Oz Report

Rattling the tin cup

(Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)

Davis Straub|Quest Air|video

We love it when 15 year olds learn to be hang glider pilots.  Requires a passion and an instructor.  Instructors are a precious resource and wildly scattered.  The Oz Report has been a big supporter of instructors and do what we can to point out the fact that they are the key to the continuation of our sport.

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Project Cloudbase

video|weather

https://youtu.be/N0hZiFBVT2w

Project week at high school I wanted to do something different and interesting and that involved something I'm passionate about, HANG GLIDING!

In my trip to Florida I learned a ton about aerodynamics, hang glider design, weather and meteorology, and yea, I had some fun while I was there, too.

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Wills Wing Demo Days West Coast

(Andy Jackson Flight Park, San Bernardino, CA, USA)

Tom Emery «emerysandiego» writes:

The Crestline Soaring Society is hosting a Wills Wing Demo Days at the Andy Jackson Flight Park in San Bernardino on April 30-May 2. The entry fee is $25.00 payable to Wills Wing.  There will be camping at the Cross Country Ranch on a first come first served basis at $10.00/ night.  The Crestline Soaring Society Website has all the information.

http://CrestlineSoaring.org/wwdemodays

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Held on

Facebook|video

https://www.facebook.com/jeff.koehler.58/posts/10205823997576824

http://LasVegasHangGliding.org/simulator.htm

The basic Introductory Lesson includes some ground school so you get an idea of how we are able to control the glider.  We practice some launch and landing skills and you'll get a chance to take a flight our our "flying" simulator.  This special mechanical marvel actually does fly (with you hooked into the glider) as it's driven around by our towing vehicle.  To make it as safe as possible the system has limiters so you can fly up and down as well as right and left but remain in a limited zone (as you actually are flying) connected behind the towing vehicle.  This system is a huge improvement (and time saver) to get you immediate airtime which can have you achieving the same airtime in your first hour of training that you would likely get in weeks of flying on on a training slope (often waiting for decent wind conditions) that some schools still rely on.

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Oh jeez, in Las Vegas

James-Donald "Don" "Plummet" Carslaw|video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwXwjhc9yg0

http://www.8newsnow.com/story/28635456/12-year-old-hurt-in-possible-hang-gliding-accident

A 12-year-old boy and a man are dead after a hang gliding accident Friday afternoon off Sloan Road in the southern part of Clark County.

The family hired the man to take the boy on the flight, the Clark County Fire Department told 8 News NOW.  Nevada Highway Patrol Troopers said the crash happened just before 3 p.m. near the Jean Dry Lake Bed.

A truck was towing the glider, police said and the glider was supposed to release the tether, but it didn't and that's when the 12-year-old and the hang gliding employee he was with plummeted to the ground.

http://www.mynews3.com/content/news/story/nhp-sloan-road-fatal-two-killed/1YlS8qOzDkWWjKZNpvS-5g.cspx

Adventure Unlimited?

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/hang-gliding-accident-kills-man-12-year-old-boy-article-1.2165292

The two were flying high around Interstate 15 while tethered to a truck that was towing them, police said.  The truck was supposed to release the two into the air, but it did not, and when the truck made a turn, they came crashing to the ground around 3 p.m. Both were pronounced dead on the scene.

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Get your legs under you

(Quest Air, Groveland, Florida, USA)

Quest Air

At around 1:20 PM, I was out pulling up small vines at the northwest end of the main north/south runway, when I heard the tow plane throttle back.  Looking up and to the south I saw a pilot who I later learned had released on his own, at maybe 200' heading north northwest.  He needed to head north northeast to get into the runway and not into the trees.

I watched as he made his approach coming toward me but down near the middle of the runway to the north.  The wind was out of the north at about 5 to 10 mph.  He did not look like he was in control of the glider as it went from side to side.  He certainly wasn't pulled in and as I recall he was still on the base tube.  He was flying prone in any case.

The pilot/glider continued to look out of control with minor oscillations.  At about six feet or so (as my memory serves me, and we should always be skeptical about eye witnesses and their memory), the glider plowed in. The pilot was laying flat out with head and shoulders in front of the left leading edge.  He didn't move.  I was about 100 feet away.  He landed next to the row of gliders and at one point I thought he was going to hit them.

Ten or so pilots rushed right to him from both sides of the runway.  I decided that I didn't have much interest in seeing a dead pilot.

Apparently he was unconscious for a short period.  I never saw him move, but after a few minutes I went over to see how he was.  He appeared to be lucid, asking what happed.  His helmet was now off and he was lying on his back.

The ambulance had been called.  This is what showed up:

He was transported out by the helicopter.

After the crash I heard from other pilots that he had only flown three times in the last twenty five years.  That he last towed eight months ago.  That he just purchased the glider (it appeared to be a Wills Wing Sport 2) from Wallaby Ranch.  That he had never flown nor towed it. That he had to be talked out of flying yesterday when we had strong winds (and no one flew).

That he was confident that he could handle anything.  He flew in the middle of the day.  There were some gusts and according to some witnesses it was gusty at the time.  I didn't notice that.  He didn't take an early morning flight (there was plenty of wind then also).

Pilots don't appear that eager to fly after this emotional experience.

From what I saw, he was flying in prone position the whole way to the ground.  That is not a good idea in my option.  Numerous pilots who land on their wheels do that here.  The glider had the small white plastic wheels that come with Wills Wing gliders.  I didn't even notice the wheels as he came in and I was thinking that he was trying to land prone on his wheels, but that he didn't have any.

He would have been much better served if he had rocked up earlier and had his feet under him.  He wasn't controlling the glider anyway so he might as well prepare for a crash landing.

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