Cloud flying theories at Kotka

Once upon a time my friend from Nummela airfield called and asked if I wanted to take part in a sailplane-related cloud flying theory course that would be held in the city of Kotka. I of course answered yes, since the subject is very interesting, and over 200 hours of CPL-theories surely can't be enough, can it?

Some material. I also got to rehearse some basic gliding theories in addition to new subjects.

The organising party of the course was the Karhula Aviation Club and our teacher was one of the core members of the club and maybe Finland's most diverse aviator guru, Jyrki Laukkanen. He has flight experience from basic wooden open-cockpit Harakka-gliders to Hornet fighter jets and everything in between including more than 170 types flown and from the thousands of total hours over 800 just flying inside clouds in a glider. Whoa!

So, as an addition to a glider pilot's licence, you can get a cloud flying rating, which enables you to fly legally in developing cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds in a glider. The idea is that, when normally you gain altitude rising below a cloud circling in thermals this rating enables you to continue that circling inside the cloud, where the thermal strenghtens and can be over twenty meters per second (yes, we don't use feets per minute in gliders here in Finland). Cloud flying is a very special and wonderful part of gliding being kind of like instrument flying... ...only without the instruments!

There's no artificial horizon and you are supposed to control the plane based on only five instruments, which are the airspeed indicator, altimeter, vertical speed indicator and a combined turn co-ordinator / slip indicator. In addition, since anti and de-icing is nonexistent, each of the instuments become gradually inoperative while flying inside a total void without any visual reference. Naturally, the philosophy of flying here is something totally different than say, in conventional instrument flying with airplanes that have engines. Very incredible and adventurous and totally legal!

So we headed to Kotka to complete the theory course. The theories included eight hours of classroom instruction and four subjects, which were glider instruments in cloud flying, meteorology, human performance and limitations in cloud flying and operational procedures. Alas, there were also four examinations which were not that easy. Many kinds of different aviators were present from 15-year old juniors to airline pilots.

In the free time we hanged out in our hotel at Kotka, went eating at Amarillo restaurant and spend the evening drinking a few pints of beer. In addition, the local young pilots introduced the facilities and gliders at Kymi airfield and we also got access to the wonderful museum situated at the field. Inside were old fighter jets, experimental aircraft and vintage gliders.

All in all a very memorable and nice trip and I sure learned something new! Gotta complete that flying part also. The theories are valid for five years so there's no hurry!