Bill Daniels wrote:
The real problem here is struggling to rise from a reclining position and
crawl over the side with a 15 pound 'chute on your back. That's difficult.
Being old, out of shape and/or overweight makes it impossible. This is
where the NOAH system from DG is so significant. Of all the safety related
things that one could spend money on, the NOAH system tops the list for me.
It would be interesting to construct a list of these things, and
prioritize them by their cost/benefit ratio. Bill seems like a very
safety conscious pilot, so he probably is at the point where a NOAH
system would give him the most safety increase for the buck. I'll bet a
lot, maybe most, pilots aren't in that situation.
A simple example is the Roeger hook (or a variant) that is part of every
new glider with a forward opening canopy, ensuring it can be jettisoned
safely. DG makes a retrofit available for all their older gliders, yet
relatively few have purchased one. I know Schleicher offers retrofits
for at least one glider (I bought and installed one), and perhaps others.
How many pilots have a "spoilers open during takeoff" warning? I believe
more pilots have died because of this than those that couldn't bail out
of a glider because the G forces were to great.
Here's a start on a safety equipment list, ordered by cost/benefit:
A list for the *Serious Cross-Country Pilot*
"spoilers open on takeoff" warning ($100)
parachute ($1200)
Roeger hook ($600 - my cost)
PCAS transponder detector ($450)
Transponder ($3000)
NOAH ($5000)
ELT ($1000 - 406 hz unit)
PLB ($200 - $500)
My list reflects my situation. I'm sure there should probably be several
lists that account for where you fly and the kind of flying you do. What
do other pilots think this list should include, where would you place
things in the list, and what pilots is it intended for?
--
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