[baddad63]

I just was wondering how often a parachute gets used in an emergency. If you have ever used your chute please tell your story here. Some details please.

[NMERider]

Learn to search the entire site history: https://www.google.com/search?&q=site%3Ahanggliding.org+reserve+or+parachute+and+threw+or+throw

[CAL]

i have never used mine, i think if i ever had to, it may be my last flight, i have a lot of trust in my gliders structure if it failed i would lose that trust

most of gliders that come apart needing a chute comes from aerobatics gone wrong and the pilot hitting the glider with his body damaging it

[zamuro]

[Leggy]

[pjwings]

In my 3 years of flying I've only heard of 1 deployment at any of the local sites. It was at Lookout Mountain and was the result of a pilot trying to loop a U2 without having properly worked his way up to a loop. I happened to be there that day... it was kind of surreal looking up and seeing the parachute above a gently spinning glider. He came down softly in some bushes. I think he had a scratch on his finger.

EDIT
I'm saying there has only been the 1 deployment DURING my 3 years... certainly there were more that have happened in the previous history of these sites.

[BBJCaptain]

I have seen 2 in 33yrs.

One was a blown Loop in a Comet in the mid 80"s
and the other was a low entry into a dust devil and tumble in a Streak
about the same time.

[baddad63]

Thanks for the lesson NMERider. I tried searching using the websites search but it doesn't return much if anything. I'll try your suggestion.

[Nicos]

My mate used his chute the other day after not zipping up the undersurface (keel) of his Sting3, doing some steep high-g turns and then finding himself in an uncontrollable terminal dive with no other option (seems air entering ballooned the sail into a sinking pillow). The Airborne designer is very interested as this has not been documented before with this glider...

Busted a DT, needed to change his pants, and got quite a scare.

You wouldn't expect to use your reserve in a long life of HG flying, unless you fly slow in big air or dig the aerobatics thing...

[Tigouille]

yes ; with my paraglider, which tells you sth...

[FlyMyU2]

Yes

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=10120

[SlopeSkimmer]

I used mine for a pillow the last time I went hang gliding/camping.

[lostgriz]

[zamuro]

Good question. The only ones that I can think of is Davis Straub a few years ago tumbling in an Atos (before they added the stabilizer in the keel) and many more years ago (late 90s) a pilot from SadDiego tumbling in Sandia

[pjwings]

Adam Parer a couple years ago... let me see if I can dig up the link for that one....

found it
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?p=154480

[knumbknuts]

Here's what happens when you do aero on old, skinny race wires.

https://vimeo.com/22146182

Bill broke 4 ribs.

[slimchance]

[knumbknuts]

It was a dark day.

[dayhead]

Definitely not proud of it, but I've used mine twice. First time in '81 when I was a young whippersnapper full of piss and vinegar, getting stoopid with a Comet and breaking it.

Second time last September when i failed to adequately pre-flight.

The most important incident was me NOT using it when I should have. Lost all my equipment and broke my back, T6 thru T10 now fused with Titanium reinforcement and some spinal cord damage.

The lesson there is that the 'chute isn't just for structural failure due to collision, turbulence, poor aero technique or whatever. If you find yourself in a tight spot and the scenario has no bright spot it just may be a good thing to toss it out. But think first if you've got the time, remember you'll have little or no steering ability. Crashing into a hillside is a bad deal but descending under canopy into powerlines is probably worse.

[Rebardan]