Paraglider Wing-Collapse
Courtesy of Dreamstime.com
Flying is a Deadly Serious Endeavor !
- There are Old Pilots,
and there are Bold Pilots,
But there are No Old – Bold Pilots.
I’ve lost several close friends to foot-launched flying, other friends are permanently disabled.
I don’t want to lose any more friends. That gives me abundant right to be self-righteous about this !
If this article saves one friend from harm or death it’ll be more than worth it.
I’ve been flying hang gliders around the world since the early 1970s: Fabulous soaring in magnificent places including England (my favorite is Devils Dyke), Norway (Bodø where I set a Scandanavian distance record), Belgium (ok, so we jumped off chairs because it is so flat), France(Puy de Dome volcano), Italia(secret), Espana (near Barcelona), Japan (Hakone Peninsula with monkeys), Australia (Burketown’s Morning Glory), even the Soviet Union (before it was just Russia). I was honored to be the first pilot to fly a hang glider in the tiny mountain country of Andorra(Arinsal ski resort) in 1976.
Taught hang gliding in many, many countries (to many people who didn’t speak any English) – including North of the Polar Circle.
I rarely mention my long safe hang-gliding experience but I’m taking this moment to let you know I’m not your run-of-the mill ill-informed spectator. I didn’t get to keep flying unscathed for this many decades by treating flying as an off-handed frolic, gambol or a lark.
With Windsurfing – when you make a mistake – you just fall in the water, laugh, get back up and keep playing. (Yes, you could get run over by an Aircraft carrier, but that’s almost impossibly rare.)
With Paragliding, Hang Gliding or any kind of flying – you can easily Die – in just Seconds.
There’s a wonderful saying —
- There are Old Pilots,
and there are Bold Pilots,
But there are No Old – Bold Pilots.
With that firmly in mind – this is the advice I give to all those I care about :
Paragliding looks lovely and serene. And it can be.
But unlike Hang Glider’s rigid wings, Paraglider’s soft wings can, and do, COLLAPSE in turbulence.
If your ParaGlider Wing collapse happens when you’re higher than 250 feet it is merely Heart-Stoppingly Frightening, but often recoverable.
That’s because most newer paraglider wings are designed to re-inflate.
*** But that Paraglider re-inflation takes several precious seconds !
*** If your Paraglider Wing collapse happens below 250 feet above hard, unforgiving ground – it can easily and quickly kill You – or maybe worse: You could end up Paraplegic – in a wheelchair.
Every Paraglider flight goes through a window 60-250 feet above the ground – Twice. Every takeoff and landing.)
With a Collapse at low altitudes, you don’t have enough seconds to re-inflate a collapsed Paraglider before you hit the ground.
Now please take a serious moment – to imagine being dropped from 250 feet onto the ground. The height of many bridges.
I’ll wait.
Right – that’s Damn Serious ! ! !
Marina Sand Dunes near Monterey in California is one place that rarely has turbulence. It typically has some of the smoothest winds of anywhere. But even there, Wing collapse happens. It is very real potential and too easily dismissed by overeager enthusiasts.
Paraglider pilots might be more fun than wet-blanket fuddy-duddy, instructors like me. As example — recently soaring at Stanwell Park in Oz (Australia) with a gaggle of pilots, one paraglider pilot was flying with a cute Bear’s head costume. Later he flew his paraglider backwards. Bringing smiles from us watching; wry smiles to those of us long-time pilots.
However, only a week after I’d left, a Paraglider pilot was Killed right there – just a few feet below where I was soaring.
I hope I’m impressing on you that this is Really Serious.
If you doubt any of this – just try a quick web search on “Paraglider” and “collapse” and ask — Why do paraglider pilots always wear a backup parachute.
Please Burn this into your Memory —
. . . There are No Old – Bold Pilots.
Still Planning on taking that Paraglider Joy-Ride / Flight ???
“Its just a Dual Flight with an ‘experienced’ Paraglider pilot.”
FIRST you NEED to PLEASE ask your proposed Pilot / Instructor —
*** “Have you Practiced Recovery from all Seven of these —
(Practiced in Flight – Not merely theorized or taken a Written Test on –)
* 1) Stalls – Deep, Parachutal or Constant Stall ?
* 2) ParaGlider in a SPIRAL ?
* 3) ParaGlider in a SPIN ?
* 4) Full Frontal Collapse, Symmetrical ?
* 5) A Blow-Back ?
* 6) Water Landings ?
* 7) Asymmetric Collapse with a Cravat ?
! ! ! If they answer Anything except “Yes” to ALL of these —
!!! DO NOT FLY with THEM ! ! !
!!! DO NOT FLY with THEM ! ! !
!!! DO NOT FLY with THEM ! ! !
Period !
Flying is a Seriously Deadly Activity.
I would FAR rather be a killjoy – than your Pall-bearer.
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