John Tullett. 1989

On Spinning a Glider
June 1989

TO EVERY SEASON

There are some events that are cyclical, events that reaffirm man's contract with the world about him and make him humble. Such an event renewed itself one recent weekend.

In the space of an hour, three instructors asked if I had done spins. Yes, the recent instructors panel meeting had just taken place and I was the first pupil each of them had seen.

Instructor A had the first go, but as the nose of the Blanik rose and my stomach sank, I closed my eyes and vowed never to fly with him again.

Instructor B decided he would succeed where instructor A had failed, but as the nose of the Blanik sank and my stomach rose, I consigned another instructor to passenger flights.

Instructor C had a go. He tried to calm my irrational fear at falling out of control and out of the sky, but it was no better. By now I was being talked about. "Talk about the 'Lerche being spinnable? Try flying an aircraft with a Tullett on board!

I had a think for a week and came up with two lines of attack. The first I rejected, reluctantly, because it involved keeping on going though the ranks of instructors until they were all used up. I'd seen Instructor D looping and rolling the Astir and he appeared uncrackable. Instructor E would not be able to handle the strain of being the last in the line and having to carry the shattered ambitions of the Club's instructor panel.

The second was a plot so simple that it transcended the problem, to get the buggers off my back, I would go up and do one.

I pulled out after 720 degrees of rotation. I figured that it would be stretching the watchers' skills to count to three. C and D congratulated themselves and went home glowing at their apparent success. I didn't want to tell them that I'd deviated slightly from the approved method. Put it into a flat over-ruddered turn, ease gently back on the stick, close the eyes, count to five and recover.

Signed "The unnamed spinnerette
(Name and address supplied)

(He has since been identified as John Tullett, RD2, Egmont Road, New Plymouth. Ed.)