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Old August 14th 18, 01:22 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Al McNamara[_4_]
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Posts: 14
Default Flying with Parachutes

At 10:51 14 August 2018, krasw wrote:
tiistai 14. elokuuta 2018 7.10.18 UTC+3 Jonathan St. Cloud kirjoitti:

I do fly commercial rides at our gliderport were parachutes would not

be
practical on the scenic flights.

That's an excuse like no other. We do scenic flights all the time, and no
passenger has ever said that wearing parachute is inconvenient. But
obviously we live in different culture.

Someone on a 'scenic flight' rarely understands the risk involved in
flying, or to themselves. For this reason. at our club, the aim is that
introductory flights (which you categorise as scenic flights) should be the
safest training flight ever carried out. This includes wearing a
parachute, a brief from the instructor on exiting the glider in an
emergency and a brief on parachute deployment. The K21 breakup following a
lightning strike at Dunstable some years ago was an introductory flight (a
one day introductory course in this case) and the parachute saved the
passengers (and instructors) life. The accident report is linked below.

https://assets.publishing.service.go...pdf_500699.pdf


In my view, the only excuse for not providing passengers with a parachute
is if the glider is not designed in a way that makes it practical. Where
this is the case, you should really be considering whether it is an
appropriate glider to do such an introductory flight in. More experienced
people, who understand the risk, can of course make up their own mind.

Al