Tuno wrote:
snip My position is there is no evidence the untrained glider pilot
will be
better off, and some chance the pilot might actually be worse off. /
snip
Eric,
There is no such thing as an untrained glider pilot (one with a
license, of course) -- a ram-air parachute *is* a glider. Emergency
ram-air chutes are extremely docile and easy to use.
That was not what I read on the websites of companies selling them, or
what I was told by a couple manufacturers of parachutes. They seemed
very sincere.
Pull the left
handle to go left. Pull the right to go right. Pull both gently when
approaching the ground if you want to flare it (which is not mandatory
for a safe touchdown).
Except for the flare part, isn't that how a round emergency works? How
fast is the ram-air emergency parachute? I'm told my Softie has about 5
mph forward speed and about 10 seconds to do a 360 degree turn, which
seems agile enough.
I fly mostly in the southwest, where the landscape can be most
unfriendly to someone under a round parachute instead of a square.
(The first is a passenger, the latter a pilot.) I don't want to
survive a mid-air or glider breakup only to land in trees, canyons,
power lines or water.
There are hazards everywhere, yet it seems if the pilot gets out (in
time), he survives, usually without any injury.
Definitely consider a square emergency chute if you are ever in the
market for a new one. And if you live near a skydiving center, go make
a tandem jump and see just how easy it is.
Too late! Bought a new Softie in March. I decided the potential
advantage of the ram-air was miniscule, and chance of mis-handling it
one way or the other was higher than miniscule. As far a tandem jump, I
decided the risk of that outweighed the fun and knowledge I'd get out it.
So far, 33 years, 6000 hours soaring, no jumps required. With luck and
good health, I'll be extremely annoyed in 20 years because no one will
repack my chute, and I have to buy a new one.
--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA
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