DOZED AND CONFUSED

Brody's showing his newly acquired Blanik and I'm riding up front. It’s the end of a long day, and being a passenger has put me nearly to sleep. As he turns final I decide to wake up and watch, just on principle. First thing I see, straight ahead is the shadow of an airplane at one o’clock. Instantly I slam the stick left. In Brody's mind his former instructor grabbing control means, for whatever reason, I'm now pilot in command. Elemental mistake dear Brody.Several things are wrong with this picture:*  Given the low sun angle an aircraft casting that shadow could not be anywhere near us; our shadow was a quarter mile off to one side!*  As pilot in command Brody, not I, had properly cleared for traffic beforehand and was doing everything right.*  Brody’d been on final approach with spoilers deployed for a steep descent before I jumped in unprepared and flew my entire circle in that configuration, numbly spilling most of our remaining height before we got back around to the runway.*  During these critical few seconds I was looking around for the bogie that had spooked me while still half rousing to full consciousness – never thinking of spoilers until I saw how low we were.Meanwhile the pilot of the other craft is living a different story. A potential new glider student, he’d phoned that morning and arranged to fly in for a look at our operation. Arriving hours later, he radios, but we’re not on frequency. Seeing us begin my low-level, high-drag circle, he also circles back, then flies a pass down the runway above us as we roll to a stop. Unfamiliar with ordinary glider operations and not favorably impressed, he’s seen enough and flies away, never to return.A reasonable critic could start anywhere and shred this story:*  No radio (the other guy had one, but…)*  Conscious inattention (only on my part)*  Absence of situational awareness (ditto)*  Hasty, unthinking response (same)*  Erratic behavior in traffic (etc.)*  Bad public relations (ad neurosum)*  You fill in the restWe could also fault Brody for too easily relinquishing control and responsibility, but coming from me that would be worse than unfair. Anyway, he knows better now! Fly with him and you'll see.