On Friday, February 14, 2014 7:22:14 PM UTC-5, son_of_flubber wrote:
On Friday, February 14, 2014 5:57:41 PM UTC-5, joesimmers wrote:

Yes in the hanggliding world checklists are pretty

much non existent, you would get laughed at for having one, but what they do use is something called a "hang check"



So do you go through an unwritten preflight checklist for anything that is not verified by the hang check?

So typically we perform a preflight of the hang glider itself. This is a walk-around/touch-around of the glider after assembly or a hard landing to insure that it is assembled correctly, no bent tubes, wires straight and unkinked, double check bolts/nuts, etc. This is a pretty standard procedure and is documented in the glider manual.

I personally also perform a prelaunch check (just as I'm getting situated to launch) similar to the "SCRUB CATS" verbal check that some sailplane pilots use. I've modified it a bit for the hang glider but it works for me.

S= Straps; hooked in and check the suspension.
C=Canopy; helmet on and buckled.
R=Release; When towing, check the release system.
U=Undercarriage; rock upright in the harness to insure harness leg straps are proper.
B=Brakes; Check parachute pins.
C=Controls; insure clearance above the base tube.
A=Altimeter; check altimeter, vario, and other instruments to be on and properly set.
T=Trim; check the VG.
S=Slop; insure that nothing is dangling which could create problems with launch (especially with the tow cart.)

I also verbally state "Hooked in, Locked in, and Preflighted". This is where I will look and confirm that I am hooked into the hang strap, the carabineer is locked, and mentally recall the glider preflight process. I then verbally say "Attitude Check" where I make a final assessment of my physiology at the moment to insure I'm up to the task of committing aviation.

Not all hang glider pilots use a written or verbal check list but the preflight walk around is pretty standard.

The Canada incident is really sad and could have been prevented with a full and proper hang check.

Danny Brotto
LS-8/18 "P6"
Wills Wing U2 145
Wills Wing Falcon 170