No interest in controls for disabled pilots?

Coupled to a 12V air compressor, this would probably do the trick http://www.petersenproducts.com/Prod...mCode=16151515

Lift height of 9" and less than an inch thick. Lift capacity is 14 tons!


On Thursday, June 5, 2014 9:37:22 AM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
Remember the "ejection seat" developed by DG several years back? It

involved a bladder which was quickly inflated by a CO2 cartridge and

lifts the pilot high enough to simply roll out in an emergency. I don't

see why a less energetic version could not be developed. Something

inflated much more slowly by a battery powered pump run off of the

ship's battery. With something like this, one wouldn't have to wait for

a hoist or crane to be rolled out.



I find I can still get out of my ship by pulling a foot back and getting

a firm plant on the cockpit floor but, eventually, I might have to start

unstrapping my parachute to climb out.



Dan Marotta



On 6/5/2014 7:14 AM, son_of_flubber wrote:

I understand that the post is focused on hand controls, and those are of course a great thing to implement, but the issue of adaptation to disabilities in soaring is in fact a much broader and bigger issue.



For example, the disability that is on the rise in the present growing-older/weaker/heavier USA glider pilot population is simply the inability to get into and out of the glider.



I know older rowers who quit sculling because they cannot get into or out of their boats any more. I know some glider pilots who can barely get out of their gliders and it would be a shame if they quit. Has anyone started to use a hoist to get pilots into their gliders?



Has anyone done some simple modifications that make it easier to get in and out of the glider? A sky-hook would come in handy lots of days.

On Thursday, 5 June 2014 09:14:26 UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
Has anyone done some simple modifications that make it easier to get in and out of the glider? A sky-hook would come in handy lots of days.

My club, York Soaring Association has the founding chapter of Freedom's Wings Canada, started by Charles Petersen after meeting Ray Temchus in Florida with Freedom's Wings International.

One of our members, Martin Sanderse, modified an electric golf cart to have a manual hoist (500lb capacity) that can use either a hoyer-type sling or the Sure Hands lifting device. With this cart, we can lift a person out of the wheel chair and safely place him/her into our glider (2 with hand controls), then reverse the process after the flight. We have done this hundreds of times.

We have also trained pilots with physical disabilities, including the first paraplegic glider instructor in Canada.

-John Brake
Freedom's Wings Canada - Toronto @ York Soaring

You can find the details of the hoist on page 14 of the "Free Flight"
magazine at the following link:
http://www.sac.ca/index.php?option=c... 458&Itemid=88

One of our members, Martin Sanderse, modified an electric golf cart to
have=
a manual hoist (500lb capacity) that can use either a hoyer-type sling
or
=
the Sure Hands lifting device. With this cart, we can lift a person out
of=
the wheel chair and safely place him/her into our glider (2 with hand
cont=
rols), then reverse the process after the flight. We have done this
hundre=
ds of times.

We have also trained pilots with physical disabilities, including the
first=
paraplegic glider instructor in Canada.

-John Brake
Freedom's Wings Canada - Toronto @ York Soaring

I have been working on such a device for Freedom's Wings International. One prototype used tire inner tubes...later, better prototype uses a clear plastic 5 gallon water container....really cheap...works great with compressed air from a tank...lifts you easily 9"...brings the butt about level with the gunwales of the Grob 103...AB people can then just wing the legs over and down to the ground...and almost in standing position..


Cookie



On Thursday, June 5, 2014 9:14:26 AM UTC-4, son_of_flubber wrote:
I understand that the post is focused on hand controls, and those are of course a great thing to implement, but the issue of adaptation to disabilities in soaring is in fact a much broader and bigger issue.



For example, the disability that is on the rise in the present growing-older/weaker/heavier USA glider pilot population is simply the inability to get into and out of the glider.



I know older rowers who quit sculling because they cannot get into or out of their boats any more. I know some glider pilots who can barely get out of their gliders and it would be a shame if they quit. Has anyone started to use a hoist to get pilots into their gliders?



Has anyone done some simple modifications that make it easier to get in and out of the glider? A sky-hook would come in handy lots of days.

On Saturday, June 7, 2014 8:39:45 PM UTC-4, Cookie wrote:
... better prototype uses a clear plastic 5 gallon water container....really cheap...works great with compressed air from a tank...lifts you easily 9"...brings the butt about level with the gunwales of the Grob 103..
2Ck%3Acollapsible%20water%20container

That's a clever idea. There are many types of collapsible/inflatable water containers available. Which type works for you?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_no...er%20container

We had two mid-80's age glider ride patrons last weekend and even though they were lightweights, getting out afterwards was hard. For occasional use, the airbag approach might be easier to implement than the more elaborate alternatives, and the price is right (the lift bag that I linked costs 100's of dollars).

Details already from Walking on Air and from Handiflight in Belgium via Hans Claes
Of course we're interested but there seems to be a shortage of good used Pegase gliders