Golf Cart Safety Tips
I would like to offer a few cautions about golf cart safety. I know of gliderports where the number of golf cart/glider accidents exceeds the aircraft accidents.
1. As a rule the operators at Minden and Truckee are very selective about who drives the golf cart. Typically it is a staff member or sometimes a customer familiar with glider/golf cart and airplane movements on the airport. Glider towing speed should be a leisurely walk (1-2 mph). If not towing a glider make sure that when you get into the golf cart that it is not attached to a glider ! Yes I have witnessed persons jumping in and zipping off with the glider still attached, which then careens into another glider!
2. Equally important is the person walking the wing of the glider. They need to understand that they actually control the fine direction that the glider is heading (with or without a tail dolly) by applying SLIGHT forward or aft pressure on the wingtip. I have headed the golf cart in a very gradual arcing direction to find the glider wingtip almost in my ear! – that means I was putting too much trust in the wing walker and not paying close enough attention.
Also, if the golf cart starts towing too fast and the wing walker doesn’t keep up the glider will start arcing off course and closer to the golf cart. The wing walker may panic and try to stop the glider (by stopping the wingtip), which results in the glider change of direction increasing. The glider’s opposite wing then strikes the golf cart…or if the tow rope is longer the glider passes behind the golf cart (at this point the glider back release activates) and rolls into whatever obstacle is off to the side of the originally intended path. I have seen the results of a 1-26 T-bones minivan by this technique. The wing walker must shout SLOW DOWN if the golf cart is moving too fast…but the golf cart shouldn’t stop…per the following scenario.
A similar mishap can occur if the towing golf cart stops suddenly…and the brakeless glider rolls into the cart. The wing walker can minimize the impact (or prevent it) by letting go of the wing and running to the fin to stop the glider.
3. Do not let kids drive the golf cart!
4. Per Quest’s request (couldn’t resist that) have an extra someone come along to return the golf cart to the flight line.
– Charlie Hayes