Duo Discus Club Usage Rules

Any member, including flight instructors of course, may take anyone that they want for a flight in the Duo.  That rider may be in the front or the rear seat.  Front seat riders must be checked out in the use of the landing gear operation to the MSC pilot’s satisfaction, or the landing gear must remain down. 

The rider may take the controls in flight as the MSC pilot wishes.  However, the rider may not be on the controls during takeoff, landing, tow, in the near vicinity of other aircraft, especially in thermals, or near a mountain ridge. The MSC pilot must be able to take the controls away in any attitude that the rider may put the glider into, without any need for haste or prompt action by the MSC pilot.  The rider may not institute any intentional maneuver involving an abrupt change in an aircraft’s attitude, an abnormal attitude, or abnormal acceleration, not necessary for normal flight.  This includes stalls, spins, wingovers, negative G push-overs, etc.  The rider may engage the controls only in standard normal operations, well away from terrain and aircraft.  Even if the MSC pilot is not a flight instructor, they must be familiar with and follow the concept of positive transfer of flight controls if the rider is to take the controls in flight.

MSC instructors must refrain from any appearance of skirting the no initial training rule when taking someone for a flight.  The flight may not be entered in the rider’s logbook.  The above referenced periods when the rider may not be on the controls must be followed.  The MSC instructor must be clear with the Office Manager as to the purpose of the flight and the procedures to be followed.

MSC instructors are encouraged to follow the normal scheduling procedures as to advanced scheduling with the office manager as much as possible.  Problems arise when sudden spur of the moment plans are made on the flight line.  While we understand that sometimes this may happen for good reasons, these events should be kept to a minimum, and any changes to the schedule should be made in a face to face conversation, not in a phone call from the flight line.

MSC instructors are under pressure from students, parents, and other instructors to arrange sudden change of plans.  The MSC instructor must use their best judgement to avoid creating any unnecessary confusion as to what and why something is taking place.