instructors and other qualified pilot fiends

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Michael Karmazin - 2019/03/29

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Safe landing is always the best option for any aircraft, including a hang glider. However, crashes do happen - and if it happens on a hang glider, the pilot should know the course of action to take to reduce the risk of injuries.

Many HG pilots consider bracing as a well-known practice. However plenty of pilots still have no idea of it, which leads to (often preventable) injuries. This video is showing some examples.

Dissection of one of the most moronic hang gliding instructional videos I've ever seen. Eastern European and thus extra disappointing.

Safe landing is always the best option for any aircraft, including a hang glider.

Including a hang glider? Since when? The best option for landing a hang glider is a perfectly timed flare onto an old Frisbee in the middle of the LZ to prepare for that inevitable day when one will find one's only landing option to be a narrow dry riverbed with large rocks strewn all over the place in light glassy smooth morning or evening air. Or possibly violently turbulent midafternoon air. Safe hang glider landings are pretty much only done by tandems in which the thrill ride driver and his passenger roll in prone onto Happy Acres putting greens.

Furthermore...

You depict eleven distinct samples whose first appearances are: 0:14 - 0:57 - 1:17 - 1:28 - 2:18 - 2:44 - 3:38 - 4:18 - 5:03 - 5:24 - 6:04

Zero of them are them are with the glider in certified configuration - prone with both hands on the control bar at all times. And that issue is massively relevant in all negative outcomes.

New thought... A glider not equipped with wheels or skids (or floats) adequate for available landing surfaces is not a certified glider 'cause it can't be landed in certified configuration which - as all landings are mandatory - is when it's a near dead certainty that it most needs to be in certified configuration. It also can't be foot launched in certified configuration but we can let that slide most of the time 'cause all launches are optional and we can select circumstances and conditions in which the glider can be reasonably safely foot launched.

We'll break the samples down into the following categories:
- launching - foot - light air - blown:
-- shallow slope: 0:57 - 1:17 - 1:28 - 2:44
-- flat ground foot launch crosswind underpowered towing: 3:38
- mid flight:
-- demo: 2:18
-- elected crashes: 4:18 - 5:03
- landing:
-- approach crash: 5:24
-- surface crash: 0:14
-- controlled: 6:04

So precisely ONE of these eleven flights - 0:14 - is a landing crash.

3:38 gets airborne for pretty precisely half a second 'cause the wind is ninety left cross and his idiot scooter driver makes sure the power is kept at a really safe level and the "flight" is safely terminated with the glider stopped with nose pitched up at about launch attitude. He's on his feet and has stepped across the control bar with the nose still positive. Everything that happens after the glider stops is ground handling and totally irrelevant.

However, crashes do happen...

The same way shit does. So we're just rolling dice every time we launch - just like in all other flavors of aviation.

...and if...

When.

...it happens on a hang glider, the pilot should know the course of action to take to reduce the risk of injuries.

Right. It just HAPPENS on a hang glider. And the pilot who had no fuckin' clue how to keep the crash from happening needs to be a finely tuned and practiced expert on reducing the risk of injuries.

(Reminds me a lot of:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/skysailingtowing/message/6686
Weaklinks

Donnell Hewett - 2008/10/14 00:49:34 UTC
6686

But I still believe, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." It is only a matter of time.

So we all gotta fly with Infallible Weak Links and learn how to brace for impact.)

Good luck with that. I hope we have enough bandwidth to handle all the expressions of gratitude from the pilots who've employed these techniques and walked away from really ugly situations smelling like roses. 22 responses to date so they should start pouring in at any moment now.

Many HG pilots consider bracing as a well-known practice.

I think you're right.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=22176
Paragliding Collapses

Jim Rooney - 2011/06/12 13:57:58 UTC

Most common HG injury... spiral fracture of the humerus.

One hundred percent of those have been consequences of arms being braced on control tubes.

However plenty of pilots still have no idea of it...

The ones who AREN'T getting their arms broken...

14-00725
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14423696873_f1326e2320_o.png


...and shoulders torn apart.

...which leads to (often preventable) injuries.

And let's be extra sure not to say anything about preventing crashes.

This video is showing some examples.

Everyone and his dog knows that bracing for impact is the absolute last thing you wanna do in any game you may happen to be playing. And at no point in this video do we see anyone doing it. On the rare occasions when we see anyone doing anything relevant he's PULLING his body to a side to mitigate a situation. That's the OPPOSITE of bracing. But in real world crashes involving reasonably competent pilots who've gotten into situations they CONTROL the glider to the last possible instant then let go of everything and go limp. This is what we're seeing on ALL crashes in which we can really see the crash - 5:03 being the sole exception.

Key to featured flights:

0:14 - 029-E-11622
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920375412_2b14578bac_o.png

0:57 - 003-A-05819
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926175182_fd69844795_o.png

1:17 - 010-B-11612
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925443183_6bc542a240_o.png

1:28 - 015-C-13023
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925977516_b1ccc68c1c_o.png

2:18 - 024-D-22816
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926173497_71947f1778_o.png

2:44 - 041-E-25602
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926172317_fe6eac85cc_o.png

3:38 - 047-F-33911
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439963_a8546d9de7_o.png

4:18 - 080-G-43112
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436968_19204bc5c8_o.png

5:03 - 093-H-50422
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926167117_7216eea65e_o.png

5:24 - 109-I-53012
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434863_6a9ccab65e_o.png

6:04 - 118-J-61708
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925968836_054cf30c48_o.png


Stay tuned...
---
2019/10/21 13:00:00 UTC

Major amendment at the end of:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post11798.html#p11798

I'm calling 1:17 - 010-B-11612 totally staged. So for the above ten actual flights, three shallow slope blown launches.

Initial error when I said:

Zero of them are them are with the glider in certified configuration...

1:17 would've been if there'd been any actual flying involved.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 0:00-0:53

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Bracing for impact on a hang glider. First of all do not crash. But if you're about to anyway use all the milliseconds left to reduce the risk of injuries. Here are some tips.
First of all, let's look at a not very optimal crash first.
Here the pilot drops his hands from the basebar, which prevented hand injuries. But after the accident he reported bad neck whiplash.
You do not want to use your head as a brake pad.

This is Andrew Stakhov, Toronto flying outta Canoa.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=19950
How To Crash Without Hurting Yourself (too much)

Andrew Stakhov - 2010/12/01 16:33:05 UTC

Wheels are great, but here's what happened to me a month back in Ecuador... I was overshooting into a lake, so I decided to put it down on wheels to slow myself down... Kind of funny. I'll have to remember the one about swinging around downtube with one arm - my neck is still sore from hitting the keel.
(You'll see it about half way in the video from 3 angles)

http://vimeo.com/16976062

Ecuador

The sequences come up at 1:16:22 and 2:58:15.

00°30'15.43" S 080°26'38.89" W - launch
00°30'37.91" S 080°25'54.71" W - impact (approximate)

It was a real bitch to match the sequences to what's currently showing on Google Earth.

Another Jack Show reference to this video:
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=29114
Equador recomendation?
2013/06/01 19:00:26 UTC

(Great job, Fletcher - spelled both of them wrong.)

First of all, let's look at a not very optimal crash first.

Nah, this is one of the real world ones...

Andrew - H4 AT ST FL - WW Sport 2, T2C

They tend to be a lot more challenging to properly configure for.

Here the pilot drops his hands from the basebar...

Bull fucking shit.

- He ceased being a pilot a little while ago. At this point he's pretty much ballast.

- His handS - plural - aren't on the basebar. His right hand's on the control bar and his left is low on downtube 'cause he came in down to skim level upright intending to foot land.

- He doesn't DROP his hands anywhere - you moron. He's flying in what appears to be zero wind a little above stall speed over high thick lush grass. His eight inch Finsterwalders aren't adequate for that surface at that groundspeed so when he settles down the glider powerwhacks to an abrupt stop and he keeps going a little longer. And his hands are RIPPED off of their hold points. With BOTH hands on the control tubes you tend to get an effect like:

41-45813
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5159/14264367601_5bd182d16c_o.png


http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14081080220_373f64f01d_o.png
46-45901

...which prevented hand injuries.

What planet are you from? Nobody in the entire history of the sport has ever gotten a hand injury from a glider crash. What people get are broken arms and torn up shoulders.

But after the accident he reported bad neck whiplash.

What accident?

You do not want to use your head as a brake pad.

How foolish of him to have thought he could've.

And never a single word about how to avoid getting into this really serious situation.

He SAYS:

Wheels are great, but here's what happened to me a month back in Ecuador...

No. Nothing HAPPENED TO him. He was in dead air with unlimited visibility and an unlimited pancake flat landing area, a kiddie glider, and the most bulletproof wheels available.

10-D-25815
- 10 - chronological order
- -D - series
- -2 - minutes
- 58 - seconds
- 15 - frame (30 fps)

10-D-25815
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920377342_33a0289736_o.png

11-D-30016
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920171046_a18db1b444_o.png

12-D-30123
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920377132_9cf45e8c82_o.png


There were zero surprises.

I was overshooting into a lake...

Poor baby. Did Mike Robertson ever teach you how to turn a glider below a thousand feet?

...so I decided to put it down on wheels to slow myself down...

1. 'Cause you always eat up so much less runway rolling it in on the wheels than you do executing a perfectly timed landing flare to stop on the old Frisbee in the middle of the LZ.

2. Bull fucking shit. You kicked out of your harness...

13-D-30213
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919637233_fc3b621903_o.png


...at over a hundred...

14-D-30414
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919637108_5e3b902576_o.png


...went mostly upright one up / one down...

15-D-30628
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919637023_6413961557_o.png

16-D-30908
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920376807_61c903a10c_o.png

17-D-31102
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920376667_841a2a271b_o.png


...touched down in total running mode...

18-D-31121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920376542_4786450fa2_o.png


...with your right foot, went immediately into skim mode...

19-D-31129
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919636508_e1e5d8f7f7_o.png


...bleeding off airspeed / flare authority...

20-D-31219
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919636253_4cd4ce5d3e_o.png


...for a very long...

21-D-31312
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920169766_9abe9e9424_o.png


...1.6 seconds...

22-D-31319
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919636028_50ce540efe_o.png


...then sank into the mini-jungle you selected for your runway.

23-D-31321
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919635948_d997620bcf_o.png

24-D-31324
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959112968_0105460da7_o.png

25-D-31325
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920375612_7679b46317_o.png

26-D-31326
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959112883_3980aaa021_o.png

27-D-31327
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959112828_56249274d7_o.png

28-D-31401
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920169366_ce2496678f_o.png


From the tail camera...

29-E-11622
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920375412_2b14578bac_o.png

30-E-11713
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920169161_b82767fa4e_o.png

31-E-11818
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919635443_19ca0e28d8_o.png

32-E-11823
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919635363_9c77737501_o.png

33-E-11826
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920375007_3d222ce017_o.png

34-E-11829
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920374962_41e03246f6_o.png


Head aligned pretty well with the keel...

35-E-11900
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959113468_87d42139e0_o.png

36-E-11901
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959663956_0431fd1147_o.png

37-E-11908
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919635053_e1dd0463c2_o.png

38-E-12010
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919634878_e697f28af1_o.png


And...

39-F-31514
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48919634663_d07302e7ba_o.png

40-F-31519
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920168221_00730af999_o.png


Head bounces of the keel to port...

F-41-31527
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959853057_6aa8d8ea08_o.png


Radio flying off of shoulder mount?

42-F-31603
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48960863942_cfba3c5ae3_o.png

43-F-31606
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959663991_7cdc1b89b7_o.png

Kind of funny.

I guess. If one enjoys that sorta thing.

I'll have to remember the one about swinging around downtube with one arm...

Definitely. Go with that. Then you won't need to learn to tell the difference between brain-dead easy landing surfaces like all that acreage you flew over (13-D-30213) at the beginning of this sequence and the crap in which you came moderately close to breaking an arm and/or neck.

...my neck is still sore from hitting the keel.

Good thing you didn't end up with...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25015
Zippy pounds in

Davis Straub - 2011/09/02 18:37:09 UTC

Concussions are in fact very serious and have life long effects. The last time I was knocked out what in 9th grade football. I have felt the effects of that ever since. It changes your wiring.

Un fucking real.

- These assholes work on NOTHING BUT perfecting their flare timing from Day One, Flight One in their Happy Acres putting greens so they can safely spot land in a narrow dry riverbed with large rocks strewn all over the place when the inevitable day finally arrives.

- This asshole:

-- almost falls asleep flying over the biggest Happy Acres putting green in all of South America but won't land in it 'cause nobody planted an old Frisbee at its centerpoint.

-- goes full upright so's he can safely execute his perfectly timed landing flare in dead air just over the canopy of the mini-jungle for which he's opted - and when he reaches the downwind edge he's carrying reasonably good speed so he COULD reasonably easily pull it off.

-- pushes the bar out to bleed off speed and let the glider settle (and the glider settles and he uses his neck as a shock absorber to smooth things out at the end).

- He has great wheels for the great field he left way behind him two minutes ago.

- He can also get away with his stupid foot landing in aforementioned field with no more than the usual bonk.

- Lesson learned... Do everything exactly the same but next time grab a downtube just prior to impact so's ya can spin around it harmlessly.

Kinda glad I pulled stills for this one. Always had kind of a fuzzy idea of what went wrong since miguel posted it here 2013/01/22 22:07:29 UTC.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 0:53-1:25

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Now let's look at a similar example for a double surfaced glider with a shorter keel.
The pilot swings forward without hitting the glider.
But the glider hits him, luckily not in the neck.
So, aimlessly swinging forward and risking to injure your neck or head is a bad idea.

Now let's look at a similar example for a double surfaced glider with a shorter keel.

Yeah...

001-A-05727
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925444168_ccb3c2d5dc_o.png


A guy in shorts blowing a launch in light air on a shallow rock strewn slope on a hot glider with both hands low on the control tubes, no wheels, and a spreader set to keep the carabiner from getting crushed. Two peas in a pod.

The pilot...

Are we sure? The glider got airborne but is there any evidence that the passenger ever did?

...swings forward without hitting the glider.

After hitting about 150 rocks with his bare knees. (And wheels are for girls.)

But the glider hits him...

002-A-05805
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926175367_79d5d50bde_o.png

003-A-05819
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926175182_fd69844795_o.png

004-A-05905
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925978686_34de9de549_o.png

005-A-05910
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925443758_4fee556a8f_o.png

006-A-05917
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174887_b746fb629a_o.png

007-A-05918
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174802_cf66b17ed3_o.png

008-A-05922
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174802_cf66b17ed3_o.png

009-A-10022
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925443393_c20ba8283e_o.png

luckily not in the neck.

Given the circumstances he'd gotten himself into I don't think we could ask for a better outcome. The glider stayed level, he got his hands off the downtubes safely, fairly light beak, both downtubes left smelling like roses. Let's not second guess his actions to have him come out in better shape. I'd be thrilled to come out of that situation in the kind of shape that he did.

(Note: Glider's kingposted - you can see the starboard wire in some of the frames above.)

010-B-11612
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925443183_6bc542a240_o.png

So, aimlessly swinging forward and risking to injure your neck or head is a bad idea.

And you're such great fucking authorities on these sorts of situations 'cause of all the personal experiences you've racked up? Bit of a Catch-22 situation isn't it?

You show us a single still with absolutely no context and we know this guy and his glider came out smelling like roses 'cause if they hadn't you'd have shown us the shots of the horrifying impact and his lifeless body being carried away from the wreckage on a stretcher. He let a wing get up and got slowly blown over. We're gonna see another on like this at 3:38 - same wing.

And note the guy standing in front of the vehicle down the slope and to the left not helping with the wire. That also tells us that wind wasn't all that strong to begin with.

You're essentially misrepresenting what's going on with these incidents - you're lying to us. So why should we be taking any of your recommendations on anything?
---
2019/10/21 12:30:00 UTC

No, wrong. Too weird. The guy's partially kicked into his pod so it couldn't be launch. And both hands near together on the port side of the control bar.

Compare/Contrast with this glider:

024-D-22816
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926173497_71947f1778_o.png


For a while I thought they might be the same despite the red/orange thing as sometimes photoed colors can be deceptive. But camera mount, telltale, wheels, maybe round/faired downtubes, straight/speedbar... No.

But same surface with same lighting - probably the same training site on the same day. Kicked into a pod harness at a training site on training level glider. Looks like there was some print on the keel pocket that was digitally blurred/obscured. Probably the school name.

We've never seen anything like this anywhere before. I'm calling this staged - just as 024-D-22816 obviously and openly is. We'd have seen the video clip otherwise. They've beaked the glider, somebody's lifting the starboard wing, that's Mikhail Gladyshev doing a handstand with his hands together on the low side to make it easier for whoever's lifting the wing. And that's Lehra Karmazina at 023-D-21919 and 024-D-22816 rolled fairly hard at fifty feet on the other two setup stills showing us how safe and easy it is to Brace For Impact while rolled fairly hard at fifty feet.

You can take this to the bank. Now I have to go edit:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post11795.html#p11795
---
2019/10/20 22:45:00 UTC

That's when I actually posted this. 2019/10/20 17:11:53 UTC is when I accidentally hit "Submit" while working with the stills collection from this video. Sorry 'bout that.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 1:25-2:18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Let's look at the other possible options...
Yes, it was a crash. But the left hand is still on the upright.
He's now rotating around the upright instead of moving forward.
On the top picture the head hits the keel. On the bottom one he rolls around the upright so now his head is missing the keel and hitting his side, not head, more gracefully.
But there is one more thing... Only one hand is used. It's too easy to break the arm this way. To reduce this risk it's better to use two hands.

Starts with launch in progress. Nose high.

011-C-12906
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174282_56ddfa924c_o.png


Strolls into air nose high, no effort to keep it on the ramp and build up speed.

012-C-12928
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174167_cc3f1f4dbc_o.png


Let's go flying.

013-C-13012
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174087_c618b6b7e2_o.png

014-C-13019
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174032_340b8e8e4d_o.png


Landing mode. Big surprise.

015-C-13023
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925977516_b1ccc68c1c_o.png


- No, this is not a...

016-C-13104
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442673_baf2c648d3_o.png


..."Whack!!!". This is a this is a Crash!!! on launch. But don't worry... It's a much safer crash than all the ones you get all the time on tow. Shallow slope foot launching is much safer because of its simplicity - including the shallow slope. Steep slopes, cliffs, launch ramps all add complexity.

- Yeah, we know it's not gonna end great. What's the point of yelling "Whack!!!"? This is just one of those shit happens things. Happens to the best of us all the time. If it weren't you'd be saying something about it in this safety oriented public service video, right?

- Gee. Look how well, quickly, effectively this guy's going into Brace For Crash mode. At what point do we think he determined this was gonna be a crash rather than a launch? I think 012-C-12928 is a pretty good candidate.

- Let's back up to before 016-C-13104 and give him a pair of eight inch Finsterwalders. Is he gonna be reacting the same way? Might he have launched with more confidence (read less angle of attack)? Even if he hadn't might he still have been able to fly away from this one with BOTH downtubes in their original shape?

017-C-13105
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959118893_80c98524bc_o.png

018-C-13107
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926173832_3117825e5f_o.png

019-C-13110
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669986_247c00b908_o.png

020-C-13113
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442608_3d63c680d8_o.png

021-C-13121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442583_2f412b9210_o.png

022-C-13206
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925977171_1d803fbb2c_o.png

Yes, it was a crash.

017-C-13105
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959118893_80c98524bc_o.png


But the left hand is still on the upright.

- You should watch an AT launch sometime. Neither hand is EVER on an upright. And crashes in which an increase in the safety of the towing operation isn't involved are virtually nonexistent.

- And he isn't kissing his ass goodbye. TWO reasons at this point to hope for an acceptable outcome on this one.

He's now...

019-C-13110
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669986_247c00b908_o.png


...rotating around the upright instead of...

24-D-31324
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959112968_0105460da7_o.png


...moving forward.

And who amongst us would ever opt for continuing to move forward on a launch when he had the option of rotating around the upright.

On the top picture...

27-D-31327
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959112828_56249274d7_o.png


...the head hits the keel. On the bottom one...

019-C-13110
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442608_3d63c680d8_o.png


...he rolls around the upright so now his head is missing...

No! His head's not missing. It's still inside his helmet and perfectly OK.

...the keel...

Oh. Missing THE KEEL. Sorry, please continue.

...and hitting his side, not head, more gracefully.

Yeah...

021-C-13121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442583_2f412b9210_o.png


Poetry in motion. This guy's GOOD. Must've had tons of practice to be able to respond so quickly, precisely, flawlessly. (And I'm totally serious on this one.)

But there is one more thing...

How I wish there were just one more thing.

Only one hand is used.

No shit, Sherlock.

019-C-13110
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669986_247c00b908_o.png

He's rolled onto his right side with his right arm...

Karmazin-018-C-13107
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926173832_3117825e5f_o.png


...trapped under his body and it gets stripped back by the surface. There was no way in hell he'd have been able to go textbook in this real world scenario.

....It's too easy to break the arm this way.

Bull fucking shit. You break arms when your hands are TRAPPED on the downtubes as your body SWINGS FORWARD. This guy is ROTATING AROUND the downtube, his hand's not trapped, and there's no way in hell that arm is getting stressed.

To reduce this risk it's better to use two hands.

See above. And if you REALLY wanna reduce risk either get solid on shallow slope light air foot launches or don't do them. We see another guy...

013-C-13012
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926174087_c618b6b7e2_o.png


...setting up on this launch. I'm not hearing that he:
- also blew the launch and:
-- gracefully executed the Brace For Impact procedure and pack up with a fairly trashed port downtube
-- failed to gracefully execute the Brace For Impact procedure and easily broke an arm that way along with fairly trashing his port downtube
- realized what a hopelessly compromised situation this actually was and bagged it

P.S. I'm convinced that:

010-B-11612
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925443183_6bc542a240_o.png


is totally staged and have edited:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post11795.html#p11795
http://www.kitestrings.org/post11797.html#p11797
accordingly.

I'm a little bit bothered by the fact that the glider's sharp and the surface isn't but if the starboard wing were being lowered - which it could've been by happenstance or deliberately to produce the effect - that's what we would see.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 2:18-3:28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


This technique is actually not new. In Eastern Europe hang gliding schools have been teaching it to students for decades.
It is a basic skill there which is literally battle-proven by the enormous number of crashes over the decades.
Let's see how they do it. By the way, it is very easy.
This is a scooter towing with a launch gone wrong. Don't let the perspective fool you, he's fast.
The speed was high enough to make a 180 turn by inertial forces only.

This technique is actually not new.

023-D-21919
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925977136_b5b01bfb9f_o.png

Great! I certainly have no interest in being a test pilot. I actually don't really like test pilots.

In Eastern Europe hang gliding schools have been teaching it to students for decades.

- See, the thing is... "we", the people that work at and run Eastern European hang gliding schools, have long track records. This stuff isn't new, and has been slowly refined over decades. We have done quite literally hundreds of thousands of these Braced For Impact crashes. We know what we're doing. Sure "there's always room for improvement", but you have to realize the depth of experience you're dealing with here. There isn't going to be some "Oh gee, why didn't I think of that?" moment. The obvious answers have already been explored... at length. It's no mystery. It's only a mystery why people choose to reinvent the wheel when we've got a proven system that works.

- And this joke of a video depicting ten actual flights with seven actual crashes in which only one incompetent moron (maybe a bit harsh - almost certainly a victim of your program) is even presented as actually pulling this off (which he doesn't) - at the expense of flying his glider - is the best you can do?

- Have any of you assholes given any thoughts to the idea of teaching people to FLY hang gliders? Just kidding.

- Here in the West all we do is teach people how to safely land in narrow dry riverbeds with large rocks strewn all over the place. Maybe we could run same exchange programs to help produce more really well rounded out pilots.

It is a basic skill there...

024-D-22816
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926173497_71947f1778_o.png

- And here I was thinking that launches, approaches, landings were basic skills.

- I had Day 1, Lesson 1 dune students who could do better than AT LEAST three of these guys. So then if this is such a basic skill how come so many people are so crappy at it? Come to think of it... How are you ever able to get anybody off the ground and high enough to have any use for the Brace For Impact technique on an actual landing effort?

By the way... Here's your lead-off guy, the one you use for your most abysmal example of crashing skills, launching...

01-A-13511
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48920171996_acdf3f456c_o.png


...almost certainly at the other end of that same flight. Notice anything we're seeing in variance with some of your guys who aren't doing anything below par?

...which is literally battle-proven...

LITERALLY battle-proven? So what percentage do you think were shot down before getting the chance to execute the Brace For Impact technique?

...by the enormous number of crashes over the decades.

- Enormous number of crashes! Where and when can I get started for lessons?
- Where can I go to find so much as an anecdotal scrap of actual evidence supporting this statement?

Let's see how they do it. By the way, it is very easy.

No shit. I can think of lotsa stuff that's very easy in glassy air at fifty feet with nothing going on.

025-E-24506
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442158_2b61a80012_o.png


This is a scooter towing...

So in scooter towing you just hook up to the line and run for a while as the guy on the other end takes up slack?

By the way...

026-E-24617
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959118733_1bd8a98114_o.png

There seems to be a ribbon snagged on the port nose wire at the top end. That should probably be cleared off. Can't imagine the extra drag is helping matters any.

027-E-24816
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959858727_e61f2a8a4e_o.png

Initiation...

028-E-24828
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669686_62f375055e_o.png


...with a launch...

Oh yes! I DO see a launch. Thanks for clueing me in. Would've probably missed it otherwise.

...gone wrong.

GONE wrong? Everybody was doing everything right but the tow just WENT WRONG all by itself? How come this tow just went wrong while all the nonexistent to less than stellar executions of Braces For Impact were entirely the fault of the pilot. How come Braces For Impact don't just blamelessly go wrong?

029-E-24925
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925442078_bb99c599c7_o.png


Don't let the perspective fool you...

Fear not. I'm NEVER fooled by what I'm actually seeing from ANY perspective. I always wait for somebody who's posted a video on the web to tell me what I'm actually seeing.

030-E-25328
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925976641_73c8c2ac62_o.png


...he's fast.

Fuck yeah. The only reason he's not rocketing skyward à la Graziano Mele is 'cause they're trying to launch in a twenty mile per hour tailwind.

031-E-25408
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925441868_e3e9cb3a09_o.png

032-E-25411
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925976446_e929f49651_o.png

Told ya he gets airborne, slips the surly bonds of Earth.

033-E-25417
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925441738_c7fca56c44_o.png

034-E-25422
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925441618_33c80e71fe_o.png

035-E-25503
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926172722_2188d8ff00_o.png

I can only imagine the exhilaration he must've felt.

036-E-25513
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925976226_2e0701c693_o.png

OK, better start thinking about Bracing For Impact. We don't have all day to do this ferchrisake.

037-E-25519
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925441463_b77f54c110_o.png

038-E-25521
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926172537_4c3c5ce179_o.png

Basetube's down.

039-E-25525
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925975971_81e8ec0179_o.png

040-E-25527
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925441238_787309272b_o.png

Here we're seeing him in full high speed Brace For Impact mode being spur around the starboard control tube by inertial forces only.

041-E-25602
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926172317_fe6eac85cc_o.png

I'm guessing four Gs minimum.

042-E-25608
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926172087_2dbae86b6f_o.png

Control tube seems to be holding up astoundingly well.

043-E-25613
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925975396_83ce67cc10_o.png

044-E-25619
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925975156_bc3199005a_o.png

045-E-25715
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925440403_0fc9ca7557_o.png


The speed was high enough to make a 180 turn by inertial forces only.

Yep. Don't let the perspective fool you. Even though this video makes it appear that he never even lost his footing and just quickly stepped over the basetube and walked around to the far side of the downtube he was actually spun around the starboard control tube by inertial forces only..

Well, actually you're just stating that the speed was high enough - not that that actually happened. Much more difficult to argue against.

P.S. Compare/Contrast direction of "launch":

028-E-24828
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669686_62f375055e_o.png


...with direction of "flight":

036-E-25513
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925976226_2e0701c693_o.png


At least the glider itself has a clue as to what should be going on.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 3:28-4:10

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


So the rule is... Grab the upright. Better the higher one. Better with both hands.
The higher upright...
...with both hands.

Remember: the higher upright --- with both hands.

So the rule is... Grab the upright. Better the higher one. Better with both hands.

Well, if that's the rule I guess we better follow it. And it sure beats the crap outta Davis mandating that everyone and his dog fly with a one-size-fits-all Davis Link for every single launch. This one I only need to follow when I find myself incapable of performing with a Day 1, Flight 1 competence level.

046-F-33818
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925974991_222814ae32_o.png

And please don't trouble yourself to give us the extra two seconds of clean footage it would take to let us see how this one started. After all... This video isn't about how to launch, fly, land safely. It's about how to optimally Brace For Impact when you're (needlessly) crashing your glider. (And please do check out the starboard wheel.)

047-F-33911
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439963_a8546d9de7_o.png

Don't worry. Happens to the best of us. (They're all long gone now so it's getting increasingly difficult to differentiate between the best and worst of us.)

The higher upright...

048-F-34002
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439858_e6ed41fc56_o.png

Not much trouble determining which is the higher upright on this one, is there?

049-F-34007
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959118478_62d8f0d7f1_o.png

Although being that it's now gone a bit beyond horizontal at his point it's a bit ridiculous to refer to it as an upright.

050-F-34009
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669546_5347287193_o.png

Or, for that matter, a control tube.

051-F-34014
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959669516_fa865053b4_o.png


...with both hands.

052-F-34019
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439723_e3e3b0c0fb_o.png

It's a lot like what you do when you're climbing a tree to escape from a Grizzly. I think I can remember that OK.

053-F-34023
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926170942_f2cc4f3214_o.png

It doesn't appear from what we can see in this video that he actually made it to the life-tube with the other hand - not that it fuckin' matters anyway. This is not a guy whom anybody should be employing as a role model.

Also, he doesn't have much in the way of forward momentum. So swinging headfirst into the keel isn't much of a worry - the way it can be for someone who's managed to get his glider flying for some period can be.

054-F-34027
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439623_656c84ddb2_o.png

I like the way you have your camera set to adjust to where the important action WILL be. How did you do that?

055-F-34115
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439573_ba84020f6d_o.png

And wire crew to the rescue. Take your time. Textbook Brace For Impact so it's obvious he's perfectly OK.

He's OK.

056-F-40000
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926170737_7aa59e8c0b_o.png

Never had the slightest doubt. Textbook Brace For Impact. What more is there to say? Well, maybe that it's perfectly OK to allow your glider to pitch and/or roll into any ridiculous attitude you feel like 'cause you can always configure yourself properly for the ensuing crash and come out smelling like a rose... But that pretty much goes without saying anyway.

057-F-40404
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925974096_b7b61b15e8_o.png


Remember: the higher upright ... with both hands.

058-F-40626
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925439343_cecd55ee4c_o.png

OK. The higher hand ... with both uprights. No, wait. The higher upright ... with both hands. OK, I think I'm good now.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 4:10-5:02

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


There as also a more badass technique. It can be used when you have a bit more time to prepare.
You should throw your legs forward.
It's a bit more demanding but if implemented properly it's much better than any other option.
Bent upright was the only the only damage in this crash. Pilot sustained no injuries at all.
Compare it to this.
Why not throw your legs first in this situation?
Like this guy.
Conclusion... Either grab the top upright... ...or throw your legs forward.
But... better off, land safely.
Safe flying!

There as also a more badass technique.

Even MORE badass than the techniques we've seen so far? COOL!!! I can hardly wait!

It can be used when you have a bit more time to prepare.

In other words... When everything's going fine and you're suddenly overcome with the urge to execute an even more badass Brace For Impact technique. And what the hell... We all know how you get to Carnegie Hall.

059-G-42003
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926170352_0f3f400e4b_o.png

Ooh... I like the way that downtube in customized to fit his hand in launch and landing configuration. Can you guys ship to the US?

060-G-42113
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925438948_be5ee38422_o.png

061-G-42211
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926169942_7dcbd79900_o.png

062-G-42304
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925438678_896c12ed81_o.png

063-G-42321
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925438603_425c8d4b64_o.png

064-G-42413
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926169572_14f3e85f8a_o.png

And how many hours of upright do you guys require before you feel your students have developed the experience, skill, judgment required to safely go prone?

065-G-42417
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925438463_fea32dbcda_o.png

066-G-42514
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925973071_8ee7414cc0_o.png

Well... Since both the Standard and Even More Badass Brace For Impact Techniques require the pilot to be upright with their hands at shoulder or ear height where they can't control the glider I guess it would be a bit wacko to have them ever doing that in student capacity.

067-G-42527
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926169367_9bfa432f1f_o.png

068-G-42613
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925972916_7d8b3d66eb_o.png

069-G-42701
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926169147_3ea87766c5_o.png

Uh-oh... Starting to look like were headed for a crash... Better start going into max survivability mode.

070-G-42718
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925972706_103cf728f7_o.png


You should throw your legs forward.

071-G-42812
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926168957_f61be1f429_o.png

072-G-42825
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926168832_981a693f76_o.png

073-G-42927
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925972231_c9a3caf044_o.png

Now you're gonna need some leverage to throw your legs forward... So if I were you I'd move my hands a bit higher up the control tubes so you can pull in with the force you'll need to throw your legs forward. Obviously this is gonna entail a substantial change in the center of gravity of the system so we don't wanna be fuckin' around at this critical stage of this emergency situation.

074-G-43000
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925437403_acb593efff_o.png

075-G-43013
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925437333_bb2cebf5d3_o.png

That's the ticket. Now...

076-G-43022
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926168272_7551d9cb00_o.png

077-G-43028
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971926_004a56dbd7_o.png

078-G-43106
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971791_1b9ddb9f94_o.png

079-G-43109
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436968_19204bc5c8_o.png

080-G-43112
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959858142_b7fcc29b4f_o.png

YEAH!!! Totally BADASS!!!

081-G-43117
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436898_6a2d7e043d_o.png

Did ya see the way your nose came down when you threw your legs forward? That's how you can really tell that you're really doing things BADASS. (Feel free to use all you want of my stills to appropriately impress your friends.

082-G-43121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971556_05fc4b3fa4_o.png

Maybe throw your legs a little more forward at this point. The ground seems to be coming up a lot faster than I was expecting. (072-G-43121 is one frame before starboard wheel / control bar corner makes contact.)

083-G-43126
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971481_a7b1e24e66_o.png


It's a bit more demanding but if implemented properly it's much better than any other option.

084-G-43200
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436708_9e233ce103_o.png

Got me convinced. Hell, I was totally on board back at the word "badass".

085-G-43204
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971401_863ea610d6_o.png

Even more poetry in motion.

086-G-43208
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971336_0b0a9a15b4_o.png

087-G-43220
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926167652_9928c42d48_o.png

Well done. You came out better than:
- 0:14 - 029-E-11622
- 1:28 - 015-C-13023
- 5:03 - 093-H-50422
- 5:24 - 109-I-53012
and as good as:
- 0:57 - 003-A-05819
- 1:17 - 010-B-11612
- 2:18 - 024-D-22816
- 2:44 - 041-E-25602
- 3:38 - 047-F-33911
- 6:04 - 118-J-61708

088-G-45502
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971171_199897982a_o.png

Any landing you can walk away from...

[<BS>]

Do your flare before throwing your legs forward because it's more difficult if you wait till after.

[Tad Eareckson]

You probably wanna do your flare at about:

064-G-42413
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926169572_14f3e85f8a_o.png


well before the point at which you need to into Badass Mode.

Hey everybody... Remember when:

15-3703
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3677/14267100052_9ba5bb5bdc_o.png


In the next two shots check out the horizon tilts:

075-G-43013
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925437333_bb2cebf5d3_o.png

082-G-43121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971556_05fc4b3fa4_o.png


Side by side:


The Badass Mode shot is the last frame before the surface starts influencing things. Still fully - if barely - airborne.
---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 5:02-5:24

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Bent upright was the only the only damage in this crash. Pilot sustained no injuries at all.

Fully prone, bar nearly stuffed, tons of airspeed...

089-H-50403c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971111_1d0c23fafa_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965907_bd979aa2d1_c.jpg

Better start getting into Badass Brace For Impact Mode...

090-H-50415c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436333_175391e91b_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965882_0de9fa9f86_c.jpg
091-H-50417c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925436243_ab9465033e_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943226148_dacf7411d2_c.jpg
082092-H-50419c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926167192_8693b5df6e_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943226123_44b3c46789_c.jpg

OK, let's start getting serious about slowing this thing down...

093-H-50422c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926167117_7216eea65e_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965787_3c1f5dbd23_c.jpg

Bent upright was the only the only damage in this crash. Pilot sustained no injuries at all.

He could still save this flight.

094-H-50428c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925970676_eb4cf49ca1_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965747_212c7e3fe5_c.jpg
095-H-50504c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166962_b33df92ebc_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965707_0a8d5e52a1_c.jpg

Fully upright with his hands at shoulder or ear height where he can't control the glider...

096-H-50508c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925435618_b5f50e5294_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943771986_280a29b222_c.jpg

But he's in great shape for landing safely on his feet. Even doing the worst things possible since one and a quarter seconds ago he still gets it turned to nearly parallel to the slope.

097-H-50511c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925435508_ef755240d0_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943771971_feb1edcd96_c.jpg

But now he's in Badass Brace For Impact Mode and will be able to THROW HIS LEGS FORWARD!!! through the control frame - which is undoubtedly why Lehra is showing us this one without really saying anything about it. Must be such a common phenomenon over there that she assumes that everybody assumes that's what's going on out of view.

098-H-50520c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925435413_5423d8ee93_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943225898_543d36f664_c.jpg
099-H-50618c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925970251_08e19fe780_o.png

http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943225858_40e58f04fe_c.jpg

Note: Geek stuff...

A white glider over a white landscape under a white sky shot by a wide angle wuffo back at launch for a really valuable 1.7 seconds worth of video. Full resolution is 1280x720. A bit over 900 width displays fully on our pages. Flickr breaks the big stuff down to 800 and 1024 so ya go with the first one. There was absolutely nothing going on in the left three eighths so I chopped it off for 900.

As for the vertical... I dumped 220 pixels worth of upper and lower nothingness for 500 of fairly well centered glider and relevant and less boring terrain.

089-H-50403c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971111_1d0c23fafa_o.png
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965907_b944f78988_o.png
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48943965907_bd979aa2d1_c.jpg

Original full resolution up top, the 900x500 crop you're seeing in the middle, the 800 version of the middle on the bottom.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE
Bracing for impact on a hang glider

Lehra Karmazina - 2019/03/29 5:24-6:05

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-k3meO6IE


Compare it to this.
Why not throw your legs first in this situation?
Like this guy.
Conclusion... Either grab the top upright... ...or throw your legs forward.

100-I-52506
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166582_542f5bf8cc_o.png

101-I-52704
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925970151_cbb09e1140_o.png

102-I-52826
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925435218_58ebdd9386_o.png

103-I-52906
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166462_5d5ca9c9df_o.png

104-I-52917
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166402_db67900412_o.png

105-I-52927
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925969981_c8f3c51cc5_o.png

106-I-53000
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166247_c74317429e_o.png

107-I-53007
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434928_e1e4407475_o.png

108-I-53011
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959858102_66754cab8e_o.png

109-I-53012
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434863_6a9ccab65e_o.png

110-I-53014
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434783_a5d506c4f1_o.png[

111-I-53017
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434743_1f93b0c43d_o.png

112-I-53101
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925969781_f07c50d85d_o.png

113-I-53106
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925969641_48fe560c80_o.png

Compare it to this.

100-I-52506
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48926166582_542f5bf8cc_o.png

OK...

- Totally abysmal video quality.

- No audio.

- It's green rather than white.

- This is a non optional landing approach into a designated LZ rather than an elected Badass Brace For Impact Crash back into launch so it's a real good bet that Green's a far better pilot than White. (Not surprisingly. This is obviously an antique video in contrast to White's obviously current one so the sport's had a lot less time to degrade/implode.)

- At the beginning of the sequence Green's configured for landing in a narrow dry riverbed with large rocks strewn all over the place so it's a good bet that flying into the side of a trailer was his Plan B.

- Neither of these guys is flying with wheels so we know that both of them have perfected their flare timing.

- Green trashes twice the number of control tubes that White does.

- Both of them:

- walk away smelling like roses 'cause otherwise you'd gleefully tell us about all the injuries he sustained 'cause he was a clueless muppet rather than one of you Badass rockstar products

-- are
--- target fixated
--- the victims of total shit instruction (like anybody else who's ever participated in the sport)

- We understand how and why Green gets from 100-I-52506 to 111-I-53017. We personally see this shit happen all the time. But how the fuck does White go from:
089-H-50403c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971111_1d0c23fafa_o.png

to:
098-H-50520c
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925435413_5423d8ee93_o.png


This is a blindingly obvious huge one I totally missed on the previous/dedicated post. What's he doing, thinking at 089-H-50403c? "I think I'll hone my More Badass Brace For Impact Technique a little more."?

I missed it 'cause I used to do 089-H-50403c all the fuckin' time so it looked normal to me. You go upwind through the lift band until you start seriously pressing your luck then you turn back towards the slope with the bar substantially pulled in, then snap it around 180 on a dime at the last second and blast up like a fuckin' rocket. It's really cool and the wuffos love it. I was subconsciously assuming that's what he was doing but then chickened at the last second and a half but that really doesn't make any sense. The only guys who do this really know what the hell they're doing and White obviously doesn't. You know White and this incident 'cause you know what the damage was and wasn't. So how come you're not telling us anything about it?

Why not throw your legs first in this situation?

108-I-53011
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959858102_66754cab8e_o.png

He DOES throw his legs first in this situation...

105-I-52927
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925969981_c8f3c51cc5_o.png


...you moron. He uses them to kick down the fence that's obstructing his final to Plan B. Given the situation at that point... Well done.

Also consider the fact that White's crashing obliquely into a slope while Green's doing a direct hit on a totally vertical flat surface.

Green wasn't injured. So who the fuck are you to second-guess his decisions and actions? You say:

It is a basic skill there which is literally battle-proven by the enormous number of crashes over the decades.

And of all those enormous numbers of crashes over the decades literally battle-proving the Moderately and Even More Badass Brace For Impact crash techniques that nobody's ever sustained so much as a skinned knee? Bullshit.

On 1993/10/03 I did a ridge run north out of McConnellsburg. Rather than landing safely out off the end of the ridge in huge Happy Acres putting green I elected to push my luck and tried to make it back into a cross headwind. My Plan B for that stage was a slash-strewn clear-cut on the slope at about 40°03'33.46" N 077°54'36.55" W. Realized I wasn't gonna make it, radioed my situation and position, finalled back to the NE (parallel to the slope), executed a textbook perfectly timed landing flare, stopped it dead in its tracks, dropped straight down several feet, caught a four inch diameter log with my left foot, fell down.

Didn't feel any pain, thought I was OK, tried to stand up. That was the end of that year's season for me.

So don't try to tell us that all these totally clueless bozos like the ones you're showing us are all strolling away smelling like roses 'cause of these revolutionary Brace For Impact Techniques you're teaching them. If I have enough videos from which to cherry pick I can show you how totally effective the Infallible Weak Link is in breaking before you can get into too much trouble.

This:

111-I-53017
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925434743_1f93b0c43d_o.png


is how Green impacts - NOT BRACED by the way. His entire body's flattened - at the minimum possible speed - against a totally flat surface. Tell me how you get a better and gentler load distribution than that. We monkeys have been falling outta trees for tens of millions of years. We've got our DNA really well wired for appropriately responding to these situations. Makes one wonder from what planet we got our hang gliding instructors. I'm guessing Mars where the force of gravity is only a bit over three eighths of ours - but how you assholes got here is a bit of a mystery. Most likely by a superior species from some other solar system who wanted to see what would happen.

Like this guy.

082-G-43121
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925971556_05fc4b3fa4_o.png

The sport hadn't been sufficiently intellectually castrated back at that point in our history.

Conclusion...

I'm so happy you're concluding everything for us so successfully. I can't bear to think where all we clueless muppets would be otherwise.

Either grab the top upright...

023-D-21919
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48925977136_b5b01bfb9f_o.png


...or throw your legs forward.

080-G-43112
http://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48959858142_b7fcc29b4f_o.png

So how come we're seeing you the instructor demonstrating the technique up in nice smooth air at fifty feet and the incompetent bozo who allegedly needs it battle-proving it down on the surface?

When Ryan wants us to see how aerobatics should be done he shows us videos of Ryan...

37-05121
http://c2.staticflickr.com/2/1676/25661585790_4ed1db6bd6_o.png


...actually doing them. Reminds me a lot of:

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc. - 2016/10/22
Standard Operating Procedure
12. Rating System
02. Pilot Proficiency System
11. Hang Gliding Special Skill Endorsements
-A. Special Skills attainable by Novice
05. Aerotow

-f. The candidate must also demonstrate the ability to properly react to a weak link/tow rope break simulation with a tandem rated pilot, initiated by the tandem pilot at altitude, but at a lower than normal release altitude. Such demonstrations should be made in smooth air.

If either of you assholes had ever actually done this you'd show us the videos in which you too get into one of these situations through no faults of your own and come out smelling like roses thanks to your Extremely Badass Brace For Impact Technique executions.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24534
It's a wrap

Lauren Tjaden - 2011/08/01 02:01:06 UTC

For whomever asked about the function of a weak link, it is to release the glider and plane from each other when the tow forces become greater than desirable -- whether that is due to a lockout or a malfunction of equipment or whatever. This can save a glider, a tow pilot, or more often, a hang glider pilot who does not get off of tow when he or she gets too far out of whack.

I rarely break weak links -- in fact, I believe the last one was some two years ago, and I have never broken one on a tandem (probably because I am light and also because I change them whenever they show any signs of wear). They are a good thing to have, though!!

---
P.S. - 2019/10/23 17:15:00 UTC

Conclusion... Either grab the top upright... ...or throw your legs forward.

Bull fucking shit. In aviation there is INVARIABLY -ONE- appropriate response to any situation. There's no such thing as "either". And these two are mutually exclusive - one can't fade from one to the other. Throwing your legs forward is about the last response you'd wanna have for ANY situation.

The grab trick... It ONLY has validity after you can no longer fly 'cause you've just crashed. And a competent enough pilot to be in such a situation is gonna react instinctively, properly, instantly without having been previously dosed with any of this bullshit.

I was a pretty damn good dune pilot and that was the most intense flying one can imagine 'cause you were frequently dealing with inches. It would've been insane to do that shit in anything but a soft sand environment but at Jockey's Ridge if you knew what you were doing it was like moderately sane downhill skiing - you weren't gonna get hurt enough to keep from going back up immediately for a second shot. So yeah, in the available fraction of a second I had left I'd select a downtube and pull off center to avoid swinging into the keel or damaging an arm or shoulder.

And those of us who did that kind of flying all reacted appropriately and instinctively decades before any moron with a YouTube account could put up any rot he or she felt like and totally get away with it.