Jim Vincent wrote:

That depends. The chute is very reliable..super high tech yet very simply
elegant. How reliable are you? Have you ever jumped before? Would you be
stable in free fall, and have your wits about you to pull the ripcord in a
stable position?

Does it matter how stable you are with an emergency parachute? My
observation is untrained people that get out of the glider get the
parachute open and land with minimal injury. Apparently, the emergency
parachutes are so well designed, no training is needed to do an adequate
job. The real problem appears to be getting out, and there aren't any
places offering training in that. If the glider manufacturer offers a
Roeger hook, pilots can improve their chances considerably by
retrofitting a one to older gliders that don't have one.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
* Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly
* "Transponders in Sailplanes" http://tinyurl.com/y739x4
* "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation" at www.motorglider.org