The perfect landing goes something like this: a wide grassy field with a light breeze pulling the windsock towards you, you launch at the perfect height and land on the spot, smiling at the cute BBC reporter. Advanced pilots make it look so easy, landing softly, exactly where they want, without a blade of grass bending. But what happens when everything goes terribly wrong and you’re in the pilot’s seat? When the field isn’t there, you’re getting hit by turbulence behind the trees and your glider has just decided to stop flying? How can you land safely?

1. Checking the lay of the land

It’s a pretty basic idea, I’ll admit, but it’s often neglected due to the excitement of finally finding a flyable hill. Always visit your landing field before you fly. By placing a windsock on the field, you can reduce the elements that can go wrong; at least you will know the direction of the wind. On hot and thermal days the wind is especially variable. I have plowed a good section of the field with my nose when the wind changed into thermal conditions during my final approach. A windsock would have saved the field some injuries.

2. Always have a little on the side

If the Sink Monster (that big descending column of air) decides to send you to earth in a hurry, do you have a plan B? No matter how desperate you are, an emergency landing area (within very easy glide) included in your flight plan is a must. Evaluate your approach to both fields (main and emergency) as you fly, so when turbulence hits you have one less thing to think about.

3. Small field, big ears

To land on the small grassy field in the middle of the tall pine forest, a variation of the normal landing setup may be required. The challenge is that your normal glide angle is too shallow: even if you approach the field from the downwind edge with your feet clipping the treetops, you’re going to overshoot the field and fly into the woods on the other side. Tucking the wingtips in (big ears) will increase the glide angle. Save them before your final approach, maybe a hundred feet above the trees. Use the weight shift to steer the glider into its normal landing pattern, lowering its height on the downwind side of the field and coming into a final glide. You may want to do a final S-turn below the height of the trees if they are very tall, to lose as much height as possible.

4. Slashing Flying Terror

Because the field is surrounded by trees, there will be a cut layer (interface between two wind systems) through which your glider will pass. Turbulence may attempt to collapse its wing, although with the large ears inside, further collapses are unlikely due to the high internal cell pressure. What you do have to be careful with is stalling, due to the high angle of attack. Prepare to step on the accelerator if you don’t feel the wind in your face (you have stopped moving). It is important not to pull too hard on the brakes when going through the shear into the wind shadow below. The glider has to increase its airspeed to maintain aerodynamic function. Allow the glider to dive if it is high enough to do so. Once the glider has leveled out, you will be gliding a long way because you will be protected from the wind. This often means sliding off the field and into the trees, so keep the big ears on and only open them on the last landing flare, a meter off the ground. It’s better to have a crash landing (smoothed with a parachute landing drop), than to overshoot the field and fly into the tree trunk. Plus, they’ll call you ‘Woody Woodpecker’ forever. Unbearable.

5. Butterflies land softly

The first time I really needed the butterfly landing technique was in Italy. When flying around Lake Como, you often come across large areas of houses with limited landing areas. We had just gone down a task in a tandem glider, and were forced to fly down a small street, turn left at the end, and land in a small, small field. Everything was looking good until the last second, when I saw phone lines circling the field. There was hardly any wind, and even with big ears tucked in the corner of our eyes we were going to hang on the ‘phone line’. So I approached the glider like a butterfly. Pull the brakes slowly to 3/4 on both sides, then quickly release, then reapply the brakes to 3/4 continuing with a rhythmic flapping motion. The ‘flaps’ are separated by about two seconds. It can cause an almost vertical descent. The danger is that if you hold the deep brake for too long, you can stall the wing. You are close to the ground. So here’s a tip you can use for every crash landing: Assume the parachute landing drop position before you even get close to the ground. Legs together and pointing down, knees slightly bent, legs turned 45 degrees away from direction of movement. The landing gear is down, one less thing to worry about.

6. Wood!

When you realize you’re going to land in a tree don’t panic. Remember to close your legacy! Aim for the densest part of the tree. Turn on (pull the brakes) about 2 meters before the tree and just stand on it. Be careful not to flare out too early, as you will droop through the weak outer branches; You need to get to the middle of the tree, where your chances of getting injured will be greatly reduced. Secure to the tree as soon as possible, remembering to keep the glider under control, as it can re-inflate in the wind and be blown off the branches. If you’re flying around a lot of trees, the essential equipment is a long, thin piece of rope (for pulling a rescue rope) and a wire saw to cut your glider of stubborn branches.

7. Water water everywhere

First: stay out of the water. It is safer to land on rocks than in shallow waves. However, if a water landing is unavoidable, unbuckle the leg straps (if you have the time). Land normally with a big flare to make sure the glider and all its lines don’t wrap around you. Once your harness leg straps are unbuckled, you can slide out of the bottom of your harness and swim down and away from the lines and glider. If there is a high risk of water landings at the site you choose to fly, always carry a hook knife in your harness so you can untangle yourself in the water.

8. Unpleasant surprises

The danger of foreign obstacles is often that pilots change their landing technique and land in a tight turn close to the ground, or with a large pendulum when braking to avoid something that looks hostile. If you have to land in a bad zone like a junkyard, treat it like you would a normal landing. Pick a clear spot, or the object to hit, prepare with normal approach, approach clean and fast on your final glide, flare appropriately to normal height. Even in zero wind conditions, a proper landing flare will bring your wing to a near stall. It’s easier to land on obstacles with a straight, slow boost than with a body that’s swinging to avoid all objects in the way.

9. Goal Setting

The tragic story of a competent pilot in the US who crashed into a 5 foot wide channel of water and drowned speaks volumes. Unless he consciously chooses a safer landing spot, he will hit the dangerous obstacle, because he is watching him. Once he identifies a dangerous obstacle, he identifies a safe place and guard the safe place. You have seen the obstacle, it is not going anywhere.

The only exception is when the dangerous obstacle is a Spanish fighting bull, in which case I recommend learning to run.