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#21
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I've always thought it would be a good idea to take
hold of the rip-cord handle before finally leaving the glider. Did you do that, and, if you didn't, did you get hold of the handle quickly and easily? At 11:00 12 September 2007, Peld wrote: Dan, I had the unfortunate experience of having to leave my glider in January after a mid air. The other glider had impacted my left wing and severed it about half a metre from the root,and also broke the tail boom midway between the wing and the tail. He was able to land but I had to make a quick exit, which was my first parachuting experience. I had no doubts that I would have to jump, and previous training and preparation took over. The glider had started a spin to the left and it took some time to get rid of the canopy (PUSH on it after you activate the releases!), but I was actually surprised how easy it was to get out of the cockpit. Having undone the harness it seemed like no trouble at all to just roll over the canopy rail and out into the wild blue yonder. I have a below knee artificial right leg so I had considered this scenario for some time, expecting to have a lot of trouble just getting my leg past the instrument panel, but no, it was really a piece of cake. I put it down to the fact the gravitational force was less as the glider was diving and all I had to do was push away from it. A NOAH sytem would have been redundant I feel. Luckily, the spin hadn't developed to the stage where the centrifugal forces were high, even though it had seemed to take forever to get out; in fact it was probably only seconds. The chute worked as advertised (it had been repacked 2 months previously), opening in 3 seconds (or so it seemed) and there was no way I was going to do any stabilising. I used that ripcord as soon as I could. Adrenalin does amazing things. I was upside down when the chute opened, but the shock of it soon had me the right way up. I did get some pretty severe bruising around the groin and shoulders, but I was alive and thats what counted. Then there was the landing. I couldn't see the ground properly because the shock of the opening chute ripped my glasses off, and I hit before I was ready, and I hit very heavily, once again with absolutely no proper tecnique, but I was alive. As far as I am concerned everything worked and the end result was good. I just hope no one else has to try out their parachute. Phil |
#22
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Eric Greenwell wrote:
A list for the *Serious Cross-Country Pilot* (updated Sept 12, 2007) "spoilers open on takeoff" warning ($100 - includes "gear up" warning) parachute ($1200) Roeger hook ($600 - my cost; for other gliders $??) FLARM ($600Euro - for pilots in Europe and Australia) PCAS transponder detector ($450) Transponder ($3000) NOAH ($5000) ELT ($1000 - 406 hz unit) PLB ($200 - $500) -- 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 |
#23
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On Sep 11, 4:33 pm, Paul Hanson
wrote: For the really safety minded (and thick walleted) a BRS, NOAH, a personal chute, a helmet (might have saved more lives than you may think) and all the other gizmos mentioned already, including the condom, although admittedly the helmet may significantly reduce the need for that one ![]() Paul, I have been thinking it would be nice to have a study of crashes to determine if a helmet wold have saved many lives. We fly at speeds up to 200 mph, yet do not require a helmet of pilots. I have been looking at helmet types that would allow good vision and movement in gliders without excessive weight for the G's we pull. Has anyone done this type of study and/or tried flight helmets etc in gliders? Tim |
#24
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![]() Pigot hooks. Why is DG the only company really pushing these. I've had the spoilers try to "self deply" on a DG-1000S while on low tow, just hit a sharp bump and they popped, so much for properly closing them. The "hook" on the spoiler handle stops the spoiler from very far and the spoiler vibrate up and down and makes a loud noise immediately drawing your attention to the wings. Parts costs are ridiculously low, it is a piece of sheet metal. Glider manufacturers should be giving these away to current owners for PR value and for reduced accident rates on their fleet. I'd add upgrading to decent brakes if the glider does not have them, so you can stop when needed in that tight field. I upgraded my DG-303 from cable brakes to hydraulic brakes. A big improvement. The old brakes could stop the glider but would get out of adjustment and you have more control with the hydraulic brakes. Cost $1k I believe. A handheld VHF radio. Handy as a backup. A big help and sometimes a safety issue when pushing gliders around busier airports I fly at. Maybe some spare batteries and some way to jury rig this to the glider batteries if you crash and land out. A few hundred dollars. I was reminded of the use of these yesterday when a Cessna 152 compete with student pilot taxied past me as I was walking around the ramp area at my airport. he had a flat nose tire just about running on the rim. I did not have my handheld on me and could not get his attention by waiving etc. He managed to takeoff, wonder what happened on his landing. New batteries for the glider every few years or whenever the batteries show problems, and a good charger designed for AGM batteries. $100- $150. Not listening to people complain about glider battery problems. Priceless. A nice printed out/laminated post assembly and pre-take off checklist (and use it). ~$1. Include "Positive Control Check" - that will save a few lives. I just do not get that some people still will skip this. I refused to run somebody's wing earlier this year until he did a positive check - apparently standing around talking to other pilots waiting for a tow was more important than doing a positive. Beyond all these I hope people carry lots of water and basic survival gear, tie down stuff, any medications needed etc. Find some way to put a few key things on your parachute (use one of Allen Silver's SMAK packs). Darryl On Sep 12, 9:06 am, Eric Greenwell wrote: Eric Greenwell wrote: A list for the *Serious Cross-Country Pilot* (updated Sept 12, 2007) "spoilers open on takeoff" warning ($100 - includes "gear up" warning) parachute ($1200) Roeger hook ($600 - my cost; for other gliders $??) FLARM ($600Euro - for pilots in Europe and Australia) PCAS transponder detector ($450) Transponder ($3000) NOAH ($5000) ELT ($1000 - 406 hz unit) PLB ($200 - $500) -- 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" atwww.motorglider.org |
#25
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bumper,
I find my yaw string always swings out to one side or the other - should I use a heavier string? Jon ;-) "bumper" wrote in message ... Bill, I too applaud DG for developing the NOAH system. However, complexity, cost, and it's "one time use" nature may limit its appeal for many. After suffering a bout of "frozen shoulder" last year, that made it difficult for me to even exit my glider on the ground, I've decided there's a need to develop a more simple air-lift bag for my glider. This bag would probably be made of coated nylon and be inflated with an easily refillable compressed air bottle. Inflation would be via a quarter-turn manual valve with no safety devices except perhaps a manual interlock pin (if a solenoid valve were used, a canopy-open interlock could be incorporated). The intent would be to design the "air-lift under cushion" for ground use only, to assist the pilot in exiting the ship. If this system were marketed, restricting it to ground use would hopefully help eliminate the liability concerns of a system intended to assist a bail out. Like many of my ideas, I may not find the time to make this. And if do, I may only make one to test in my glider. (I'm still questioning the decision to market the Quiet Vent and MKII Yaw String :c). Comments, suggestions welcome. bumper ZZ Minden "Bill Daniels" bildan@comcast-dot-net wrote in message . .. "bagmaker" wrote in message ... - You've had a whack, but everything feels fine. Do you stay in the glider, or leave? Just how reliable are the parachutes we use? I understand that they're fairly simple quick-opening designs, but there's no reserve, right? Has a glider-pilot parachute ever failed? Dan - Dan, Simply, there is no blanket answer, way too many variables exist. Derek Piggot writes a fascinating account of his bail-out in some of his gliding books, I would suggest reading them. Gliding Kiwi has a great article this month on a NZ instructor landing a rudderless puch with a PAX - more heart stopping reading! Basically if it does fly after a hit, check to see that it will keep flying with some harsh movements -height limits withstanding- long enough to land. Landing manuevering can be rough, you want to be sure the thing doesnt fail at 100 feet after nursing down from a good bail out height. Rough rule has been bandied about RAS about 1500 ft as a minimum bail-out altitude, many would disagree, but if you dont have a choice..... Bottom line is you are worth more than a glider, if in doubt, get out fly safe Bagger I've twice faced the decision to jump or land a crippled glider. The first was a Pratt-Read badly damaged from a mid-air. I had fresh jump training, a fresh repack and a stable jump platform but I decided to land it anyway. The critical decision was whether I could control the glider from the time it decended below a safe jump altitude until it was on the ground. I could and did. For the record, the other pilot in the mid-air did the same thing. The second was an experimental flying wing where a suposedly secure lead shot bag shifted in flight so as to jam the elevator/aileron bellcranks. I found I could steer with rudder and slow it to 70Kts with trim. That let me hit the runway on a fast, shallow glide. It was a rough landing but the glider and I survived to fly again. In both cases there was intense discussion post flight about the wisdom of my decisions. A slim majority said the conservative action was to have abandoned ship. My view was if the thing is more or less controllable, and you have a big airfield to aim at, land it. If it is an airplane loaded with fuel, that might shift the decision toward jumping. However, a glider that can be flown to hit a large flat area at a shallow angle is likely to be safer than the 'chute. If there is any doubt that the glider will remain controllable - jump. 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. Bill Daniels |
#26
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#27
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On Sep 12, 12:46 pm, Tim Taylor wrote:
On Sep 11, 4:33 pm, Paul Hanson wrote: For the really safety minded (and thick walleted) a BRS, NOAH, a personal chute, a helmet (might have saved more lives than you may think) and all the other gizmos mentioned already, including the condom, although admittedly the helmet may significantly reduce the need for that one ![]() Paul, I have been thinking it would be nice to have a study of crashes to determine if a helmet wold have saved many lives. We fly at speeds up to 200 mph, yet do not require a helmet of pilots. I have been looking at helmet types that would allow good vision and movement in gliders without excessive weight for the G's we pull. Has anyone done this type of study and/or tried flight helmets etc in gliders? Tim How many pilots could have been saved by a helmet ? I can't recall reading too many accident reports that claim the pilot died of head injuries, when there wasn't enough other injuries to be fatal. Data any one ? Todd Smith 3S |
#28
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At 19:00 12 September 2007, Toad wrote:
On Sep 12, 12:46 pm, Tim Taylor wrote: On Sep 11, 4:33 pm, Paul Hanson wrote: For the really safety minded (and thick walleted) a BRS, NOAH, a personal chute, a helmet (might have saved more lives than you may think) and all the other gizmos mentioned already, including the condom, although admittedly the helmet may significantly reduce the need for that one ![]() Paul, I have been thinking it would be nice to have a study of crashes to determine if a helmet wold have saved many lives. We fly at speeds up to 200 mph, yet do not require a helmet of pilots. I have been looking at helmet types that would allow good vision and movement in gliders without excessive weight for the G's we pull. Has anyone done this type of study and/or tried flight helmets etc in gliders? Tim How many pilots could have been saved by a helmet ? I can't recall reading too many accident reports that claim the pilot died of head injuries, when there wasn't enough other injuries to be fatal. Data any one ? Todd Smith 3S Look up the details (if you can find them) of the most recent US glider fatality (Ridge Soaring Gliderport, July 14 2007). That pilot was still alive when rescue crew got to him, but died of his head injuries by the time he arrived at the hospital according to the newspaper article I read. I have heard of others as well, but that one comes to mind off the top of my unprotected head. Paul Hanson "Do the usual, unusually well"--Len Niemi |
#29
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Helmets!?
Just say 'No!' |
#30
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toad wrote:
On Sep 12, 12:46 pm, Tim Taylor wrote: On Sep 11, 4:33 pm, Paul Hanson wrote: For the really safety minded (and thick walleted) a BRS, NOAH, a personal chute, a helmet (might have saved more lives than you may think) and all the other gizmos mentioned already, including the condom, although admittedly the helmet may significantly reduce the need for that one ![]() Paul, I have been thinking it would be nice to have a study of crashes to determine if a helmet wold have saved many lives. We fly at speeds up to 200 mph, yet do not require a helmet of pilots. I have been looking at helmet types that would allow good vision and movement in gliders without excessive weight for the G's we pull. Has anyone done this type of study and/or tried flight helmets etc in gliders? Tim How many pilots could have been saved by a helmet ? I can't recall reading too many accident reports that claim the pilot died of head injuries, when there wasn't enough other injuries to be fatal. Data any one ? This accident is also a good argument for the Roeger hook: http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...08X07737&key=1 Shawn |
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