Accidents resulting from medical issues

On Wednesday, September 12, 2018 at 8:36:44 PM UTC-5, wrote:
After surviving the early (1970's) years of hang gliding, and continuing for a total of nearly thirty years and around 2,500-3,000 hours of flexible wing soaring flight, getting into sailplanes seemed like a major relief. It is incredibly easy to fly a relatively modern sailplane compared to a hang glider in Southwestern US thermal conditions. This is primarily because of the effortless three-axis control through the stick and rudder and the fact that landings are usually done on wheels. (I say "usually" because I doinked it last year.)

Compared to sailplanes, hang gliders have a very narrow operating envelope when it comes to wind speeds on launch and landing. Turbulent conditions and the instability of the air are also more demanding. A moderately rough day in a sailplane might make you hold the joystick with three fingers instead of two and, once in a while, you might lose track of your drinking tube.. The same day in a hang glider will probably require every ounce of your strength to keep yourself centered in a nasty thermal core. I appreciate the fact that launch and landing speeds in a sailplane are higher and therefore more potentially dangerous, but the amount of control and the tripled or quadrupled glide ratio allows more range when selecting potential outlanding sites.

I transitioned to sailplanes, reluctantly giving up hang gliding. I still miss it terribly, as the experiences I treasure are rarely matched by flying sailplanes. Don't get me wrong- I enjoy sailplanes tremendously, but compared to the violent, visceral, physically challenging (and risky) experiences hang gliding served up, sailplanes are well, kinda ho-hum . Unfortunately, I just don't "bounce" like I used to. I hope to get another 20+ years of flying sailplanes (I am 65), but I will quit when I either tell myself I can't maintain competency or some good friend honestly informs me it is time to hang it up.