[wingspan33]

I think a paraglider is an "obtuse weapon."
It sure has killed a lot of people.

Sadly, Don forgot to sprinkle his canopy with Orgonite.

Or better yet, perhaps he should have eaten it. Oh wait. I'm sorry, he did.

Never mind!

[Rick Masters]

Really, Scott, after little more than only 1,700 violent deaths throughout the world on deadly paragliders, I'm sure some niave people think you should have more sensitivity (like, forever...) for those who still continue to fly and die on them.
Patience is a virtue.
What you need to do is wait until the first investigation (1987) is complete before jumping to conclusions.
I mean, be patient already - like them.
They are paragons of patience.
Things change - or at least they're supposed to - and these people are not exactly dying to be laughed at - or are they?
These people even have an association of like-minded members who may find your snarky little attitude unpalatable.
You could even drive them to make snarky comments about it.
Who knows where that could lead?

So let's concentrate on some more politically correct issues, like perceiving the paraglider as an obtuse weapon.
Here are some incontrovertible definitions I've found on the Internet:

not a quick weapon
not an alert weapon
not a perceptive weapon
not a feeling weapon
not an intellectual weapon
not a sensitive weapon
not an observant weapon
a dull weapon
a tactless weapon
an insensitive weapon
a blind weapon
a gauche weapon
a boorish weapon
a slow weapon
a dim weapon

OMG! EVERYBODY WILL WANT ONE!    

[wingspan33]

Obtuse - 1. annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.

You're right Rick. Clearly what I said was insensitive and that I've been slow to understand (after 40+ years) that collapsible canopy occupants need a little more time to absorb the dangers, or should I say potential negative outcomes, of occupying their type of "air frame free" aerial vehicle(?).

However, as you said, it could be the "wing" is actually the obtuse weapon. But then again, . . . here I think that perhaps the "obtuse weapons" may in fact be the promoters, purveyors and retailers of the collapsible canopy. That fits the above definition a bit better.

Perhaps my apparent insensitivity is actually a mark of my actual sensitivity (and swiftness of understanding?) that people should not have to be entered into the death stats so many times a year. Why so often? Because they are intentionally being kept from the knowledge that wings with air frames are both better as well as significantly safer than collapsible canopies.

But then, what do I know?

[wingspan33]

So let's concentrate on some more politically correct issues, like perceiving the paraglider as an obtuse weapon.
Here are some incontrovertible definitions I've found on the Internet:

not a quick weapon
not an alert weapon
not a perceptive weapon
not a feeling weapon
not an intellectual weapon
not a sensitive weapon
not an observant weapon
a dull weapon
a tactless weapon
an insensitive weapon
a blind weapon
a gauche weapon
a boorish weapon
a slow weapon
a dim weapon

Oh heck, forget what I just said, . . . I WANT ONE!

[wingspan33]

The "obtuse weapon" referred to above has been properly and officially identified as a collapsible canopy, AKA paraglider.

So, in this case, no one ate it on a hang glider.

Perhaps we should begin keeping a record of how many times PG deaths are announced as instead involving HGs. I think this recent case is the second one since Rick began this earlier this month. Two miss-reports in less than one month?

[Rick Masters]

True story
The launch site was shrouded in clouds.
A large group of hang glider pilots waited for the opportunity to take off.
When an opening appeared, a hang glider pilot launched without realizing he had not hooked in.
As the ground fell away, he hung by his arms from the trapeze bar for about 45 seconds, then deliberately let go.
After falling approximately 650 feet, he threw his reserve parachute.
Unfortunately, unlike skydiving parachutes, which open relatively slowly, hang gliding parachutes are designed to open instantly.
After falling so far, he had reached terminal velocity - 120 mph.
The reserve deployed without failing but all the harness seams ripped away at the tremendous shock.
The man fell free and plummeted to his death onto the rocks below.

If you should launch unhooked, the best thing is to get back up on the bar.
If you are unable to do that, the lesson learned here is not to drop free of the glider and then use precious seconds struggling to get your parachute out while you fall.
You're going to hit terminal velocity in only 6 seconds!
That's possibly a death sentence with a hang gliding parachute.
Instead, center your grip on the bar with one hand and rip the parachute out with the other.
Every second you stay on the bar betters your chance of surviving the deployment.

[Rick Masters]

Wingspan33 sez:

Oh heck, forget what I just said, . . . I WANT ONE!

Don't forget your reserve...



The new semi-automatic paraglider reserve is USHGA-approved!
Replaces the old emergency reserve when flying your paraglider within the PDMC.
http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=2883
Avoid the pain of a low collaspse. When in doubt, whup it out!
No concealed carry permit required.
Comes pre-collapsed for instant deployment.
Lightweight - only requires one round (if you're a good shot).
Comes with a sign.

[Rick Masters]

True Story

A student under instruction on the training hill made a perfect takeoff. But then he apparently froze, failing to prevent the hang glider from being turned by a slight crosswind. It flew back into the hill from 20 or 30 meters, striking at 40 or 50 km/h. By taking no defensive measures and remaining prone, he hit the ground with his upper body and face. He died a short time later in the hospital.
    Clearly, he hadn't prepared himself mentally for what he was about to do.

Perhaps the most important advice Don Partridge ever gave me was that he had noticed, in inviting people to fly the Owens Valley in the early days, that there were two different kinds of pilots. Some flew the glider. But for others, the glider flew them. "Fly the glider," he said. Of course, he was talking about flying the glider in turbulence. Turbulence would take your wing and put you in a turn. You had to instantly correct and make the glider go where you wanted. But it is the same on the training hill.
    You can die in either place if you don't fly the glider.

Another great peice of advice came from XC Classic contestant Mike Brewer. Standing at gusty Gunter launch, watching pilots take off into cowboy air, I asked him, How challenging was it to fly in air this rough?
    He thought for a moment, turned to me and said, "If you're going to make a mistake, you shouldn't be here."
    On the side of the White Mountains or the side of a training hill, it doesn't matter.
    Hang gliding is no place for errors.
    Hang gliding has no place for timidity.
    You must be bold and know what you will do beforehand.
    Regardless of your experience, when you shoulder that control frame, you must be prepared to respond correctly and instantly.
    If you're going to make a mistake, you shouldn't be there.

[Frank Colver]

I hope Chris Price doesn't mind me repeating a personal story of him. He and his wife were both flying hang gliders back in the standard Rogallo days. Us other pilots had noticed that Carol had a tendency to freeze when things started going other than she intended. Fortunately, Chris noticed this also and at some point in time insisted that she not fly anymore. She followed his direction which very possibly saved her life.

I built an off road recumbent bicycle. A "mountain recumbent" if you will. When ever I let someone try it who had not been riding recumbents I would always yell: "don't forget to steer" just as they started out. However, it never did any good. They would always forget to steer, because they were so occupied with everything else about pedaling a recumbent, and run off the road or trail. So here they were, successfully balancing and pedaling the bicycle while not paying any attention to where they were headed or make any attempt to change direction to stay on the road. I never did this near any drop off and I always had a good laugh.

Frank

[Rick Masters]

August 6, 2018

http://www.lanuovasardegna.it/sassari/foto-e-video/2018/08/06/fotogalleria/precipita-con-il-parapendio-a-sedini-grave-un-algherese-1.17130011#1
The wheels saved him.