On Monday, 12 August 2013 21:26:50 UTC-4, Steve wrote:
I've got a friend that's a quadriplegic I'm thinking of taking for a ride..

Anyone have experience doing this? Is this a silly idea?

Best to use a side-opening canopy model, like the G103. My chapter of Freedom's Wings Canada (Toronto, at York Soaring) has a golf cart modified with a hoist to lift a person out of the wheelchair and lower into the glider. It's easy with the G103, trickier with the ASK-21 because of the tilted canopy.

The chest belt is a great idea -- have to look into that! We use padding on the sides to keep the person upright, if needed.

Make sure you have a good and safe way to transfer the person from the wheelchair into the glider! Our hoist is great, but if you don't have a hoist, then you'll need strong people with strong backs -- I suggest removing the canopy, first.

An umbrella is a good idea -- use it to shade the person until hook-up time.. Depending on the location of the spinal damage, the person may have no ability to sweat and may quickly overheat.

Get the pedals fully forward and make sure that the person's feet can't shift forward onto the pedals. Depending on mobility and strength, you may need to tie the person's hands and elbows to the straps to prevent damage.

Above all, remember that the person normally has little sensation, so get wrinkles out clothing, comfy cushions, care with moving the extremites, etc especially moving in and out of the cockpit. And watch out for the instruments.

-John Brake
Chapter Manager
Freedom's Wings Canada - Toronto at York Soaring