I often notice that hang glider pilots who take up paragliding DO NOT do this.
I suspect because their sphere of awareness is based on hang gliding speeds, and they therefore look instinctually far enough ahead to react in time.
Paragliders on the other hand, form habits based on their slower flying speed with other PGs.
For example, they will often look behind them, and see im 100 yards down the ridge and assume everything is clear. A few seconds later they make a turn WITHOUT CLEARING THEIR TURN. A PG could never cover that 100 yards in the time it took for them to turn, so they feel safe and assume its still clear. Unknown to the PG, I stuffed the bar, hit 70mph, closed the gap and am now right up along side of him. He then suddenly starts turning without looking and is SHOCKED to find I am there
These are the kinds of assumptions PGs cannot make with regards to HGs, and HGs cannot make with regards to sailplanes.
Ive explained this scenario to many a PG pilot... and they get that "Oooooooooooh look" when it suddenly occurs to them why they must always clear their turns.
This stuff should really be part of every PG curriculum, if its not already.
Yep, I agree. A friend of mine that is a hang / para pilot, now flying mostly para, I have caught him many times doing that. I think when flying a para, it easy to let mind slow down a bit so to speak. (I fly both so don’t take that the wrong way) On a mellow ridge lift day, with a paraglider you can fly hands off and just look around not really paying attention, Time can slip by quick in that mind set. Next thing you know "where the hell did they come from".\
Mike _________________ Everyone who lives dies, yet not everyone who dies, has lived.
We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life escaping us.
We need a jspin72 clone on every ridge in america, probing your awareness skills, and scaring the CRAP out of you when he catches you napping _________________
H4, AT, FL, TFL, AWCL, CL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C
Aeros Stealth III 142
Thomas Jefferson wrote:
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
We need a jspin72 clone on every ridge in america, probing your awareness skills, and scaring the CRAP out of you when he catches you napping
_________________ Everyone who lives dies, yet not everyone who dies, has lived.
We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life escaping us.
_________________ Everyone who lives dies, yet not everyone who dies, has lived.
We take these risks not to escape life, but to prevent life escaping us.
We have very few and they are all pretty good pilots but oddly enough the one and only close call I’ve ever had in the air was with one of them.
It was a light day and we were taking turns marking little bubble thermals for each other over our airfield. We were both getting low and in search mode scratching for anything we could find. I had no problem keeping track of him but throw in a jump lane taxing down the run way we were both getting ready to land on and well it became a bit much.
Between the plane, worrying about wind direction and rotors and the faint thought of catching a bit more lift, we lost track of each other.
I remember vividly catching a small bullet at about 300ft and looking around to see where my paraglider buddy was as I was turning. I had just flattened out my turn to recenter the core, looked up and he was coming right at me doing the same. In hind site we both must have been trying to work stuff the plane had help kick off the air strip.
Luckily we were both already in somewhat committed turns going in opposite directions so it was a no brainer which way to go. During all of this the plane had taken off beneath us once again freeing up the runway.
After a few more minutes we were both on the ground exchanging notes, laughed it off and towed up again.
At my old home site of Chilhowee, TN, I only flew with paragliders...HG piots hardly ever came came to the site. The PGs and I got along just fine and we soared together without any problems.
We had a great time, but I do I remember watching my wife help pick one PG pilot's wing out of the trees as I soared overhead. They always seemed to be landing in the trees for some reason
Tony _________________ We, the People, are tyrants.
We need a jspin72 clone on every ridge in america, probing your awareness skills, and scaring the CRAP out of you when he catches you napping
The problem with that theory is that I end up meeting those people on launch and throwing them off the cliff. I know I'm paying attention, and it bugs the crap out of me when someone decides to act like the friggin' mosquito in my ear.
>> They always seemed to be landing in the trees for some reason
but fastest glider has more responsibility hasn't it ?
No, that is not correct. Some PG pilots seem to believe this though. This myth needs to be crushed. You dont get to break any rules just because you are not as maneuverable or fast. That may be true in boating and other sports, but not ours. _________________
H4, AT, FL, TFL, AWCL, CL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C
Aeros Stealth III 142
Thomas Jefferson wrote:
All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent.
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