Weak links

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/28 01:17:55 UTC

Well said Billo

Yeah Billo, WELL SAID. Like the rest of us, Swift has NO IDEA what REALLY happened on that tow. We probably NEVER will know.

I'm a bit sick of all the armchair experts telling me how my friend died.

Yeah Jim. Freak accident. Like when burglars broke into the police station and stole all the plumbing fixtures - the cops had nothing to go on.

Ah but hg'ers get so uppity when you tell them not to speculate.
Jim

Yeah, uppity - like niggers.

Interesting little tell there, Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney...

You're not speaking about hg'ers in a first person plural sorta way. You're speaking about them in a THIRD person plural sorta way.

You're speaking about and to them as your obvious inferiors - and an assumption that when you order them to do or not to do whatever you say they're all supposed to pull their noses out of your ass and get to it immediately without hesitation or question.

Everybody do keep noticing how the people who control the Dragonflies - Rooney, Billo, Paul and Lauren, Mark Frutiger, Kitty Hawk, Bart Weghorst are aligning along the freak accident / no good explanation axis while the niggers who rely on thermals for their airtime are either pointing at, looking at, or conflicted about the Rooney Links.

Look at this video that Zack Marzec uploaded on the second to last day of his short life...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i4owd0akd0


It's 305 seconds long and a total of 172 seconds (56 percent) is dedicated to gliders and Dragonflies.

94 of the 172, 55 percent, focus primarily on gliders - parked, launching, towing, free flying, landing.

The other 78, 45 percent, focus primarily on Dragonflies - ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY being used, not as tugs, but as aerial hotrods. Every single one of them is having an ABSOLUTE BLAST!!!

There's no doubt whatsoever that most of what we are to a lot of these Dragonfly drivers is financing for their own flavor of aviation - high powered aerobatic ultralight. We're just a necessary evil they tolerate so they can get paid for pursuing THEIR hobby. (When was the last time anybody saw a Dragonfly thermal up to cloudbase?)

And if we get blown off by the Rooney Links they force us up on... What the fuck - just more takeoff and landing practice. And landings are FUN! Even for those of us who CAN'T go around for a better setup.

And WHEN we crash as a consequence of Rooney Link pops it's always because we're stupid weekend warrior chronic fuckups. But when one of their in-crowd whipstalls, tumbles, and dies as an obvious consequence of a Rooney Link pop it's a freak accident that can never be understood that happened to a truly wonderful guy - and anybody who DARES *SPECULATE* that a Rooney Link had the slightest thing to do with the incident and we're capable of of doing any better next time can go fuck himself and forget about ever being towed again.
----
2022/05/29 21:30:00 UTC

Damn. I've just discovered that I'd accidently embedded this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h1uyn_zTlo


2012/04/11 Casey Cox video in where I'd intended Zack's "A Winter at Quest Air" to go. Good chunk of a decade.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Freedomspyder - 2013/02/28 02:16:51 UTC

All mourning aside...

I'm totally over it. The more I see of that despicable little asshole the less of a rat's ass I give about the self inflicted demise of anybody who'd have anything to do with him.

I don't understand why some are so defensive over a piece of string?

Because when that piece of string goes down - WHICH IT WILL - a lot of reputations will go down with it - primarily his. And my reputation will be screaming to the north at the same time.

It's not like someone doubled or tripled Zach's, and the glider self destructed because it was too strong.

Nope...

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 02:44:10 UTC

The forces of an aerotow can get high enough to tear the wings off the glider.
This is no exaggeration... it can be done.

The glider was fine until it hit the ground...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bRrpHNa68iY/UQ6Pv9gRZyI/AAAAAAAAjTg/Hc22bx5122Q/s2048/20943781_BG1.jpg


And even then it was still in pretty good shape 'cause Zack's head absorbed a lot of the impact.

Have there even been any accidents caused by a too strong weak link?

Nope...

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC

You've not heard about strong-link incidents.
Uh, yeah... cuz we don't let you use them.

Or do you believe it should be even weaker?

Not after having arrived at the perfect aerotow weak link after quite literally HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of tows.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Zack C - 2013/02/28 03:02:17 UTC

Tormod Helgesen - 2013/02/27 05:53:48 UTC

The weaklink broke despite all the claims that it wouldn't.

Can you cite one of these claims? I don't recall anyone saying anything like that. I've said that any (meaning legal) weak link will break in the course of a lockout.

Lotsa times just before you do.

I belive that too strong weaklinks will have severe negative consequences...

How strong is 'too strong'?

131 pounds. No track record.

Pilots have been towing with 200 pound weak links (either a single loop rated at 200 or two loops of 130) for many years. In most cases they might as well not even use a weak link since their weak link's stronger than the tug's. And yet we haven't seen any of these 'severe negative consequences'.

Yeah, well...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=20756
How is Zach Etheridge doing?

Bob Flynn - 2011/02/04 11:26:34 UTC

Lookout keeps this kind of stuff under their hat. You never hear of accidents there. But every time I go there, I hear about quite a few. Blown launches, tree landings, etc.

There's a really good reason for that.

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/27 09:45:26 UTC

...yet, you're going to bet your life that your reaction will be correct?

I wouldn't fly (tow or otherwise) if I couldn't trust myself to keep me alive. I think it's well accepted that you can't rely on a weak link to save you, so if you think a weak link could ever save you, you're saying you're OK rolling the dice every time you tow.

I trust me (and my release) a helluvalot more than a piece of string. I wouldn't tow if I felt my ability to determine when a tow should terminate was worse than that of a piece of string.

You seem to be forgetting something here, Zack...

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2467
weak links

Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01

Whatever's going on back there, I can fix it by giving you the rope.

It's more of this crappy argument that being on tow is somehow safer than being off tow.

William Olive - 2013/02/27 20:55:06 UTC

Like the rest of us, you have no idea what really happened on that tow.

Well, we've got pretty good descriptions from Mark and Paul. From those descriptions, it doesn't sound like either pilot was in much danger prior to the weak link break. We also know Zack M had a severe stall following the weak link break, and gliders stalling as a result of a loss of towline tension is a well documented phenomenon that has resulted in fatalities before.

I think that's just a matter of opinion. I've reviewed all the material I could get my hands on from the likes of Matt, Dennis and Bill, and Trisa and Trisa and this alleged "stall" of yours just doesn't seem to be an issue. And even if it were I'm sure that it could be neutralized pretty effectively with a hook knife.

Maybe we hadn't seen a tumble resulting from such an event, but it's not hard to imagine one after seeing videos like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsIkAOeJ0I

Odd that Mike Bomstad hasn't weighed in on any of the Zack Marzec threads.

Given that Zack M was too low for a chute deployment, it's unlikely once his glider tumbled that there was anything he could have done to survive.

Well, if he had shelled out for a better helmet...

It's hard to imagine the outcome being any worse had the weak link broken at a different time.

Could've happened with no non Quest eyewitnesses around so they could've made it look like an alligator attack.

It's also hard to imagine a glider tumbling while still attached to the tow line. Given all of this, I don't think Swift's statement ventures too far into the realm of speculation.

It doesn't have to. Jim's order was QUITE clear...

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/28 01:17:55 UTC

Ah but hg'ers get so uppity when you tell them not to speculate.

We're not allowed to speculate AT ALL.

Zack C - 2013/02/18 02:37:19 UTC

Do you only follow laws for which you've seen research you deem adequate?

So do you only follow laws for which you've seen research you deem adequate?

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/28 01:17:55 UTC

Ah but hg'ers get so uppity when you tell them not to speculate.

I suppose we should resign ourselves to the fact that we'll never understand or learn anything from this incident and thus should keep doing the exact same thing we were doing before while hoping we have better luck than Zack M.

Yeah, well if we start doing things any differently we'll hafta start building up a whole new track record from scratch. And I don't know about you but I sure don't wanna be a test pilot when we've already got a proven system that works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMsIkAOeJ0I

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Zack C - 2013/02/28 04:09:07 UTC

Freedomspyder - 2013/02/28 02:16:51 UTC

Has there even been any accidents caused by a too strong weak link?

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/31 09:25:57 UTC

You've not heard about strong-link incidents.
Uh, yeah... cuz we don't let you use them.

I'm not sure at what point a weak link becomes a 'strong-link', but...

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/17 10:37:47 UTC

You think that's all we use?
Hell, just in this thread, you seem to have missed the 200lb orange links.

And, as I pointed out, 200 lbs may as well be nothing/infinitely strong.

Gawd I can't begin to tell y'all how much I'm enjoying this.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Tormod Helgesen - 2013/02/28 05:51:13 UTC

Zack C - 2013/02/28 03:02:17 UTC

I wouldn't fly (tow or otherwise) if I couldn't trust myself to keep me alive. I think it's well accepted that you can't rely on a weak link to save you, so if you think a weak link could ever save you, you're saying you're OK rolling the dice every time you tow.

You cited (and contradicted yourself) the claim yourself in the same post. "you can't rely on a weak link to save you" means that it might not break. You guys have an almost religious belief that staying on tow is better than a weaklink break yet you give examples of cases where a weaklink NOT breaking and a to late release caused an fatal accident.

No, you fuckin' goddam idiot drain on the gene pool. We have a data based understanding that a person with a functional brain and release - which are two things you'll never know shit about - can make and execute the go / no go call better than a piece of fishing line.

I know there have been other fatal accidents caused by not being able to get off the line.

Yeah, you goddam Norwegians have that down...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8318769461/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8318781297/

...to a fine art.

I can give you this though, it would be better to have a release operated from the basebar, but until they get better...

- Until they GET better? What are you planning on doing? Tossing a couple of Wallaby Releases into a spare rabbit hutch and checking periodically to see how well the offspring are evolving? Isn't anybody in that rockheap of yours capable of doing any ENGINEERING?

- They ARE better - asshole.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8318603266/


But not only are y'all too fuckin' stupid to do any engineering for yourselves you're also too goddam lazy to implement the construction after somebody else has done the engineering and handed you the plans on a goddam silver platter.

And lemme tell ya sumpin else... You see THIS mechanism:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8306258400/


I developed that right after and in response to your idiot national champion misusing the crap out of a spinnaker shackle and killing himself, as illustrated above - while Bill Moyes, Bobby Bailey, and Davis and all you Norwegian shitheads were trying to address the problem by forcing everyone up on even more insanely light weak links.

...I stick to the barrel release.

Yeah, you do that.

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3391
More on Zapata and weak link

Paul Tjaden - 2008/07/22 04:32:22 UTC

I have never had a lockout situation happen so quickly and dramatically and had no chance to release as I have always thought I could do.

And make sure you get the nice bent pin flavor...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=21033
barrels release without any tension except weight of rope..

Bart Weghorst - 2011/02/25 19:06:26 UTC

I've had it once where the pin had bent inside the barrel from excessive tow force. My weaklink was still intact. The tug pilot's weaklink broke so I had the rope. I had to use two hands to get the pin out of the barrel.

No stress because I was high.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aerotowrelease/8331326948/


...from Bobby Fucking-Genius Bailey.

And keep using using those Rooney Links...

0:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR_4jKLqrus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYe3YmdIQTM


...for extra safety margin. I'm ALWAYS happy to get the data.

Oh.. by the way, I'm out of this "discussion", I hate religion!

Like the goddam Jehovah's Witnesses.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Freedomspyder - 2013/02/28 06:10:50 UTC

Tormod. Out of curiousity, do you AT with the 130, or the 200?

He uses 85. Two weeks after Robin was killed Norway made it a felony to tow with anything in triple digits. And they also upped their helmet requirements.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Bill Cummings - 2013/02/28 06:11:37 UTC

I looked at the video ZC and what is not obvious is the type of bridle he was using.

Good job following the discussion...

http://www.kitestrings.org/post3338.html#p3338

...on that one fourteen months ago.

I'm betting the pilot was not using a bridle to the keel release and that he couldn't hold the climb rate down while the truck was towing the pilot too fast.

He wasn't using a bridle. He was using a Koch two stage configuration and the under line was too short so it was forcing the basetube forward. Wouldn't/Couldn't have happened doing it like THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=il3YPp3Rfq8

What is obvious to me is that the pilot was using a very strong weaklink to be able to climb so fast with the keel more than 30 degrees to the horizon (even taking into consideration the tilted earth towing scenario).

Really Bill?

- Tell me what G rating you use to prevent that climb rate/angle. And DO try to speak in terms of Gs and avoid terms like "very strong".

- So what you're saying is that that if you use a "properly applied weak link" it'll clearly prevent a high angle of attack - by blowing at a high angle of attack, like the standard aerotow weak link that served Zack Marzec so well at the beginning of the month.

When the pilot lost the towline it had the nose too high and due to that it climbed into a stall.

- What had the nose too high was the misconfiguration of the split towline and a total idiot driving the truck.
- When he was CLIMBING - asshole - he wasn't stalling.
- It was the abrupt loss of the towline (read: catastrophic engine failure) and cessation of climbing that caused the stall.

My weaklinks would not allow me to climb that fast and develop into a stall like that.

BULLSHIT.

This piece of shit Rooney Link:

0:50
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JR_4jKLqrus


on that two point bridle limits DocSoc on that glider to 226 pounds towline and is undoubtedly hovering somewhere near 0.8 Gs and the bottom of the legal range. And it should be pretty fucking obvious that it:

- allows the glider to quickly climb near the ground at a dangerously high pitch attitude and angle of attack
- blows totally unnecessarily WHEN the glider's quickly climbing near the ground at a dangerously high pitch attitude and angle of attack
- dumps the glider into a scary stall which could EASILY have been LETHAL

Summery: I believe the strong weaklink breaking caused the stall and loss of control.

Yes. You are ABSOLUTELY ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CORRECT.

And from that we can extrapolate that a:

- lighter weak link would've blown sooner and almost certainly killed him - spectacularly

- heavier weak link would've at least allowed him to climb to a safer altitude and maybe allowed him to stay on until the asshole in the truck ran out of beach or gas or something

Now if you are going to say that the pilot should have been using an even stronger weaklink to stay on the line after seeing that climb rate it will prove beyond any reasonable doubt that you are in fact a ------------wait for it-----
INTERNET TROLL.

That's EXACTLY what I'm gonna say - you off the scale stupid, terminally Hewett poisoned douchebag.

- And at what point in that tow do you think that guy wanted to pop off or was praying for his weak link to blow?

- And if he WAS feeling an uncontrollable urge to induce a whipstall and possible tumble why wasn't he effecting that option himself? Think the slush in his release had frozen and disabled it?

Lemme try to get a couple of things through to you.

- THE SOLE FUNCTION OF THE WEAK LINK IS...

Tost Flugzeuggerätebau

Weak links protect your aircraft against overloading.

...TO PROTECT YOUR AIRCRAFT AGAINST OVERLOADING. It is NOT to limit pitch attitude, angle of attack, climb angle, climb rate, roll attitude, tow misalignment, lockout progression, dragging distance. It CAN and, occasionally, WILL DO one or more of those things but you can easily wind up dead in spite or because of them.

- If you wanna limit pitch attitude, angle of attack, climb angle, climb rate, roll attitude, tow misalignment, lockout progression, dragging distance you need PEOPLE who KNOW WHAT THE FUCK THEY'RE DOING and EQUIPMENT THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DO IT.

- If you try to use a weak link to do the jobs of people and other pieces of equipment you WILL - given enough repetitions - eventually kill someone.

Zack Marzec is dead because Donnell and the assholes who listened and are listening to him keep trying to use light weak links to do the jobs of releases, tension regulators, pilots, and drivers.

See this guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm-YPa_Gvdw


Goes up like a fuckin' rocket, no Hewett Link blow, no stall, no problem.

And I don't know when you last checked the title of that thread but it's about a pro toad who whipstalled, tumbled, and died right after and because his Rooney Link popped. And since he was a pro toad his Rooney Link allowed him about another 34 pounds towline over what Doc - who probably flies at about the same weight - had vaporize on him and dump him in a stall he pulled out of two feet off the deck.

So why don't you tell us how much lighter Zack should've gone to safely release before he pitched up so dangerously?

Asshole.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Tormod Helgesen - 2013/02/28 10:25:41 UTC

130 pro tow

EXACTLY what Zack Marzec was using on his last flight! Who'da thunk!

So, averaging your two success rates, my chances of being killed because of it are only fifty percent. Cool!

Oh, by the way Tormod...

I've been really impressed by your foot launch videos. Can you tell me what shoe size you wear so I can get the same and do equally well?

Brad Gryder - 2013/02/28 11:14:17 UTC

http://blog.kittyhawk.com/kitty-hawk-kites/remembering-zack-marzec/

Here is the eulogy Zack's brother, Ryan Marzec, gave at Zack's celebration of life.

Hey, the other Zack in this discussion took the time to learn hang glider towing theory, tows amateur, swapped out the crap the shitheads at Quest have been perfecting for twenty years for a system that DOESN'T have a couple of dozen built in ways to kill him...



...upped his Quest Link by a factor of 1.9, has worked his ass off to try to educate you total fucking morons, and is still alive.

Anybody interested in celebrating HIS life? Or is it just so much more fun to invent quotes for him, call him a Tad Clone and a troll, and continue celebrating the life of a dead guy who never did shit to learn his trade properly, was killed because of it, and set gawd knows how many scores of students to get snuffed the same way he did?

P.S. Steve Pearson, Dave Glover...

A little bird told me you're currently logged in on The Davis Show where the Zack Marzec thread is currently in the top slot with 173 posts and 7846 hits. Really appreciate all you guys did to try to prevent the Groundhog Day Clusterfuck from happening and help us get this issue properly sorted out so we don't have another one of these freak accidents tomorrow.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quest-Air-Hang-Gliding/139425185973

Paul Tjaden - 2013/02/16

Just got home from Quest where lots of us enjoyed great food and drink and remembered our good friend, Zach...

Whose name you still can't spell.

...while we watched some of his great videos. Tracy made Fly, Fly, Fly jewelry and gave it to us and many have embroidered that same phrase on jackets and even had tattoos inked on with it. Zach was an inspiration to us all...

I never had the SLIGHTEST DOUBT.

...and packed more living into his short 27 years than most of us will get in 90.

Any thoughts yet on how those years could've been extended a bit?

Zach would have liked his party.

I'm absolutely positive he would've. All his kind of people.

Thanks to Mark Frutiger for his efforts to put this on...

Yeah, thanks a lot Mark. Thanks for pulling Zack up pro toad with a Quest Link teetering on the brink of sustainable tow into a monster thermal and help to make this all possible.

...and Russell...

You too, Russell.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Davis Straub - 2011/08/26 14:04:52 UTC

We had six weaklink breaks in a row at Zapata this year. Russell Brown (tug pilot, tug owner, Quest Air owner) said go ahead and double up (four strands of Cortland Greenspot).

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Davis Straub - 2013/02/09 16:45:39 UTC

I am more than happy to have a stronger weaklink and often fly with the string used for weaklinks used at Wallaby Ranch for tandem flights (orange string - 200 lbs). We used these with Russell Brown's (tug owner and pilot) approval at Zapata after we kept breaking weaklink in light conditions in morning flights.

Thanks for...

- your quick recognition that there might have been some slight problem with the Quest Links

- granting your PERMISSION for individuals on your personal approved list to go up with stuff up into the legal range

- complying with FAA aerotowing regulations and keeping YOUR weak link over a midrange solo glider's so...

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3380
Lauren and Paul in Zapata

Lauren Tjaden - 2008/07/21 14:27:04 UTC

Zapata has delivered as promised, day after day with howling winds and good lift, where flights of over 100 miles (and much more) are possible.

Yesterday I chased Paul again. The tow rope weak link broke when Paul locked out and the weak link he got from Tad did not break. Russell said it was about the worst he has ever had his tail pulled around. Anyhow, I would advise against those weak links, though Tad's barrel releases do seem better able to release under stress. After Russell got a new rope and Paul recovered, he was late leaving and got trapped under some cirrus.

...you don't neutralize his and give him some more opportunities to kill himself by leaving him with the towline

- doing SO MUCH to help Dr. Trisa Tilletti...

Dr. Trisa Tilletti - 2012/06

It's not that it doesn't happen, but it is a rare occurrence. Russell Brown, a founder of Quest Air in Florida and a well-known Dragonfly tug pilot, is also a sailplane pilot, tug pilot, and A&P mechanic for a large commercial sailplane towing operation in Florida. He told us that, like us, he has never seen a sailplane weak link break, either. Russell owned the first 914-powered Dragonfly ever made--he helped us build the second one, which we still fly. He is the one who, many years ago, showed us the method for making a WT weak link and suggested we use polypropylene rather than Spectra for hang glider V-bridles.

...understand the differences between sailplane and hang glider weak links and the care and feeding of 130 pound Greenspot to optimize its ability to meet the expectations of breaking as early as possible in lockout situations but being strong and reliable enough to avoid frequent breaks from turbulence.

- lending your invaluable expertise to the postmortem discussions on Zack Marzec so that we'll all be more comfortable giving our undying loyalty to Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney and believe anything and everything he tells us and do anything and everything he orders us to.

Goddam Flight Park Mafia pigfucker.

...and Lori Brown...

I don't know you Lori but... Fuck you too.

...for buying food and drink and all others who helped out.

And let's not forget the 130 pound Cortland Greenspot braided Dacron trolling line that made this all possible.

Hope y'all enjoyed your little party....

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24846
Is this a joke ?

Jim Rooney - 2011/08/26 02:44:10 UTC

Argue all you like about the "true" purpose of a weaklink... but it's only you that's arguing.
I find no disagreement in the professional community as to such.
I only find a disconnect when they're talking to the general public, and it always boils down to semantics.

See, we're not confused.
You're searching for an argument and only finding it within yourself.

This btw is one of the main reasons that most of the professionals do not bother with the forums.
Cuz it's generally a bitchfest around here.

Instead of looking for an argument, you may consider listening instead.

Sure beats involving yourselves in any of these bitchfests and having to debunk the lunacy of all these weekend warrior trolls.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30971
Zach Marzec

Paul Tjaden - 2013/02/07 23:47:58 UTC

I have personally had numerous weak link breaks on tow, both low and high, after hitting turbulence and have never felt in danger of a tumble. I have witnessed countless others have weak link breaks with no serious problems.

Yeah Paul, everybody knows that Quest Link pops are no BFDs - just very minor inconveniences at the very worst. They're just a very small price we pay for the one in fifty chance we have of having one blow in a low level lockout in time to compensate for the Quest Releases we know from long experience and the odd fatality report here and there will be inoperable in emergency situations.

We train aero tow pilots how to handle this situation...

Of course you do.

The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association, Inc. - 2013/02/07
Standard Operating Procedure
12. Rating System
02. Pilot Proficiency System
12. Hang Gliding Aerotow
-A. Aerotow

05. Must demonstrate the ability to control the glider position within the "cone of safety" behind the aerotow vehicle by performing "cross" and "diamond" maneuvers during tow at altitude with a tandem rated pilot who is experienced and proficient at performing those maneuvers. (Note: This checks for positive control and lockout prevention skills, somewhat like the "boxing the wake" maneuver used for sailplane aerotow check flights, but "boxing the wake" must not be performed by hang gliders on tow due to lack of 3-axis control.) The candidate must demonstrate the ability to recover from roll oscillations induced by the tandem pilot. 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. A minimum of 2 tandem flight demonstrations must be made to the issuing official.

07. When tandem aerotow instruction is not available, solo-only aerotow instruction may be offered as an alternative. To receive an aerotow at the completion of solo-only aerotow instruction, the candidate must perform a minimum of 5 solo aerotow flights under the direct supervision of the issuing official during which he/she must demonstrate successful, confident, controlled launches and flight under tow to release at altitude, with a smooth release and turn to the right when transitioning to free flight. He/she must demonstrate proper directional and pitch control resulting in proper tracking of the aerotow vehicle in both straight and turning flight and appropriate maintenance of proper tow line tension and airspeed. Additional instruction or mentorship should be provided to help the newly skilled aerotow pilot gradually transition to towing in mid-day thermal/turbulent conditions.

- At Quest tandem aerotow instruction IS available so solo-only instruction may NOT be offered as an alternative.

- Therefore a pilot who receives an AT rating from Quest will have a MUCH more solid proficiency than he would if he got it from one of those rinky-dink operations out west. He'll know all about how to stay inside the Cone of Safety where he'll be immune to lockouts and how to react to Rooney Link pops so they're never the slightest problems.

...and I am certain that Zach had also encountered this situation many times before and knew how to react properly.

Well yeah, OBVIOUSLY. I mean he was TEACHING other people how to handle Rooney Link pops such that they're total nonissues.

Apparently, Zach simply hit strong low level turbulence, probably a dust devil that could not be seen due to the lack of dust in Florida...

Yeah, probably a dust devil... That would explain it. One of those really big smooth dust devils that Mark was still climbing in when Zack bumped into it.

...the nose went too high and he tumbled at a very low altitude.

Right, Paul. The nose went too high AFTER the Rooney Link popped and the glider fell down into the big invisible dust devil...

Mark Frutiger - 2013/02/09 02:31:37 UTC

The turbulance level was strong, among the strongest thermal activity I've felt leaving the field. I've encountered stronger mechanical mixing, but the vertical velocity this time was very strong.

...Mark reported. The glider pitched up when Zack hit the lift at 150 feet, pitched down in response to the Rooney Link pop, pitched up again when it hit the lift lower inside the dust devil, then - for reasons I don't fully understand - pitched down again at such a rate that it kept on rotating and tumbled twice before impact.

A thought, Paul...

Notice that the requirement for the tandem weak link pop simulation specifies high altitude in smooth air? Don't you think we'd have better outcomes for our students if we did the weak link simulations at 150 feet just as the glider's getting slammed?

Donnell Hewett - 1980/12

Now I've heard the argument that "Weak links always break at the worst possible time, when the glider is climbing hard in a near stall situation"...

At the worst possible time, when the glider's climbing hard in a near stall situation?

That seems to be the point at which they're always breaking and it makes a lot of sense to me that that's how we should be gearing our tandem training.

You could wait for cookin' afternoons and keep making passes over the runway at 150 feet until you slam into something. Then Lauren could get ready on the release lever, wait until the tandem got blasted and stood on its tail, then squeeze it off.

I think this would be a GREAT training tool! If you implemented something like this you'd undoubtedly score a UHSGA Safety Award and Lauren would be a shoo-in for an Instructor of the Year Award. What are your thoughts?