Kite Strings

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32672
????

Steve Corbin - 2015/03/28 10:05:02 UTC

Releases fail. People fail. I haven't towed via truck in many years, but when I did I was uneasy without an observer riding in the truck.

Radios fail. Cell phones drop calls at the worst time. An observer, whose primary function is to prevent this sort of thing, should be considered to be as essential as the glider and the truck.

Don't truck tow without one.

Complacency kills.

Releases fail.

Bullshit. Never once in the history of hang gliding has a release "failed". A release isn't just some cheap bent piece o' shit some total fucking moron like Bobby Fucking-Genius Bailey slaps together and decides to call a release. A release is a properly designed, engineered, maintained, preflighted item of critical aviation hardware. "Releases fail" is industry-speak to legitimize the cheap bent piece pieces o' shit that get pumped into circulation and justify the use of chintzy fishing line installed in the system to increase the safety of the towing operation.

People fail.

Yeah. That's why we don't let "people" go up in hang gliders without training them to be PILOTS. PILOTS don't fail. If they do they're not pilots - they're back to people status, for a while anyway. And towing requires PILOTS at BOTH ends of the string. The one at the upwind end need have no experience off the ground but he's gotta be totally competent at supplying and controlling the thrust that's getting and keeping the glider airborne.

I haven't towed via truck in many years, but when I did I was uneasy without an observer riding in the truck.

That's 'cause you had an eight hundred dollar parachute, a two hundred dollar helmet, and a "release" that cost about the same as and gave you just slightly more safety margin than your backup loop. And while you were on tow you weren't a PILOT - just another dope on a rope praying that nothing bad was gonna happen...

022-04610
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/13746340634_a74b33d285_o.png

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/13999516576_f8bcfa76eb_o.png
090-10004

...on the way up.

Radios fail.

Fuck radios. Gimme a scenario in which radios would be of any use to the pilots on the up and down wind ends of the string in a critical situation.

An observer, whose primary function is to prevent this sort of thing, should be considered to be as essential as the glider and the truck.

Yeah, add another cook into the shitheap to try to compensate for using cheap, shoddy, dangerous "equipment". And let's turn the passenger seat around so it faces backwards on all the Dragonflies so's we can play that game more safely too.

Sickening. We sure have come a long way in the past forty years, haven't we babies?

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32672
????

Phil Sergent - 2015/03/28 02:56:59 UTC

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

1-0919
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5583/14019426252_6d3d719557_o.png

2-2911
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5496/14022629055_b87e14eb3f_o.png

3-3604
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7241/14023079694_4d1e8dcd13_o.png

Brian Scharp - 2015/03/28 03:08:33 UTC

Looks like this rig.

http://lasvegashanggliding.org/simulator.htm
The "Flying Simulator"

http://lasvegashanggliding.org/images/Aldo%206.jpg

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41693
Held on

Alan Deikman - 2015/03/28 03:21:48 UTC

I concur. That square travel limiter is very distinctive.

"Two people dead one 12 year old" sounds like a tandem operation went wrong. I didn't know they did tandems on that simulator.

They don't.

Harrison-2015-03-27-610
]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/14022630625_3462ab7edc_o.png

It doubles as a platform launch rig.

Brian Scharp - 2015/03/28 03:36:55 UTC

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=137704#137704
Held on

http://www.mynews3.com/mostpopular/story/nhp-sloan-road-fatal-two-killed/1YlS8qOzDkWWjKZNpvS-5g.cspx
Two dead in hang gliding accident in Jean - News3LV
A hang-gliding instructor and his 12-year-old student...

Yeah. Student.

...died Friday afternoon after a crash on a dry lakebed near Jean...

35°47'22.32" N 115°15'25.49" W

...according to the Nevada Highway Patrol.

And according to the local hang gliding "community"... Pretty much dead silence - as usual.

Las Vegas police and Nevada Highway Patrol troopers responded at 2:50 p.m. to the lakebed near Sloan Road and Interstate 15, where witnesses reported a 12-year-old boy had been injured...

To put it mildly.

...after some type of crash...

I'm guessing hang glider.

...said NHP trooper Loy Hixson.

A family had scheduled a tour with a company that tethers hang gliders to the back of a truck to get them in the air, Metro said Friday evening. Police didn't name the company.

See above about local hang gliding community.

The 12-year-old boy was the most excited out of the group, so he went first.

7-14522
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5517/14036301121_17849a6a04_o.png

The pair of hang gliders were in the air when the truck pulling the glider turned around abruptly, police said. The driver of the truck thought the tether had been released, as is usually done by the person in the glider.

Shouldn't have made any difference.

The glider came crashing down because the tether had not been released, police said.

Why not? Surely they had a release within easy reach.

The adult instructor died at the scene.

Well, at least he didn't have to have the kid on his conscience for very long.

The family of the boy loaded him into a truck and were on their way to a hospital in Las Vegas when they saw a highway patrol vehicle on the side of the road and stopped. NHP troopers attempted CPR...

Waste of time.

...and contacted Metro and the Clark County Fire Department, but the boy died in the truck, Trooper Loy Hixson said.

Probably on impact.

Hixson did not give the name or age of the hang-gliding instructor.

Neither will u$hPa.

John Kelly Harrison - 55 - Nevada - 53375 - H5 - 1996/10/23 - Joe Greblo - PL TFL TPL AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC - ADV INST, TAND INST - Exp: 2015/06/30

The body of the instructor was still in the hang glider at the scene of the wreck about 7 p.m....

Over four hours after the crash. He obviously hit a lot harder than the kid did.

...while Metro and the Federal Aviation Administration investigated.

Fuck the FAA.

Contact Kimber Laux at <email> or 702-383-0381. Find her on Twitter: @lauxkimber

Contact Ricardo Torres at <email> or 702-383-0381. Find him on Twitter: @rickytwrites.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/coroner-identifies-hang-gliding-accident-victims
Coroner identifies hang-gliding accident victims | Las Vegas Review-Journal

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32672
????

Harold Wickham - 2015/03/28 05:59:14 UTC
Las Vegas

Very tragic, our Hang Gliding Community has suffered a great loss.

- How do you know? Trooper Loy Hixson did not give the name or age of the hang-gliding instructor.
- Probably a bit of a downer for the kid's family too - but I'm just speculating at this point.

Our hearts any prayers go out to the families.

Are your brains doing anything to reduce the likelihood of this happening again? Just kidding.

Steve Corbin - 2015/03/28 10:05:02 UTC

Complacency kills.

Like the complacency of going up with releases within easy reach decade after decade after decade 'cause that's good enough the 99.99 percent of the time when nothing bad is happening?

Allen Sparks - 2015/03/28 12:34:02 UTC

Sad...

...and old...

...news indeed. Condolences to the families of the pilot and the young passenger.

He wasn't a PASSENGER. He was a fuckin' STUDENT. Didn't you read the news report? We don't have PASSENGERS on tandem hang and paraglider flights. That's not legal. These are TRAINING operations.

Dave Pendzick - 2015/03/28 16:00:58 UTC

One news reports states that it was a powered hang gliding accident. I dont think this is an accurate statement given the whole truck towing scenario.

It was ONE HUNDRED FUCKING PERCENT accurate. A towed hang glider is a POWERED AIRCRAFT.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=11497
Aerotow release options?

Michael Bradford - 2009/07/04 13:00:24 UTC

A glider under tow is a powered aircraft. String powered.

How long is it gonna take this off the scale moronic sport to get that through its astronomically thick fucking skull and start respecting and treating these planes as they should be?

Go fuck yourself, Dave.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible

Brad Barkley - 2015/03/28 14:08:38 UTC

Anyone know the story?

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/03/28/12-year-old-boy-instructor-killed-in-hang-gliding-accident-police-say/
12-year-old boy, instructor killed in hang gliding accident in Nevada | Fox News

Nah, it usually takes about five days to fabricate a good one and get everyone on the same page. Two or three more probably after a little kid has been killed.

Have you talked to Steve Exceptionally-Knowledgeable Wendt lately? We could sure use some of his Exceptional Knowledge on this one.

Red Howard - 2015/03/28 14:13:14 UTC

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32672
????

Oh. You're suggesting that Brad should have a fucking clue about what's going on before starting a new topic?

Allen Sparks - 2015/03/28 14:22:08 UTC

I agree it is terrible. This happened less than 24 hours ago and the victim's names have not been released ...

Particularly not by the Vegas crowd and the driver who made the abrupt turn on the assumption that there was no glider still behind him.

The story will emerge/develop in due time.

Yes, as soon is a good story is developed it WILL EMERGE. I'm pretty sure there will be an invisible dust devil involved in this one.

No disrespect to the o.p....

Fuck the o.p. That total piece o' shit deserves NOTHING BUT disrespect - along with the asshole who signed his and Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney's tickets.

...but (IMO), it is way premature to begin speculation.

Oh. So now asking for information is speculation.

Fuck that. The time to begin speculation is a nanosecond after the last electron of the first report makes it through the wire. Fuck anybody in this sport who doesn't do that. Rhino fuck Lord Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney who's ordered everyone not to.

The hg.org response will reflect on our sensitivity and influence public opinion of our sport.

I'm sure it will. Just the way it influenced public opinion of our sport with Brian Horgan's "dont be a fag" thread, michael170's banning for "enough already" and the total absence of any discussion about the atrocities u$hPa and its thugs are perpetrating on Bob Kuczewski.

If ,org history is any indicator, this topic will be rich with the typical dysfunction ...

And if .org history is any indicator, nothing useful will emerge from the typical dysfunction and nothing will happen to make the one of these 0.001 less likely to happen down the road a piece.

2015/03/28 18:08 UTC - 3 thumbs up - Tim Dyer, Las Vegas

Guess that's for the no "speculation" stance, huh Tim?

Steve Murillo - 2015/03/28 14:26:33 UTC
Manhattan Beach

This is a horrible tragedy.

Yes. If only SHGA had been able to adopt a good enough Safety Mascot in time this might never have happened.

Prayers go out to the families involved.

Fuck you and your prayers, Steve.

Jonathan Boarini - 2015/03/28 16:18:35 UTC
Las Vegas

Absolutely horrible.

Could've been worse. Could've been a pair of eleven year old twins up on the instructional flight.

Its one of our local club members.

DON'T TELL US HIS NAME! We're not allowed to speculate at this point.

I never knew him personally, but sounded like a great guy.

Yeah, they all do. And I really appreciated his participation in all the discussions of fatal towing incidents in which he and his "students" weren't the ones being killed.

I haven't heard details yet on what exactly happened.

They haven't been manufactured yet. Just read the Zack Marzec and Joe Julik fatality reports if you need something to do in the meantime.

Rest in peace.

I'm sure he will. I'm sure the person of the varying age will too.

Davis Straub - 2015/03/28 20:27:55 UTC

What's he doing in Las Vegas (other than being a tandem pilot)?

I dunno, Davis. We can't speculate on who he is yet. And what are you doing down at Quest (other than being a total piece o' shit)?

zamuro - 2015/03/28 21:06:47 UTC

Not sure if the story from the news segment is accurate but ir raises the question of whether the driver was alone doing the towing.

But it, of course, DOESN'T raise any questions about why the glider wasn't able to release in a millisecond regardless of what was going on 'cause everyone and his dog knows and accepts that all hang gliders in flavors of towing are just dopes on ropes.

How come he turns the truck before release?

It's a fucking constant tension payout winch. Why should it matter? Also...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=18868
Almost lockout

Avolare - 2010/09/03 19:37:11 UTC
North Carolina

The weak link should break with a lockout.

Ryan Voight - 2010/09/07 02:50:00 UTC

Weak link in truck towing WILL (read: should) still break in a lockout situation... but as everyone has already pointed out, it takes a lot longer because the glider can continue to pull line off the winch.

There is a limit to how fast line can come off the winch though... so the forces still build up, and the weaklink still fails.

Was Kelly one of those assholes using a Tad-O-Link?

Why there was not an another person monitoring the tow?

How come the fucking Hang Five tandem instructor wasn't able to monitor the tow? I can get my own ass off tow a lot faster than a truck can make a turn. What was this guy's problem?

And is there some u$hPa SOP that mandates an observer for surface towing tandems with eleven year olds on board? If this is a critical situation why not? Ya think they ran out of room with the SOP mandating helmet use while you're connected to the glider in the setup area, launch line, and LZ? Or maybe they've been to busy the past few years preparing to eliminate Bob Kuczewski as the major threat to glider safety he is to deal with less pressing issues.

12 - (L) Ryan Voight - Aye

Aldpal - 2015/03/28 21:08 UTC

Beyond Terrible

I am still hoping they are wrong but the coroner identified the victims today:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada/coroner-identifies-hang-gliding-accident-victims
Coroner identifies hang-gliding accident victims | Las Vegas Review-Journal

Yeah, I'm still hoping they're wrong too. I've been pulling for Paul Hurless since yesterday.

This is beyond terrible for both individuals and families. Kelly was my first HG instructor, and a long time Elsinore E-team pilot and a great guy.

And a total nonentity online.

This is so terrible and hard to believe.

Get used to it. We weren't filling our quota last year.

RIP Kelly

How 'bout li'l Arys Moorhead? Can he RIP too?

Jack Barth - 2015/03/28 21:39:10 UTC

Kelly

Wow! Very disturbing. Kelly was a very highly respected pilot and instructor.

A bit too much so, apparently.

Flew with him many times before he migrated to Hawaii. He will be missed.

Li'l Arys hadn't yet established enough of a track record to be missed much.

Still good friend of many of Eteamers. Very sorry for the loss of a student

Yeah. A STUDENT. "See this string down here, Arys? If anything goes wrong we just make the easy reach and pull it and all off our problems are fixed."

Just Wow.

Wow. OK, carry on with the non speculation. Make sure to keep not mentioning the word "release" in all your non speculation.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible

Jonathan Boarini - 2015/03/28 22:37:27 UTC
Las Vegas

I've done lots of boat towing and truck towing, and having the truck turn is a non-issue (provided you are at a safe altittude).

Now if you could just learn to spell "altitude" right.

In fact, when boat towing, the signal to release is when the boat does a sharp left turn. On a dry lake bed, it's basically like boat towing.

'Cept it hurts a lot more when you slam in.

Even if the truck turned left or right, the only thing that would happen is that tension would be lost...

Assuming you're not already locking out in the other direction.

...in which case you either keep flying or release.

Exactly. With an Industry Standard "release" you gotta pick the best option. It's not like you can perform both operations at once. Why do ya think we fly with Infallible Weak Links?

I can't see how a truck turning is a problem, unless it was a sharply sever turn immediately after release from the platform.

If there were a sharply "sever" turn immediately after release from the platform why would the driver assume that the glider was off tow? Would ANYBODY react like that to a lockout on launch?

Maybe others with experience will chime in.

If there were anybody with half on ounce of brains in that discussion do you think you'd have needed to make the point you just did? And fuck EXPERIENCE.

Tim Dyer - 2015/03/28 23:13:01 UTC
Las Vegas

he turned the truck and stopped.

your point being?

Allen Sparks - 2015/03/28 23:15:16 UTC

I remember Kelly from several years at King Mountain.

I remember Kelly from his several decades of never having participated in a towing disaster discussion - like this one:

022-04610
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/13746340634_a74b33d285_o.png

for example.

He was an excellent pilot and a great guy.

What a loss this will be to the world hang gliding community.

His and Ayrs' families and loved ones are in my thoughts and prayers in this sad time.

And that will go a huge ways towards lengthening the interval to the next time you're gonna have a family or two in your thoughts and prayers in a sad time.

Give the person of the varying age enough respect to put all four letters of his name in the right order.

Brad Barkley - 2015/03/29 03:14:17 UTC
Jonathan Boarini - 2015/03/28 22:37:27 UTC

I've done lots of boat towing and truck towing...
I had the same thought...

Oh, you have ACTUAL THOUGHTS when you're not doing your fiction writing? Who'da thunk.

...as I have done much of my flying truck towing at Blue Sky.

So then you're quite familiar with the issue of having to choose between the options of flying and releasing. 'Member when Holly Korzilius was in that situation? She opted for flying and Tex eventually got around to deciding to fix whatever was going on back there by...

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

NEVER CUT THE POWER...

Reduce Gradually
Increase Gradually

...giving her the rope. Then it was just a simple matter of replacing the glider and fifteen hours of surgery to put her face back together.

No, wait... That was before your time. But, what the hell, I'm sure Steve uses this as a case study for all his new students. When you're a Hang Gliding Instructor of the Year AND an NAA Safety Award winner ya just do stuff like that. And he's exceptionally knowledgeable. Hell, he's the one who signed off Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney's Instructor rating.

If you are on tow and the truck turns and stops, it seems like it would be a nonissue.

It would also seem like after over four decades of hang glider towing evolution having the option to release WHILE flying the glider would be a nonissue. But... Go figure.

But after reading the thread elsewhere on this site, it sounds like it was a simulator on the back of the truck, not an actual truck towing flight.

Right. It was a TANDEM FLIGHT...

Harrison-2015-03-27-610
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/14022630625_3462ab7edc_o.png

...on the SIMULATOR and the driver made the hard turn and stopped because he mistakenly assumed they'd RELEASED - as per the usual routine.

What a tragedy.

What a total fucking moron.

Thoughts and prayers for all involved.

Better leave it at prayers, Brad. You've never seemed capable of actual THOUGHTS. And praying has always seemed to me to be an activity 'specially tailored for individuals of your ilk.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=32673
This is terrible

Jonathan Boarini - 2015/03/29 04:08:07 UTC

I do know he had this unique simulator setup, I hope we can get more information on exactly what happened.

Or at least a well crafted story that the hang gliding community can agree and stick together on - like for Zack Marzec and Joe Julik.

I will be meeting our club pilots tomorrow, I'm sure something new will come to light.

Or be buried for all eternity.

Harold Wickham - 2015/03/29 04:44:48 UTC

This is a very sad tragedy...

As opposed to the very happy kind.

My prayers go out to the families...

Yeah. Why am I not surprised.

The accident is being thoroughly investigated...

- By whom?

- How long should a thorough investigation take on something like this? I'm guessing about five seconds.

The bridle gets routed over the basetube.

003-02019
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/13745952975_f9179a9be7_o.png

The system doesn't get preflighted.

007-04101
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3679/13745950735_90aabe780a_o.png

Everything APPEARS fine for several seconds.

014-04221
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/13745948525_5582fa1a40_o.png

Or good enough...

016-04308
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3799/13746342624_c9b015f814_o.png

...anyway.

017-04413
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7397/13999525606_15bb50b143_o.png

And, what the hell, he has a very reliable release within easy reach and an Infallible Weak Link.

022-04610
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2809/13746340634_a74b33d285_o.png

The observer carefully monitors the tension gage to make sure it stays constant and is thus assured that...

041-05012
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3691/13745942893_d4b49eedd9_o.png

...the glider's doing fine.

075-05116
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7601/16221429884_3d3118758b_o.png

When it's discovered that the glider's deviated from the flight plan the observer notifies the driver...

088-05301
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3708/13746233274_c1a80f35c1_o.png

...and the tow is safely terminated.

090-10004
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2904/13999516576_f8bcfa76eb_o.png

This stuff ain't rocket science folk.

093-10407
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5629/29821242273_2ea804360a_o.png

Somebody cite a glider disaster that took much more than five seconds to thoroughly understand when we have solid honest reporting from ANY eyewitness with half a brain or better.

Out of respect for the Families please don't speculate;

For the love o' Jesus please don't SPECULATE!!! There's NOTHING that traumatizes a family that's just lost a loved one more than people taking information that's been published and trying come up with the REASONS a loved one has been lost - with the possible exception of the loss of the loved one. Speculation is DISGUSTING and...

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

Jim Rooney - 2013/03/07 18:24:58 UTC

You're the one speculating on Zack's death... not me.
Hell, you've even already come to your conclusions... you've made up your mind and you "know" what happened and what to do about.
It's disgusting and you need to stop.

...you need to stop. Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney himself would be telling you...

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

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

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

...uppity niggers - sorry - hg'ers not to speculate if he weren't so busy...

Jim Rooney - 2013/02/09 18:30:26 UTC

Sorry for the interruption.
Please continue with the speculation.
I'll be over here, doing something productive.

...jerking off behind the hangars.

...the details that we all want to try and understand this tragedy will be released soon...

As opposed to the glider which wasn't released until after the body of the person of a varying age had been transferred to the truck.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7462005802_bbc0ac66ac_o.jpg

Las Vegas mourns the loss of a friend and fellow pilot.

Las Vegas needs to mourn the loss of the friend and fellow pilot a bit less and the loss of this eleven year old kid a bit more. Kelly was the Pilot In Command of that glider and the head of that operation. He was getting paid to run thrill rides for a family and didn't get through the first one before slamming in and killing their kid. And this is what he just became world famous for and what he will be most remembered for.

Bless you all and be safe

Fuck all you. And I can tell one thing with total certainty at this point.

The release within easy reach was perfectly fine for this operation and was in no way a factor in the double fatal - just as was the case with Bob Buxton.

THIS:

Harrison-2015-03-27-610
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/14022630625_3462ab7edc_o.png

was a pretty clever idea - well engineered, valuable tool for pilot training. He could've put that kid on it and safely hauled him around that lakebed all day long and the kid would've had an absolute blast and would've emerged with some pretty good pilot skills and a hunger to continue in the sport. But Kelly went the tandem thrill ride / bucket list route and everyone and his dog has known for decades that that's the single biggest killer of potential for people to ever come back.

And if he was intent on going that route anyway it's too fuckin' bad that he couldn't be bothered to engineer a safe emergency platform tow release. Solenoids at his hips to blow the bridle clear, wire up his sleeve with a button looped onto his finger to actuate the thing.

But make sure you tell us what was being used in the way of a parachute and helmets in the official report. Inquiring minds want to know.

And I'd personally like to know what was being used for an Infallible Weak Link and what your opinion is as to why it didn't work when it was supposed to.

P.S. I see that this topic has now drifted down to the Number Seven slot on the Jack Show Top Ten List. Right behind:

WANTED: Magic Formula 154
One must have Helmet stickers-All the Helmet stickers.
pattern of airbus crashes?
Let's do it now--paradigm shift re sideslips and pitch coord
Help-- exasperated using Flychart w/ Brauniger IQ Comp
Wireless/Bluetooth PTT

P.P.S. Hey Jack...

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=4046
Accident Report

Jack Axaopoulos - 2007/10/20 19:03:19 UTC

Owww oww OWWWWWWWWWIEEEEEEEEEEEEE

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=8254
Another Fatality at Sylmar

Jack Axaopoulos - 2008/08/30 18:47:00 UTC

Damn My condolences to family and friends

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=8288
Another Brother Falls

Jack Axaopoulos - 2008/09/02 01:02:27 UTC

NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!

My sincere condolences to Family and Friends

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=13712
Very sad news

Jack Axaopoulos - 2009/09/20 21:51:56 UTC

Nooooooooooooooooooooo.....
My condolences to his family and friends. What a sad day... this sucks.

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14410
Wallaby fatality

Jack Axaopoulos - 2009/11/16 17:01:31 UTC

Nooooooooooooo!

Jack Axaopoulos - 2009/11/17 14:20:28 UTC

UGH..... heartbreaking

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=14608
Another HG death.

Jack Axaopoulos - 2009/11/28 16:16:10 UTC

My condolences to family and friends, oh what a sad day

http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=17038
CSS Regional Hang Glider Aerobatics Competition - June 5th

Jack Axaopoulos - 2010/06/07 20:48:10 UTC

So terribly sad.....

Nuthin' on this one? Too busy jerking off behind the hangars with Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney?

http://www.mynews3.com/content/video/default.aspx?videoID=5686488
Video - News3LV

35°55'49.14" N 115°11'31.36" W - Sloan Road and South Las Vegas Boulevard:

KSNV-8-21819-1

Tom Hawley:

KSNV-7-12816-2

KSNV-1-03715-3

KSNV-5-11713-4

KSNV-6-12029-5

Kelly Harrison Resting In Peace after having died doing what he loved:

KSNV-9-24015-6

KSNV-2-05902-7

KSNV-3-10325-8

Jean Dry Lakebed (camera tilted up from crash site):

KSNV-4-10619-9

Amazing what one can do with a little news chopper footage and Google Earth in this era.

KSNV-3-10325-8

KSNV-4-10619-9

You can tell exactly where the glider impacted in relation to the nearest few weeds.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8742/16955361166_44a4a473af_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8733/16955361106_a9ce6524db_o.png

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7588/16793597978_a1e73bd274_o.png

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7602/16795122609_dd952c88c3_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8755/16358943764_0ee76482e9_o.png

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7626/16361221853_5393dec753_o.png

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8719/16793853460_8c845675e2_o.png

35°47'36.37" N 115°14'25.06" W - dead center (if you'll pardon the expression) in the middle of this frame:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8726/16955360656_48302ff175_o.png

What's left of the glider was at the western edge of the westernmost strip, pretty much parallel to it, nose down, belly facing WWNW out into the lakebed and low late afternoon sun.

Sheep Mountain, elevation 4184 feet, is what's beyond the lakebed in the chopper shot.