Releases

[<BS>]

If Tyler McKean hadn't been using a release within easy reach he'd now be a pilot instead of a viral YouTube video.

Tyler McKean 1 year ago

I learned to release the next day actually, so it didn't cross my mind.

[Steve Davy]

Ok Tyler, hop on this here bicycle, point it down this steep hill, and if you survive we'll show you how to use the brake lever conveniently velcroed to the seat post.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34027
hang gliding assisted tow

markdapilot - 2016/02/05 00:27:30 UTC
Nevada
Joined: 2016/01/29

After reading the obituary for a 40 year old man earlier I find that I have a lot of questions but I didn't want to ask those question on that post out of respect so here goes nothing.

In one of the articles about the accident it mentioned that his glider angled right and then did a nose dive. Is 30 ft the normal height to disconnect from a tow? I assumed it would be much higher. Or was the assisted tow via a crane and not a plane? In a plane wouldn't the hg glider disconnect at 1,000 ft or less?

I guess I am just trying to learn what went wrong so that when me and my boys start hang gliding we can learn from this terrible accident and avoid the mistake that was made here the resulted in a life taken.

hang gliding assisted tow

What the fuck is a "hang gliding assisted tow"? Is that when a hang glider is helping horses and a pickup truck pull a trailer down the road?

Joined: 2016/01/29

One day after Ken Muscio and four days before Tomas Banevicius. Welcome to Jack's Living Room.

After reading the obituary...

Where?

...for a 40 year old man earlier I find that I have a lot of questions but I didn't want to ask those question on that post out of respect...

Fuck no. The one most disrespectful thing you can do to someone killed hang gliding and his friends and family is ask questions about what happened. Dead pilots and family and friends hate that more than anything. Good instincts. You'll fit right in.

...so here goes nothing.

In one of the articles about the accident...

How many of the articles about the "accident" were written by any of the six other members of the group who were present?

...it mentioned that his glider angled right and then did a nose dive. Is 30 ft the normal height to disconnect from a tow?

Would've been a really good height to disconnect from THIS tow.

I assumed it would be much higher.

I'll bet Tomas and the six other members of the group who were present did too.

Or was the assisted tow via a crane and not a plane?

It was via a hang glider, crane, and plane. You can never have too much assistance in these operations.

In a plane wouldn't the hg glider disconnect at 1,000 ft or less?

Depends a lot on how safe the weak link is.

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

I guess I am just trying to learn what went wrong...

The guy died so they couldn't cover it up.

...so that when me and my boys start hang gliding we can learn from this terrible accident and avoid the mistake...

- Mistake? Singular?

- Oh. When you and your boys start hang gliding you're gonna be able to avoid this "mistake" that the Voight twins, with their...

Paul Voight - New York - 28366
- H5 - 1984/04/25 - Paul Rikert
-- AT FL PL ST TAT TFL TPL TST PA VA AWCL CL FSL HA RLF TUR XC
ADV INST, AT TOW OBS, EXAM, INST ADMIN, PL TOW OBS, ST TOW OBS, TAND ADMIN, TAND INST, TUG PILOT
- P4 - 1998/10/18 - Lars Linde
-- FL PA VA CL FSL HA RLF RS TUR XC
-- ADV INST, EXAM, INST ADMIN, ST TOW OBS, TOW TECH

Ryan Voight - New York - 55366
- H5 - 2009/09/24 - Paul Voight
-- AT FL PL TAT TFL TPL AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC
-- ADV INST, EXAM, INST ADMIN, MNTR, TAND INST
- P3 - 2013/06/16 - Chris Santacroce
-- FL FSL RS TUR
-- BAS INST

...sixty years of collective experience, couldn't.

...that was made here the resulted in a life taken.

Yeah, learn from this one. US Hang Gliding, Inc. just invented a new way to kill a towed hang glider that no one else has ever thought of before. And make sure you only read comments on the Jack and Davis Shows. Nothing else worth reading anywhere out there.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34027
hang gliding assisted tow

Mark G. Forbes - 2016/02/05 00:55:13 UTC

We don't have a lot of detail yet about this, so it's hard to speculate much. What I saw from the photo was a glider that was substantially intact, with a damaged right wing and bent downtubes. It looks to me like a glider that got into a lockout condition while low, and the pilot failed to release in time to avoid crashing. From the relatively intact condition of the glider I'd say that the impact was not extremely high speed, but it doesn't take all that much to result in a fatality if you hit the wrong way, even from a few feet up. People have died from falling over backwards from a standing position.

Lockout happens when the glider gets turned far enough off the towline that the tow force overcomes the pilot's ability to weight-shift-control the glider back in line. What should happen as soon as the wing starts to get out of shape is for the pilot to release the towline, and the tow operator to drop the towing force. From the description in the news report it sounds like this was winch towing rather than aerotowing, but I don't know that for certain. Procedures differ, but the principle is to get the tow force off of the glider before it gets so far out of shape that it's uncontrollable.

Part of the basic tow training curriculum is understanding lockout, how it happens and what to do about it if you get out of shape while on tow. If you train with an instructor who uses towing as part of the process, you'll start off being towed just a few feet off the ground, and if you get even slightly off-line they'll drop the pressure and set you down. As you gain skill you'll tow higher, once you've demonstrated your ability to keep the glider pointed straight down the line. On a high tow you'll typically release at several hundred to a thousand feet, depending on the size of the towing field, or 2500+ feet if you're aerotowing.

We don't have a lot of detail yet about this...

- We who, Mark? This was a u$hPa certified instructional operation and the Voight Twins have been u$hPa Directors/Mega-Insiders since the beginning of time.

- How much detail do "we" have? The crap that couldn't be suppressed from the mainstream media from right after impact three evenings ago? u$hPa can't do any better than the local newspapers and TV stations?

...so it's hard to speculate much.

Bull fucking shit. The bigger the information vacuum the hang gliding establishment creates the EASIER it is to speculate much. Right now we could speculate that a tractor beam from an interstellar alien spacecraft was a critical issue.

What I saw from the photo was a glider that was substantially intact, with a damaged right wing and bent downtubes.

It looks to me like a glider that got into a lockout condition...

- A lockout CONDITION, markdapilot. Not to be confused with a lockout.
- From what you saw in the photo with the substantially intact glider how do you know that it wasn't a fatal inconvenience condition?

...while low...

- Yeah markdapilot. Mark da u$hPa Ass Coverer can tell by looking at the photo that this glider got into a lockout condition while LOW - probably well under the two thousand feet they require for tandem weak link inconvenience simulation training.

- Hey Mark... That's the third time

...and the pilot failed to release in time to avoid crashing.

- As opposed to failing to release in time to avoid a really great soaring flight.

- Stupid fucking pilot.

Tomas Banevicius - New York - 97154 - H2 - 2016/01/29 - James Donovan - FL FSL - Exp: 2016/10/31

And the release lever was velcroed right there to the starboard control tube within extremely easy reach.

- So Mark, why do you think the:
-- winch driver failed to dump tension in time to avoid crashing his passenger?
-- weak link failed to break when it was supposed to?

http://www.wallaby.com/aerotow_primer.php
Aerotow Primer for Experienced Pilots

The Wallaby Ranch Aerotowing Primer for Experienced Pilots - 2016/02/05

A weak link connects the V-pull to the release, providing a safe limit on the tow force. If you fail to maintain the correct tow position (centered, with the wheels of the tug on the horizon), the weak link will break before you can get into too much trouble.

From the relatively intact condition of the glider I'd say that the impact was not extremely high speed, but it doesn't take all that much to result in a fatality if you hit the wrong way, even from a few feet up. People have died from falling over backwards from a standing position.

Crap. Just bad luck then. It was like this guy just fell over backwards from a standing position and hit wrong. Probably wasn't wearing a helmet. Shit happens.

So markdapilot... Looking at the relatively intact condition of THIS:

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


glider how far would you guess it fell? Ten feet? Fifteen tops? Or maybe there was something else not in the photos that was taking most of the impact.

Lockout happens when the glider gets turned far enough off the towline that the tow force overcomes the pilot's ability to weight-shift-control the glider back in line.

It's caused by high tension.

Towing Aloft - 1998/01

Fortunately, we have good defenses against lockouts. These defenses include limiting the tow forces by using weak links and pressure gauges, proper distribution of the tow forces and proper training of pilots.

That's why we use weak links and pressure gauges.

What should happen as soon as the wing starts to get out of shape is for the pilot to release...

...the control tube with his right hand, continue resisting the lockout with his left hand on the other control tube, make the easy reach to the bicycle brake lever, and...

...the towline...

And at this point there will be no fuckin' way that you can't get the glider back to level and out of the dive and execute a safe foot landing.

...and the tow operator to drop the towing force.

But since, among ourselves, we agree in advance that any crash is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32681
Tandem crash in LV (speculation thread)

Mark G. Forbes - 2015/04/01 03:46:29 UTC

Among ourselves, we agree (via the waiver) that we understand we're engaged in a risky sport that can cause serious injury or death. We each agree that we are personally and individually responsible for our own safety. If we have an accident and get hurt, we agree in advance that it is solely our own fault, no matter what the circumstances might be. We sign at the bottom saying that we fully understand these things, that we accept them, and that we know we are giving up the right to sue anybody if an accident happens.

Those are fundamental tenets of our sport. We are all individually responsible for ourselves and our safety. We need to see and avoid all other pilots, avoid crashing into people or property and use good judgment when flying. If someone doesn't agree with those principles, then they don't need to be involved in our sport.

...and have signed a waiver to that effect, there's really not that much incentive for the tow operator to drop the towing force - unless, of course...

Wills Wing / Blue Sky / Steve Wendt / Ryan Voight Productions - 2007/03

NEVER CUT THE POWER...



Reduce Gradually
Increase Gradually

...he has an opportunity to crash you by that option.

From the description in the news report...

As opposed to the report from US Hang Gliding, Inc.

...it sounds like this was winch towing rather than aerotowing...

Duh.

...but I don't know that for certain.

What? The report from US Hang Gliding, Inc. was a bit fuzzy on that issue?

Procedures differ, but the principle is to get the tow force off of the glider before it gets so far out of shape that it's uncontrollable.

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.

So aren't you gonna tell us about some of the different procedures for getting the tow force off of the glider before it gets so far out of shape that it's uncontrollable? How 'bout this one:

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14230
pro tow set-up

Ryan Voight - 2009/11/03 05:24:31 UTC

It works best in a lockout situation... if you're banked away from the tug and have the bar back by your belly button... let it out. Glider will pitch up, break weaklink, and you fly away.

During a "normal" tow you could always turn away from the tug and push out to break the weaklink... but why would you?

Have you never pondered what you would do in a situation where you CAN'T LET GO to release? I'd purposefully break the weaklink, as described above. Instant hands free release

Mark? Ryan Voight. Think that might be relevant enough to merit a mention here?

Part of the basic tow training curriculum is understanding...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27393
Pro towing: 1 barrel release + weak link or 2 barrel release

Juan Saa - 2012/10/18 01:19:49 UTC
Boca Raton

The normal braking force in pounds for a weak link is around 180, at least that is the regular weak link line used at most aerotow operations. By adding a second weak link to your bridal you are cutting the load on each link by half, meaning that the weak link will not break at the intended 180 pounds but it will need about 360.
If that is what you use and is what your instructor approved then I have no business on interfering, i dont know if you are using the same weak link material but there shoul be only ONE weak link on a tow bridle for it to be effective in breaking before higher loads are put into you and the glider should the glider gets to an attitude or off track so much that the safety fuse of the link is needed to break you free from the tug.

I made the same mistake on putting two weak links thinking that I was adding protection to my setup and I was corrected by two instructors on separate occacions at Quest Air and at the Florida RIdge.

...lockout, how it happens and what to do about it if you get out of shape while on tow.

- Yeah markdapilot. You'll need to undergo some basic tow training to understand that a lockout happens when the glider gets turned far enough off the towline that the tow force overcomes the pilot's ability to weight-shift-control the glider back in line and...

30-03306
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/15061352401_3f288c021d_o.png

Tyler McKean

I learned to release the next day actually, so it didn't cross my mind.

...that you should make the easy reach to your release to regain your ability to weight-shift-control the glider back in line. Most places cover that on the fourth or fifth weekend.

- Hey Mark... That's the third time in four sentences that you've used the expression "out of shape". What kind of SHAPE should we be in and what kinds of shape are morphing into as things go south?

If you train with an instructor who uses towing as part of the process, you'll start off being towed just a few feet off the ground...

35 feet tops. You'll be fine.

...and if you get even slightly off-line they'll drop the pressure...

Scooter tow. They're gonna drop the PRESSURE.

...and set you down.

Like Tomas just was.

As you gain skill you'll tow higher, once you've demonstrated your ability to keep the glider pointed straight down the line.

Bill Bryden - 2000/02

Dennis Pagen informed me several years ago about an aerotow lockout that he experienced. One moment he was correcting a bit of alignment with the tug and the next moment he was nearly upside down. He was stunned at the rapidity. I have heard similar stories from two other aerotow pilots.

Once you've figured out how to do that be sure to publish an article in the magazine so the rest of us will be able to get things right.

On a high tow you'll typically release at several hundred to a thousand feet, depending on the size of the towing field...

Hard to beat a typical circuit tow on a dry lakebed...

1-1916
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5788/23461251751_e98b9c7500_o.png


...for that sorta thing.

...or 2500+ feet if you're aerotowing.

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

Davis Straub - 2011/08/28 15:26:28 UTC

Then again, Russell Brown had us double up behind him after six breaks in a row at Zapata. We couldn't figure out why we had so many breaks so quickly. Maybe just coincidence.

So markdapilot...

markdapilot - 2016/02/05 00:27:30 UTC

I guess I am just trying to learn what went wrong so that when me and my boys start hang gliding we can learn from this terrible accident and avoid the mistake that was made here the resulted in a life taken.

US Hang Gliding, Inc. / the Voight twins have so far given us NOTHING on this one. Possibilities:

- They're incompetent motherfuckers who've negligently killed one of their students and are covering their asses.

- Something totally unprecedented and unforeseeable happened and they're sitting on the information without regard for the safety of any other ongoing operations 'cause that's their privilege.

- There's absolutely nothing to be learned from this one, hang glider towing is just inherently dangerous, shit happens sometimes, there's nothing that could've been done better, people who engage in this aspect of the sport are just rolling dice.

Any way you cut it... Is this something you and your boys should be thinking about getting into?

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34027
hang gliding assisted tow

Dan Lukaszewicz - 2016/02/05 01:13:58 UTC
Alexandria, Virginia

Accidents can happen from something we call a lockout.

They can but they don't.

This is unique to towing.

No it's not.

When following a tow plane it's imperative that the glider and the tug be at approximately the same altitude and following the same course.

- What the fuck does a tow plane hafta do with this?

Here's a glider going up behind something that's pulling it and not staying at approximately the same altitude:

14-30409
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7429/10125481866_6ffc1a031a_o.png


How come it's not locking out?

There is some tolerance, of course...

Ya think?

...but If your glider is in a turn that is not correctly quickly the tow rope will slide over toward one of the down tubes and exert a force on it.

Is that what's happening here?:

25-41707
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3904/14817847064_06e7a30cea_o.png


The towline/bridle is pressing against a downtube/wire and that's what's locking it out? Otherwise it would be pulling the pilot to the port side and autocorrecting the weight-shift system?

How 'bout this glider?

01-1200
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5493/14372086227_49503abddb_o.png

02-1222
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5569/14558521265_2a9cf32e60_o.png

03-1226
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3866/14556896804_71da8b66ee_o.png

04-1409
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3903/14555125331_c930110666_o.png

05-1423
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14371912929_b0b939561f_o.png

06-1601
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3885/14557669282_41c0075708_o.png

07-1702
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/14563601562_3c3ef0ebbf_o.png


What locked it out and why wasn't it using a release within easy reach and/or an appropriate weak link with a finished length of 1.5 inches or less to keep the lockout from overwhelming the pilot's control?

The glider gets stuck in a position of high bank angle and plummets toward the ground.

It doesn't plummet until...

Joe Gregor - 2004/09

Highly experienced mountain pilot aerotowing a newly-purchased glider experienced a lockout at low altitude. Witness reports indicate that the glider began oscillating immediately after leaving the launch dolly. The weak link broke after the glider entered a lockout attitude. Once free, the glider was reportedly too low (50-65' AGL, estimated) to recover from the unusual attitude and impacted the ground in a steep dive. The pilot suffered fatal injuries due to blunt trauma. There is no evidence that the pilot made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break, the gate was found closed on the Wallaby-style tow release.

...the connection is terminated. (Hey markdapilot... Why do you think:
- there's no evidence that this highly experienced Four made an attempt to release from tow prior to the weak link break?
- this highly experienced Four's weak link didn't break when it was supposed to?)

Our training teaches us that the best cure for a lockout is to release from the tug preemptively.

Our training teaches us that:

- we need to have BOTH hands on the basetube at all times for a dolly launch but we'll be fine making the easy reach to our bent pin Industry Standard release during...

01-001

04-200

07-300

10-307

15-413


...any low level emergency requiring termination of the tow.

- the weak link will break...

http://www.wallaby.com/aerotow_primer.php
Aerotow Primer for Experienced Pilots

The Wallaby Ranch Aerotowing Primer for Experienced Pilots - 2016/02/05

A weak link connects the V-pull to the release, providing a safe limit on the tow force. If you fail to maintain the correct tow position (centered, with the wheels of the tug on the horizon), the weak link will break before you can get into too much trouble.

...before we can get into to much trouble and our Pilot In Command...

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

Jim Rooney - 2007/08/01 13:47:23 UTC

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

...can and will fix whatever's going on back there by giving us the rope - so why the fuck bother?

Dan Lukaszewicz - 2016/02/05 01:17:01 UTC

A lockout may or may not have occurred in the latest accident in Florida.

Yeah. It's really impossible to tell whether or not following two successful training flights and...

http://www.wesh.com/news/man-dies-in-hanggliding-crash-at-dunnellon-airport/37794860
Man dies in hang-gliding crash at Dunnellon Airport | Local News - WESH Home

Man dies in hang-gliding crash at Dunnellon Airport - 2016/02/03 11:02 EST

Witnesses said that shortly after take off, Banevicius' hang glider rotated right and then turned downward.

...shortly after takeoff Banevicius' hang glider was locked out when it rotated right and slammed in from 35 feet. He may have misunderstood the flight plan and could've been in full control the whole time.

It's best not to speculate.

Hell yeah. Only fags and other total douchebags ever speculate about anything after any of these fatals. And none of them need to be in our sport.

The details will be released in time.

Yeah.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25656
The young girl who died hang gliding solo

Jim Rooney - 2012/03/06 18:34:14 UTC

ND's onto it.

No one ever wants to wait for the accident investigation... they want to know "NOW DAMNIT!" and there's always a lot of self-serving arguments surrounding it.

And it's always the same.
The same damn arguments get drug up every time. And they're all just as pointless every time.

We have a system in place.
It works.
Let it work.

Our procedures are well established at this point in time and there are no gaping hidden holes that need to be addressed immediately.

RR asked what the status was.
ND's provided the answer (thank you).

Please take a deep breath. And wait.
Accident investigations involving fatalities take a long time. And by long, I mean they can take years.
(yes, years, I'm not kidding)

The sky is not falling.

We have a system in place. It works. Our procedures are well established at this point in time and there are no gaping hidden holes that need to be addressed immediately. Please take a deep breath. And wait. Accident investigations involving fatalities take a long time. And by long, I mean they can take years. (Yes, years, I'm not kidding.) The sky is not falling. Fuck, there was a five day gap between this fatality and the previous one. And it's been the better part of three days now since Tomas may or may not have locked out before he gently tapped the runway from 35 feet and we haven't heard of so much as a bent downtube on another incident.

Rest assured that the Voight Twins have gone full bore gathering all available evidence and witness reports in order to carefully sift through everything and in two or three years we'll all know to a near certainty whether or not there was a lockout and if indeed the glider rotated to the right.

For now my thoughts and prayers are with his family during this unimaginably difficult time.

That's good, Dan. Families always appreciate the thoughts and prayers of hang glider pilots during these unimaginably difficult times almost as much as they hate hang glider pilots speculating about whether or not lockouts occurred.

Suck my dick.

[Steve Davy]

And, predictably, Dan's moronic posts remain unchallenged by the Jack Asshole forum idiots.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34019
Very sad news

Jimmy D - 2016/02/06 03:50:52 UTC
Ellenville

I just got home from Dunellon the site of Tomas' accident.

His what?

Some have asked for Tomas' wife's address to send a card etc...Dzaneta Banevicius 16 Edward St West Harrison NY 10604. If you care to make a donation with zero fee Dzaneta has a verified paypal account and the sender must also have a verified paypal account.

Or you can of course just mail a check. Please identify yourself as a fellow hang/para glider pilot.

And make sure to reassure her that no one is speculating about what happened. That always brings great comfort to family members.

Tomas was a great guy, a great friend and the primary breadwinner so his wife and son will be most grateful.

Have she and her lawyer looked into the recently funded RRG?

I am devastated and I am forever changed, I can only imagine how his wife and son are feeling .

Pretty good, I imagine. He died doing what he loved, didn't he? Sure beats the crap outta dying some other creaky-old dude style.

Her email address is obelis04@yahoo.com I know it seems like every other day someone is asking for $ - do what you can -

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=27396
Scooter tow faillure... or Never Land On Your Face

Mitch Shipley - 2012/10/22 19:04:16 UTC

We engage in a sport that has risk and that is part of the attraction.

Your donation will not only help but show we take care of our own

Yep. We sure took care of this guy. Let's see how long it takes for us to take care of the next one. (Has US Hang Gliding, Inc. sent a refund for the percentage of the tow he didn't use?)

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=33996
school fees, PASA or RRG??

Ryan Voight - 2016/02/05 01:19:30 UTC

PASA feel schedule- $96.60-$126.45 max per student

Those figures presume 5 days of instruction, where the student is the only student on that "Student Learning Day", right?

Kind of discourages personalized attention with private instruction or very small groups... and encourages only scheduling lessons in very large groups, to make the most of each SLD and to divide the cost over as many students as possible (bigger classes would lower the per student cost of each SLD).

Seems to me this is NOT the direction we should be encouraging flight training to go...

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/harrison/2016/02/05/harrison-hang-gliding-death/79889512/
West Harrison man dies in Florida hang-gliding accident

Michael D'Onofrio - 2016/02/05 17:28 EST
mcdonofrio@lohud.com

West Harrison man dies in Florida hang-gliding accident

Tomas Banevicius was training with the New York-based U.S. Hang-Gliding Inc.

A Westchester County man was killed earlier this week in a hang gliding accident in Florida, authorities said.

Tomas Banevicius, 40, was taking part in a hang-gliding training session at Dunnellon Airport, more than 80 miles northwest of Orlando, on Tuesday, the Marion County Sheriff's Office Facebook page said.

Banevicius, training with the New York-based U.S. Hang-Gliding Inc., was flying a hang glider that was being towed by a line system, which is used to build altitude, authorities said. As Banevicius was taking off, his hang glider rotated right and then nose dived into the ground, witnesses told police.

Lauren Lettelier, spokesperson for the Marion County Sheriff's Office, said the sheriff's office was not releasing any further information.
John Helms, manager of the Dunnellon Airport, said the accident occurred shortly after 6 p.m. that evening, when the airport was closed. The hang-gliding training was not done on the airport's runways, he said.

The small, private airport annual services around 38,000 flights a year, Helms said. He said that the airport is for private and recreational aircrafts.

Hang gliding, Helms said, is "not a common thing here."

A gofundme page was created Thursday to raise money for Banevicius. By Friday afternoon, 87 people had donated more than $8,700. The funds will used to bring members of Banevicius' family to the United States from Lithuania, according to the page.

The investigation into Banevicius' death remains ongoing, Lettelier said.

Banevicius, training with the New York-based U.S. Hang-Gliding Inc., was flying a hang glider that was being towed by a line system, which is used to build altitude, authorities said.

Which authorities? What are their qualifications?

As Banevicius was taking off...

http://www.wesh.com/news/man-dies-in-hanggliding-crash-at-dunnellon-airport/37794860
Man dies in hang-gliding crash at Dunnellon Airport | Local News - WESH Home

Reports didn't list his hometown but said he was about 35 feet in the air...

No.

...his hang glider rotated right and then nose dived into the ground, witnesses told police.

What was the reason that witnesses told police for the glider not being released from tow?

Lauren Lettelier, spokesperson for the Marion County Sheriff's Office, said the sheriff's office was not releasing any further information.

Meaning they have further information but they're only releasing the paltry crap that all the commercial interests want us to hear.

The small, private airport annual services around 38,000 flights a year, Helms said.

What percentage of the fatal incidents to date have involved non hang glider aircraft?

He said that the airport is for private and recreational aircrafts.

Did the aircraft involved in this incident appear to be for recreational purposes?

Hang gliding, Helms said, is "not a common thing here."

Not the past three and a half days for sure.

A gofundme page was created Thursday to raise money for Banevicius.

I'm sure he'll greatly appreciate it. Help with reimbursing US Hang Gliding, Inc. for the damage he did to their trainer.

By Friday afternoon, 87 people had donated more than $8,700.

87 people, 87 hundred dollars, 87 Kaluzhin releases.

The funds will used to bring members of Banevicius' family to the United States from Lithuania, according to the page.

Funny you should mention Lithuania...

http://www.kitestrings.org/post8965.html#p8965

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu1MPb2zfxA


http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/14120749999_16bb525246_o.png
26-32908

Utena, to be precise.

The investigation into Banevicius' death remains ongoing, Lettelier said.

Don't all of them.

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25656
The young girl who died hang gliding solo

Jim Rooney - 2012/03/06 18:34:14 UTC

Accident investigations involving fatalities take a long time. And by long, I mean they can take years.
(yes, years, I'm not kidding)

But, strangely, we never seem to hear any final findings at the conclusions of any of these fake bullshit sheriff's department investigations.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=34019
Very sad news

Davis Straub - 2016/02/06 13:29:02 UTC

It is a solo glider not a tandem glider.

The wheels on the glider were created by Gregg Ludwig.

Yeah. I like those. They make landing a lot safer.

I have featured them in the Oz Report previously.

http://ozreport.com/pub/images/IMAG02792012.jpg

And look! Same easily reachable release that Tomas had within easy reach! Probably had the same easily reachable bent pin backup release too. (Like the way you've got your carabiner turned around backwards there, Davis. Should help a lot in the event of a parachute deployment. Keep up the good work.)

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

Davis Straub - 2011/07/30 19:51:54 UTC

I'm very happy with the way Quest Air (Bobby Bailey designed) does it now.

We're ALL very happy with the way Quest Air (Bobby Bailey designed) does it now. If there was something better out there we'd all be using it - obviously.

See here:
http://ozreport.com/1334060683
The Flying Launch Cart

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

Davis Straub - 2013/02/13 15:45:22 UTC

IMHO aerotowing is relatively safe compared with foot launching. I would certainly like to make it safer. What we would all like to know is what could we do to make it safer.

We have no agreement that a stronger weaklink would make it safer (again, I fly with a slightly stronger weaklink).

Pretty fuckin' obvious that this weak link was way too strong. Shouldn't we be having another discussion about a better flavor of fishing line to better perform in accordance with our expectation of breaking as early as possible in lockout situations but being strong and reliable enough to avoid frequent breaks from turbulence? (Do ya think maybe there was some turbulence on the runway that evening such that the fishing line was too strong and reliable to meet our expectation of breaking as early as possible in the lockout situation?)

Wheels (they helped me last Spring at the Florida Ridge).

Good thing Tomas had those.

Protow only

Doesn't look like he was pro towing. Shouldn't we be taking US Hang Gliding, Inc. to task for that safety compromise?

Lots of wind streamers in the launch paddock

Funny, haven't heard squat about the wind conditions. Invisible dust devil perhaps? Like the ones that got Zack Marzec and Joe Julik?

Mouth releases for the first three seconds of the tow

Well, this was OBVIOUSLY *WELL* beyond the first three seconds of the tow. So no issue there.

Pigfucker.

[<BS>]