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The Advanced Stage

The advanced student must be able to exercise control and monitoring skills competently. Very few new flight skills are introduced at this stage, with the emphasis shifting towards the situational and option skills. The control exercises are things such as slipping turns, spoiler-less landings, recovery from unusual attitudes, and full spins. Both normal and emergency situations are introduced to students and require them to assume responsibility for a safe utcome. Flight plans follow the same basic sequence as at the other stages although there is a greater likelihood that they may be interrupted by some situational lesson. Advanced flight skills include:

  1. Crosswind Takeoff/Landings
  2. Slipping turns 
  3. Spiral Dives 
  4. Full Spins 
  5. Box the Propwash 
  6. Slack Rope on Aerotow
  7. Flight in High Winds 
  8. Alternate Runway Selection, Simulated Off-Field Landing 
  9. No Wing-Runner Takeoff 
  10. Precision Landing 
  11. Downwind Landing 
  12. Low-Level Rope Break
  13. Unusual Attitudes
  14. Flight At .75Vne
  15. Advanced Thermalling, Gaggle Flying
  16. Flight Without Instruments (Partial panel)
  17. Judging glider performance under various conditions of headwind and tailwind and with reference to the location of the airport.

The background information focuses more on judgement skills. They should have a firm grasp of:

  1. Off-field landing procedures.
  2. Flight crew responsibilities, rules of the air.
  3. Air regulations.
  4. Basic radio procedures.