Some good news

Chris, do you normally unbuckle your parachute before of after exiting the cockpit? If the former it may explain what happened.

Ramy

Chris,

Thanks for filing in some of the blanks about the incident. Reading what you've posted gives me the impression that you have an unusual knack for staying focused when things get hectic. You'd be a good wingman/lead in a high adrenaline air combat environment. Maybe you have such a background?

KS

Evan, i think you are spot on in your assessment. The most common advice and suggestion i have got from my most respected pilot friends is that at any point in the flight slowing down, communicating, and building a solid plan while you sit in a stable environment will generally lead to the best outcome. The biggest thing i kick myself about on this flight is that i was not communicating with DY when i was up there, was not asking for help from the ground, but more of giving a running monologue on the radio of what my next circus act would be.

Karl, the only wings i ever earned in the air force were (ironically) my jump wings while at the AF Academy. I'm a stability and control engineer in the AF currently.

I had my first wave flight early October. I
stopped at 18000 as that was as high as
you can be with a cannula. Then poked
around between the Alberta Livingstons
and Porkies between 9000 and 15000 for
a couple more hours.

The post 18000 part of the flight I had set
the flow for 15000, but after landing I was
so wiped out I had to take a couple days
off from flying.

Folks, especially us older guys, living in
low elevations need acclimation to the
10,000' level O2 systems are set up for.

In the meantime, you lose significant IQ
points and your decision making will not
be as good as when in your armchair at
home.

Hanging yourself on the chest strap by realeasing the leg straps has been done unfortunately. Another parachute question were the leg straps off or is it possible the friction buckles were misrouted(or less likely failed) and they were on but legstraps fully extended? Route through the friction buckles backwards(slack legstrap will be on the inside) and it looks normal at the buckle but won't hold.

On Wednesday, October 21, 2015 at 8:57:04 PM UTC-4, Christopher Giacomo wrote:
Evan, I think you are spot on in your assessment. The most common advice and suggestion I have got from my most respected pilot friends is that at any point in the flight slowing down, communicating, and building a solid plan while you sit in a stable environment will generally lead to the best outcome. The biggest thing I kick myself about on this flight is that I was not communicating with DY when I was up there, was not asking for help from the ground, but more of giving a running monologue on the radio of what my next circus act would be.

Karl, the only wings I ever earned in the air force were (ironically) my jump wings while at the AF Academy. I'm a stability and control engineer in the AF currently.

Chris, I congratulate you for coming here and writing about your "adventure" along with your thoughts/ideas while "you were there".
Like most things, it's easy to "Monday morning quarterback".

As an ex-instructor, I'm glad you realize (and wrote) that you gave up other help you had available. It's way too easy to get caught up in the moment and ignore the outside world.

I believe we're all glad you survived with nothing more than a dented glider and a sorta hurt pride.
Keep asking questions (here or local field), be willing to continue learning and have fun.
Anything can be dangerous, understanding and limiting risk (the level varies by person) is a good way to live a long life while having fun.

This past summer, I even asked a few other pilots about the end of a flight I did and the decision making I did and the field selection. While nothing was hurt (glider, people on the ground, me...), I wondered if I didn't "back off" soon enough or possibly accepted a higher level of risk than was really prudent. Two of the pilots I spoke to are on this forum.

As would be expected, oxygen was a concern, as my intent on the initial climb was to go as high as possible (30k was looking promising on the initial climb up to 18). Just in case the wave was working at higher altitudes, i was on 100% oxygen after climibing up through 11,000, and then reduced to the standard dilutor demand system level when i hit 16k and realized it would be a while before ATC would give us approval to go up through the 20s. I was on a military MBU-12P mask with the A-14 regulator until crossing back down through 9k on the descent, and even went back to 100% O2 on the way down to ensure that my judgement would be 100% there.

At least when i took off, the rotor was a strong moderate, about at the limits of what we would be allowed to fly in back in Colorado with the AF. Certainly not conducive to good training, but i was able to maintain tow position with a little difficulty. The weather really wasn't that bad until i was all the way up high, then the additional moisture came through and seemed to close it all up.

The tree strike was really an environmentally separated incident. While it did occur on the same day, to say the two were relation i think is a bit of a stretch. The land-out and my bailout occurred in the same system at roughly the same time, and i believe arguments could be made relating the two of those, despite them occurring in very different phases and styles of flight.

Update - The HP was airlifted out of the woods today, disassembled, and is on its way to Biddeford, ME for salvage. I don't have photos of the lift or final tally of damage, but I have a feeling it's going to be a relatively easy fix for a homebuilder to have him or herself a nice HP-14. May the best bidder win.

On Friday, October 23, 2015 at 7:03:24 PM UTC-4, Christopher Giacomo wrote:
Update - The HP was airlifted out of the woods today...

Your openness about your experience is valuable and appreciated. Thanks.

I second that. It is much more helpful to be able to discuss an accident/incident with those directly involved vs having to speculate, although I maintain that the latter is still better than not discussing at all.

Ramy