LESC has limited resources
that must be shared fairly amongst the membership. As such, the Late Return Policy applies to
all flights including Cross-Country flights.
Should multiple members reservations be affected, the Late Return Policy
will be applied to each.
As a reminder, the PIC of any LESC aircraft is liable
for the first $500 of damage that may occur to any insured LESC assets
associated with the flight. This
includes trailers, parachutes, dataloggers, tools or any other club
assetts. It’s worth noting that our insurance policy doesn’t cover the
glider or trailer when it’s being trailered, This is typically covered
under the owners’ vehicle
insurance policy, so the PIC is
liable for the full value and needs to verify the coverage limits of
the tow vehicle’s insurance policy.
1. Prior to takeoff,
all LESC pilots must meet the following requirements to fly LESC gliders
cross-country:
A. The pilot
must hold an SSA Bronze badge or better.
B. The pilot as
well as any crew members who may drive the chase vehicle or tow the glider must
have a copy of their driver’s license on file.
C. It’s the
pilot’s responsibility to ensure the trailer is in road-worthy condition. This includes all tires, electrical, licensing, any required fixtures, hitch and safety chains.
D. It’s the pilot’s responsibility to ensure that a crew vehicle suitable for towing the glider and trailer, including insurance, is available.
E. Unless the
flight is conducted in accordance with Part 3 of this section, it’s the pilot’s
responsibility to assemble a qualified chase
crew with the minimum number of members and tools to safely disassemble the
glider to be flown and place it on trailer.
F. The pilot and
at least 1 crewmember (if required) must have a logbook endorsement by
authorized LESC personnel for the assembly and disassembly of the glider to be
flown cross-country. This endorsement
requires the actual disassembly, loading, unloading, reassembly of the glider
and a positive control check.
G. It’s the
pilot’s responsibility to coordinate the proper call in procedures and numbers
with his crew (if required), LESC Duty Officer and Duty CFIG. If no word has been received from the pilot or crew 30 minutes prior to sundown, a search
process will begin. The Duty Officer and
Duty CFIG are required to stay at the airport until such time as all flights
have safely reported in or appropriate authorities have been notified about the
overdue flight.
H. A flight
datalogger is required for all cross-country flights. LESC has one available for use on a first
come, first served basis (a fee may be charged as determined by club
policies). The flight trace may be used to train other club members as well and any
badge/record claims.
I. A parachute
should be worn by the PIC when flying cross-country. LESC has one available for use on a first
come, first served basis (a fee may be charged
as determined by club policies).
J. The pilot
will present the completed checklists below to the Duty CFIG for verification.
2. Due to FAA regulations and
other concerns, solo student pilots must meet the following additional
requirements:
A.
The solo student
pilot will create a cross-country profile for the flight with the appropriate
go / no-go decision points, airspace, landmarks, significant terrain and
alternate landing sites for the forecast conditions along the planned route.
B.
If the flight is
to be flown in thermal conditions, the solo student pilot will create a thermal
forecast for the route chosen.
C.
The Federal
Aviation Regulations 61.93(j)(1-10) requires that solo
student pilots have an endorsement from an authorized flight instructor for
each specific cross-country flight. This
must be an authorized LESC CFIG. The
flight must be specified point to point.
Deviations from this flight plan are a violation of the CFIG’s
endorsement and therefore FAR 61.93(i)(1-10). This means no
alternate landing options. Since
the CFIG is the one on the hook here, it’s at each individual CFIG’s discretion
if they feel the solo student is properly prepared to make the flight and may
require more than the minimum requirements listed here. Some instructors may
not wish to endorse any solo students for cross-country – it’s their
prerogative. It’s therefore recommended
that you check with the CFIG prior to the day you wish to fly.
3.
Flights remaining
within final glide of the airports listed below are exempt from the Chase Crew
requirement in Part 1 (D through F) of this section :
Table 1
|
Airport |
Designator |
Coordinates |
Distance |
|
Skylark |
CA89 |
33.6300225N / -117.3017044W |
0.0 sm |
|
|
L65 |
33.7608531N / -117.2183689W |
10.2 sm |
|
|
F70 |
33.5741791N / -117.1284732W |
10.6 sm |
|
Hemet-Ryan |
HMT |
33.7339817N / -117.0225258W |
17.6 sm |
|
|
AJO |
33.8976541N / -117.6024398W |
25.0 sm |
|
Banning Municipal |
BNG |
33.9230711N / -116.8505756W |
32.9 sm |
A.
The flight must
remain within final glide plus 1,000’ AGL for pattern
entry of at least 1 of the airports listed in Table 1 at all times
(datalogger traces may be used for verification). This allows for the possibility of an
aero-retrieve, or tows are provided locally should the pilot need to land.
B.
If a land out
occurs at one of the designated airports and an LESC tow plane is dispatched
for an aero-retrieve, the pilot will be charged a fee (as specified in the tow
fee schedule) per hour tach time round trip, from the time the tow plane
departs
C.
If the flight was
initiated under this part and the pilot lands at a location not specified in
Table1 where an aero-retrieve or local tow service isn’t possible, the pilot
may be grounded from flying any LESC gliders until such a time as they have
completed remedial Cross-Country Training.
Personal Equipment Checklist
q Plotter.
q Current Aeronautical Chart(s) of task area, marked appropriately.
q Pen, pencil, grease pencil, eraser.
q Calculator (E6B, whizwheel…).
q Flashlight with
extra batteries or magnetic flashlight.
q Sunglasses.
q Gloves.
q Hat.
q Stout shoes.
q Clothing appropriate for seasonal /
expected conditions.
q Food (fruit, power bars, granola,
etc).
q Water (minimum 2 bottles - 1 for in
flight, 1 for post flight).
q Cash and credit card(s).
q Cell phone and
handheld radio with emergency / check-in phone numbers.
q Sunblock.
q Government issued photo ID.
q Soaring weather forecast and general
weather forecast.
q Cross-Country profile.
q Logbook endorsement for the assembly
and disassembly of the glider to be flown.
q Firsthand knowledge of landing sites –
photos (including obstacles), landing approach / procedures.
Glider Item Checklist
q Glider minimum equipment checklist (as
specified in Type Certificate Data Sheet or Flight Manual).
q
q Audio vario
functionality verified (if equipped).
q VHF radio in working order (fully
charged battery if separate from A/C power source).
q Pilot relief system functionality
verified (or good supply of urine bags).
q Barograph / datalogger functionality
verified (if appropriate).
q First aid kit.
q Space blanket.
q Tiedown kit.
q Weak link (if applicable).
q Landing Certificate (if appropriate).
Retrieve Vehicle Checklist
q Spare ignition and trunk keys.
q Vehicle documents and insurance.
q Tool kit.
q Flashlight.
q VHF radio functionality verified.
q Cell phone and emergency / check-in
phone numbers.
q Map(s) of task area, marked
appropriately.
q Spare tire, lug wrench and jack.
q Correct size tow ball.
q Water and refreshments.
q Chase crew thoroughly briefed with at
least 1 crewmember having a logbook endorsement for the assembly and
disassembly of the glider to be flown.
Trailer Checklist
q General condition (tires, fittings
etc.).
q Electrical system functionality
verified.
q Spare tire and lug wrench.
q Any and all required keys.
q Current license.
q Glider fittings, fixtures and
restraints.
q Tow rope (for ground handling).
q Extra tiedown
rope
LESC has limited resources that
must be shared fairly amongst the membership.
It’s the responsibility of any pilot who reserves a glider to return it
to the airport prior to the next scheduled time slot. It’s
not the responsibility of the next scheduled pilot to “call down” the previous
pilot, or to check in with the flight to let the pilot know they have arrived.
The Late Return Policy
applies to all LESC glider flights
, solo, dual and rides included and isn’t limited to cross-country flights.
If an adjacent time slot is
available and the pilot wishes to extend their flight into that time slot, they
need to enter their name in the slot so that other members know that the glider
isn’t available. If this isn’t done, the
Late Return Policy will be enforced should the pilot reurn late and another member wants to fly the glider, even
if their reservation was made after the first pilot had already departed.