Ian wrote:

Michael Ash wrote:

And of course, while we do unpowered landings routinely, it's truly an
unexpected and unwelcome emergency for a power pilot. After experiencing
the shock of a mid-air he was faced with a choice of going ahead with an
unfamiliar procedure or hitting the parachute, and I can't blame him for
going with the devil he knew.

How many times had he pulled the parachute? And don't these power boys
practice engine-off landings?

But the parachute has a huge amount of confidence-inspiring paperwork that
goes with it which says that it'll function as claimed. Of course we know
that this is no guarantee of success, but I can certainly envision a type
of pilot who would trust a parachute manufacturer that he can sue if
something goes wrong over his ability to land his plane unpowered.

Supposedly they do practice engine-off landings but I get the impression
that they really don't like the idea at all.

For what it's worth I agree with you completely that the parachute should
have been avoided. I can just see why someone in that situation might risk
the parachute rather than his rusty off-field engine-off landing skills.

On the bright side, the video should make useful evidence in a
prosecution: failing to spot a glider and tug was completely
inexcusable and I hope they throw the livre at him.

I can understand failing to spot it until it was very close, it can be
hard to see things. What I don't understand is that even when the tow
plane went right in front of him, he did almost nothing. From the video it
seems there was at least a full second from when the tow plane came on
camera to when impact occurred. During this time, the pilot did nothing
but raise the nose a bit. I would like to think that I would have
instantly put in full rudder and aileron to turn and drop out of the way,
and one second is plenty of time to get such a maneuver underway.

I try to give this guy the benefit of the doubt simply because I don't
have all the information and it makes it much less embarrassing to face up
to my own mistakes when they inevitably happen.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software