supplemental oxygen is required above 3800 m (12 500 ft) when the flight exceeds 30 minutes at that level.

Hyperventilation lowers carbon dioxide in the blood and causes dizziness and tingling; it is treated by slowing the breathing rate, and it can be confused with hypoxia.

Spatial disorientation occurs when visual cues are lost in cloud or at night; trust the instruments and maintain a standard rate turn and level attitude rather than sensations.

Fatigue degrades reaction time and decision-making; the pilot should plan flights within duty limits, avoid flying when tired, and use caffeine only as a short-term aid.

Carbon monoxide from engine or heater exhaust causes headache and drowsiness; it is odourless, and the pilot should shut off the heater and open vents if symptoms appear.

Dehydration and heat reduce tolerance to G loads and impair concentration; drink water regularly and avoid alcohol, which impairs judgement for many hours after consumption.

Vision at night is best with off-centre viewing; scanning with the peripheral field and avoiding bright light preserves dark adaptation for about 30 minutes.

A thermal forms when the sun heats the ground and the air rises; thermals are strongest over dark surfaces such as ploughed fields and weakest over water and forest.

Cumulus clouds mark the top of the convective boundary layer; their bases give the cloud base height, and their tops indicate the depth of the unstable layer.

The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 3 °C per 1000 ft (about 9.8 °C per 1000 m); the saturated rate is about 1.5 °C per 1000 ft, and the environmental lapse rate determines stability.

A stable atmosphere suppresses convection and produces stratiform cloud, smooth air, and haze; an unstable atmosphere produces cumulus, turbulence, and good soaring.

Wind increases with height and veers with height in the northern hemisphere; the gradient wind at 2000 ft is stronger and more backed than the surface wind.

A cold front brings a narrow band of showers, a wind shift, and a temperature drop; a warm front brings widespread cloud and rain with poor soaring.

Sea breezes form on sunny days when the land heats faster than the sea; the breeze front can produce strong convergence lift and a marked wind shift.

Mountain waves form when stable air crosses a ridge; they produce smooth lift and severe turbulence in the rotor below, and lenticular clouds mark their position.

True heading equals true course plus wind correction angle; magnetic heading equals true heading plus or minus magnetic variation, and compass heading adds deviation.

The 1-in-60 rule: a course error of 1° produces a lateral error of 1 nautical mile in 60 nautical miles; use it to estimate drift and correction.

A plotter and a navigation computer give track, distance, and time; groundspeed equals distance divided by time, and heading is corrected for wind by the wind triangle.

Map reading uses the scale 1:500 000 for cross-country charts; 1 cm on the chart equals 5 km on the ground, and relief is shown by contours and shading.

GPS gives position, track, and groundspeed; the pilot must still carry a chart and be able to navigate by map reading if the unit fails.

The magnetic compass must be read in level flight; the compass swing card gives deviation for each heading, and deviation is aircraft-specific.

Time en route equals distance divided by groundspeed; fuel or height reserves are planned by adding a fixed margin to the calculated time.

Before takeoff: check controls free and correct, altimeter set, airbrakes locked, ballast secured, canopy locked, and the launch signal agreed with the wing runner.

Aerotow signals: the pilot raises the hand to signal takeoff; the tow pilot rocks the wings to signal release, and the glider releases by pulling the release knob.

Winch launch: maintain a straight climb, monitor airspeed, and release if the cable breaks below 200 ft; above that, lower the nose, turn downwind, and land ahead.

The circuit is flown at the specified speeds for the glider; final approach is flown at 1.3 times the stall speed plus half the wind speed, with airbrakes adjusted to reach the aiming point.

A landing out should be planned early; choose a field with a clear approach, assess the surface and slope, and fly the approach at the recommended speed with airbrakes used to control the touchdown point.

The pre-landing check: altimeter, airbrakes, trim, and wind; the approach is abandoned if too high or too low, and a go-around is not possible in a glider, so the decision must be made early.

Emergency: a canopy that cannot be opened is broken with the canopy breaker or jettisoned; the parachute is used only after the canopy is clear and the aircraft is under control.

Radio calls use standard phraseology: position, altitude, and intention; the pilot must monitor the airfield frequency and announce entering the circuit and final approach.

Lift equals half the air density times velocity squared times wing area times the lift coefficient; lift increases with the square of airspeed.

The four forces are lift, weight, thrust, and drag; in a steady glide, thrust is zero and the component of weight along the flight path balances drag.

Induced drag decreases with airspeed and increases with lift coefficient; parasite drag increases with the square of airspeed, and total drag is lowest at the speed for best glide.

Stall occurs at the critical angle of attack, about 15° for most gliders; it is independent of airspeed, so a glider can stall at any speed if the angle of attack is too high.

The load factor in a level turn equals 1 divided by the cosine of the bank angle; at 60° bank the load factor is 2, and the stall speed increases by the square root of the load factor.

Aspect ratio equals span squared divided by wing area; a high aspect ratio reduces induced drag and improves glide ratio.

Adverse yaw occurs when the downgoing aileron produces more drag; it is corrected with coordinated rudder input, and the yaw string shows the resulting slip.

Ground effect reduces induced drag when the wing is within one wingspan of the ground; it increases lift and float during the landing flare.

Gliders are certified in the sailplane category; the airworthiness certificate, flight manual, and maintenance records must be carried or available on board as required by the state of registry.

Visual flight rules minima in controlled airspace generally require 5 km flight visibility and 1500 m horizontal, 300 m vertical distance from cloud at and above 3050 m AMSL; below that, 5 km visibility and clear of cloud with surface in sight.

A glider may not be flown without a valid medical certificate or self-declaration where the state permits, a valid pilot licence with glider rating, and a current biennial flight review.

Right-of-way: a glider has priority over powered aircraft, airships, and helicopters; among gliders, the lower one has priority, and the aircraft on the right has priority in converging head-on or crossing encounters.

Aerobatics require altitude sufficient to recover above 300 m (1000 ft) for the pilot and passengers; prohibited over congested areas, open-air assemblies, and within controlled airspace without clearance.

Cloud flying and flight in instrument meteorological conditions are only permitted with the appropriate rating, instrumentation, and clearance; gliders without such equipment must remain clear of cloud.

Logbooks must record every flight with date, type, registration, route, and flight time; dual and solo time are recorded separately, and totals are used for licence renewal and recency.

Accident and incident reporting: notify the authority within the prescribed period; serious incidents and accidents require immediate notification, and the pilot must not move wreckage except to rescue or prevent further danger.

The airspeed indicator measures dynamic pressure via a pitot tube facing the airflow and a static port; blockage of the pitot produces a false airspeed that behaves like an altimeter, while static blockage freezes the altitude indication.

The altimeter is a barometer calibrated to the standard atmosphere; set QNH for altitude above mean sea level, QFE for height above the reference point, and 1013.25 hPa for flight levels.

The variometer measures rate of climb or descent; total-energy compensation combines static and dynamic pressure so that stick inputs do not produce false climb or sink indications.

The magnetic compass indicates magnetic heading; turning and acceleration errors occur because the compass is only reliable in steady, level flight, and it must be read in level flight for turns.

The glider's yaw string or slip-skid indicator shows the relative airflow; the string streams straight back in coordinated flight and deflects toward the inside of a slip.

The parachute must be worn for aerobatics and is packed and inspected at intervals specified by the manufacturer; the harness must be fastened before takeoff and released only after landing.

Ballast may be water or fixed; water ballast increases wing loading and improves penetration but must be dumped before landing if the flight manual requires it, and dump valves must be checked pre-flight.

The airbrake or spoiler extends to increase drag and steepen the approach; the flight manual gives the maximum speed with airbrakes extended, and asymmetric extension causes roll.

Wing loading equals mass divided by wing area (kg/m²); increasing wing loading raises stall speed and best glide speed while improving penetration and reducing sink rate in strong lift.

Best glide speed is the speed for minimum sink rate divided by the square root of the load factor; it increases with headwind, sink, and wing loading, and decreases with tailwind.

The glide ratio is horizontal distance divided by height lost; a 40:1 glider at 1000 m can theoretically glide 40 km in still air, and headwind reduces the achieved ratio.

The weight and balance calculation must keep the centre of gravity within the forward and aft limits; aft centre of gravity reduces stability and pitch authority, forward centre of gravity increases stall speed.

Maximum takeoff mass is the sum of empty mass, pilot, passenger, baggage, and ballast; exceeding it invalidates the flight manual limits and degrades climb and stall performance.

Final glide calculation: required height equals distance times the sink rate divided by ground speed; add a safety margin of at least 300 m (1000 ft) for arrival at the airfield.

Density altitude increases with temperature and altitude, reducing lift and engine performance; on a hot day, the takeoff run is longer and the climb rate lower.

The speed to fly in sinking air is higher than best glide, and in rising air is lower; MacCready theory sets the speed by the expected climb rate in the next thermal.

Hypoxia symptoms begin above about 3000 m (10 000 ft) in unacclimatised pilots; supplemental oxygen is required above 3800 m (12 500 ft) when the flight exceeds 30 minutes at that level.

Hyperventilation lowers carbon dioxide in the blood and causes dizziness and tingling; it is treated by slowing the breathing rate, and it can be confused with hypoxia.

Spatial disorientation occurs when visual cues are lost in cloud or at night; trust the instruments and maintain a standard rate turn and level attitude rather than sensations.

Fatigue degrades reaction time and decision-making; the pilot should plan flights within duty limits, avoid flying when tired, and use caffeine only as a short-term aid.

Carbon monoxide from engine or heater exhaust causes headache and drowsiness; it is odourless, and the pilot should shut off the heater and open vents if symptoms appear.

Dehydration and heat reduce tolerance to G loads and impair concentration; drink water regularly and avoid alcohol, which impairs judgement for many hours after consumption.

Vision at night is best with off-centre viewing; scanning with the peripheral field and avoiding bright light preserves dark adaptation for about 30 minutes.

A thermal forms when the sun heats the ground and the air rises; thermals are strongest over dark surfaces such as ploughed fields and weakest over water and forest.

Cumulus clouds mark the top of the convective boundary layer; their bases give the cloud base height, and their tops indicate the depth of the unstable layer.

The dry adiabatic lapse rate is 3 °C per 1000 ft (about 9.8 °C per 1000 m); the saturated rate is about 1.5 °C per 1000 ft, and the environmental lapse rate determines stability.

A stable atmosphere suppresses convection and produces stratiform cloud, smooth air, and haze; an unstable atmosphere produces cumulus, turbulence, and good soaring.

Wind increases with height and veers with height in the northern hemisphere; the gradient wind at 2000 ft is stronger and more backed than the surface wind.

A cold front brings a narrow band of showers, a wind shift, and a temperature drop; a warm front brings widespread cloud and rain with poor soaring.

Sea breezes form on sunny days when the land heats faster than the sea; the breeze front can produce strong convergence lift and a marked wind shift.

Mountain waves form when stable air crosses a ridge; they produce smooth lift and severe turbulence in the rotor below, and lenticular clouds mark their position.

True heading equals true course plus wind correction angle; magnetic heading equals true heading plus or minus magnetic variation, and compass heading adds deviation.

The 1-in-60 rule: a course error of 1° produces a lateral error of 1 nautical mile in 60 nautical miles; use it to estimate drift and correction.

A plotter and a navigation computer give track, distance, and time; groundspeed equals distance divided by time, and heading is corrected for wind by the wind triangle.

Map reading uses the scale 1:500 000 for cross-country charts; 1 cm on the chart equals 5 km on the ground, and relief is shown by contours and shading.

GPS gives position, track, and groundspeed; the pilot must still carry a chart and be able to navigate by map reading if the unit fails.

The magnetic compass must be read in level flight; the compass swing card gives deviation for each heading, and deviation is aircraft-specific.

Time en route equals distance divided by groundspeed; fuel or height reserves are planned by adding a fixed margin to the calculated time.

Before takeoff: check controls free and correct, altimeter set, airbrakes locked, ballast secured, canopy locked, and the launch signal agreed with the wing runner.

Aerotow signals: the pilot raises the hand to signal takeoff; the tow pilot rocks the wings to signal release, and the glider releases by pulling the release knob.

Winch launch: maintain a straight climb, monitor airspeed, and release if the cable breaks below 200 ft; above that, lower the nose, turn downwind, and land ahead.

The circuit is flown at the specified speeds for the glider; final approach is flown at 1.3 times the stall speed plus half the wind speed, with airbrakes adjusted to reach the aiming point.

A landing out should be planned early; choose a field with a clear approach, assess the surface and slope, and fly the approach at the recommended speed with airbrakes used to control the touchdown point.

The pre-landing check: altimeter, airbrakes, trim, and wind; the approach is abandoned if too high or too low, and a go-around is not possible in a glider, so the decision must be made early.

Emergency: a canopy that cannot be opened is broken with the canopy breaker or jettisoned; the parachute is used only after the canopy is clear and the aircraft is under control.

Radio calls use standard phraseology: position, altitude, and intention; the pilot must monitor the airfield frequency and announce entering the circuit and final approach.

Lift equals half the air density times velocity squared times wing area times the lift coefficient; lift increases with the square of airspeed.

The four forces are lift, weight, thrust, and drag; in a steady glide, thrust is zero and the component of weight along the flight path balances drag.

Induced drag decreases with airspeed and increases with lift coefficient; parasite drag increases with the square of airspeed, and total drag is lowest at the speed for best glide.

Stall occurs at the critical angle of attack, about 15° for most gliders; it is independent of airspeed, so a glider can stall at any speed if the angle of attack is too high.

The load factor in a level turn equals 1 divided by the cosine of the bank angle; at 60° bank the load factor is 2, and the stall speed increases by the square root of the load factor.

Aspect ratio equals span squared divided by wing area; a high aspect ratio reduces induced drag and improves glide ratio.

Adverse yaw occurs when the downgoing aileron produces more drag; it is corrected with coordinated rudder input, and the yaw string shows the resulting slip.

Ground effect reduces induced drag when the wing is within one wingspan of the ground; it increases lift and float during the landing flare.