The USHPA brings the hammer down on a flight park that wasn't playing by the rules and was jeopardizing our FAA tandem and towing exemptions. (Hang Glide Chicago)
Each instructor has undergone extensive training and is certified by the United States Hang Gliding Association.
We are proud to announce that Danny Hartowicz has agreed to instruct for us along with Mike Van Kuiken doing tandems.
Week-end of June 30th to July 2nd. This weekend is on hold. We apologize for the inconvenience. There are a few issues we need to take care of so we can get back in the air.
Under its previous owner, Arlan Birkett, Hang Glide Chicago had three fatal accidents over the last two years, including Arlan and his student's death:
The experienced pilot was flying a glider new to him, a Moyes Litesport, in the middle of the day, without a fin. The pilot "locked out," and dove into the ground.
Hang Glide Chicago's instructors as of last week were not USHPA certified for tandem (one is a T-1 and the other has no tandem rating) or instruction (as a review of the USHPA database can quickly tell you), contrary to the above statements from Hang Glide Chicago's web site and in violation of the USHPA's exemption from the FAA. In addition, their tug pilot was not USHPA ATP-rated as required by our FAA exemption. This situation obviously jeopardized the USHPA's relationship with the FAA. In addition, it raises concerns about the level of safety practiced at Hang Glide Chicago, given its history. You've also got to wonder how its students get USHPA rated.
Tracy Tillman, the USHPA regional representative in this region, contacted Joe Yobbka, Hang Glide Chicago's new owner numerous times last week (he had previously contacted him, also) and Tracy made absolutely certain that Joe was aware of the significance of the precarious situation he had inherited from Arlan and how much it endangered hang gliding towing and tandem flights through out the country.
Joe has been very cooperative with Tracy and Mark Forbes, USHPA vice president who at Tracy's urging (he wanted to avoid even an appearance of a conflict of interest) spoke with Joe on Friday. Joe has suspended tow operations until he has an ATP rated tug pilot doing the towing. He has suspended tandem and instruction until his tandem pilots have the proper tandem and instructor ratings. Joe is committed to making sure that Hang Glide Chicago is completely on the up and up with the USHPA and the FAA.
I have had my doubts in the past about the ability of the USHPA leadership (EC) and their regional directors to take effective measures to enforce compliance with USHPA regulations and our FAA exemptions, so this incident is to me a great example of what can happen when the USHPA takes its responsibilities seriously. Those exemptions need USHPA enforcement if they are to be honored. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Tracy, working together with Mark, was able to obtain compliance without having to resort to an FAA inspection of Hang Glide Chicago. Congratulations to all involved.
Tracy is a FAA Safety Counselor for the FAA's Detroit FSDO area, in addition to being the USHPA regional director, and it is his duty in this capacity to work with outfits that have FAA compliance problems and to get them in compliance before the FAA inspector comes out and the hefty fines start. Tracy's position with the FAA is voluntary and he has no enforcement authority, but he can call in the FAA (as can any one else).
Here are the results from the USHPA database:
81044 - Michael Van Kuiken - 2006/06/30 - H4 - 2005/06/01 - Arlan Birkett - AT FL T1 AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC
39166 - Daniel Hartowicz - 2007/05/31 - H4 - 1988/02/15 - W. Henry - AT FL PA VA AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC
72929 - Joseph Yobbka - 2007/11/30 - H2 - 2000/05/21 - Arlan Birkett - AT
Gold mine. Hope I live long enough to milk it adequately.
Tandem aerotow accident in France (Chaumont, Haute-Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France)
Scott Sigal - 2013/07/23
As a fellow hang glider pilot and long-time fly-buddy and friend of Luis's I was happy to tug him up for a quick tandem tow as I prepared myself for a good rare, French "flatlands" day. We had had a hot but fun day the day before in Champagne Ardenne, so there was no stress. We were simply looking forward to the higher than usual cloud bases announced. He was relaxed and up to his best at being careful and enthusiastic as many pilots and friends will remember him.
This was the second tandem flight of the day and we use the latest dual-point tow systems and releases that we have learned to use in the past 25+ years or more of aerotowing. Our club's North Wing T2 is considered, and we consider it, one of the best tandem gliders around including for aerotowing. Furthermore our trike tug is maybe not a Dragonfly, which is much more "relaxing" to tow with, but is a well suited trike and wing we continually tow with.
I have many hours of towing and at being towed in all conditions and the day was "thermic" but quite calm. On tow takeoff from his dolly went well and as usual I never felt Luis behind me. He and I could "thermal" together on tows on the good days.. As I rotated and picked up a bit of speed I did feel him pull left. I kept normal power and did not feel any signs of a strong lock-out, which I guarantee you any experienced tug pilot can feel, until I looked over and saw Luis's glider continuing to pull left, but not so much in climb. I even thought maybe I should release, which is not always the safest option given the weak links and corrective pilot decisions in general.
We were not at more than twenty meters above the ground. Hardly beginning the climb. In any case, whatever I might have thought or done, I did not have time. I felt the "release" and saw him continue his bank and spiral left with too little ground room. His glider hit hard but not at full bank and the glider suffered only a bent left leading edge and two down tubes.
Luis passed away in our presence within minutes we are sure. I was there, but in respect to his family and friends we are letting the inquiry work do its course before drawing any conclusions of any sort.
Luis's passenger was in fact hurt and shocked at the time but is now out of danger and we as friends and a hang gliding club are doing everything we can to support Luis's family, who have now arrived in France, and his spouse Johana to bear the burden as things evolve too fast for them. It's only been two hard and short days. I hope all his friends will not only love him but also respect this mourning of the family.
There will be a spontaneously ceremony this next Saturday in Paris with friends and family from both of Luis's worlds. Music and hang gliding. We will keep you and all of his numerous friends around the world posted as quickly as we can. I have taken the liberty to "respond" in urgency to the report on the net as I am confident Luis's brother Carlos, who I have spend the last two days with would appreciate we keep the news to the strict facts, as Luis would have as well, and avoid polemics and interpretations. If we can we will give you an email where you can express your support and condolences.
I am glad to have met such a friend and pilot! He lived entirely to the fullest his two dreams. I admire him for that.
This was the second tandem flight of the day and we use the latest dual-point...
Tri-point. Davis is most insistent on that issue.
...tow systems and releases that we have learned to use in the past 25+ years or more of aerotowing.
- Wanna tell us what they are?
- If you've used US systems - and you almost certainly did - they were crap 25+ years ago and they've gotten progressively worse as expectations have been pushed progressively lower.
- A little over two years ago Antoine was using...
...US bent pin 130 pound Greenspot crap. It's a no brainer that you were too - and probably still are.
- Please, God, let this be the New and Improved Lockout Mountain Flight Park Release.
Our club's North Wing T2 is considered, and we consider it, one of the best tandem gliders around including for aerotowing.
- How come it doesn't have a built in, certified, dual-point aerotow release?
- What weak link does North Wing specify for that model?
Furthermore our trike tug is maybe not a Dragonfly...
Good.
...which is much more "relaxing" to tow with...
Unless you're behind it constantly worried about its tow mast breakaway and tow mast breakaway protector.
...but is a well suited trike and wing we continually tow with.
I have many hours of towing and at being towed in all conditions and the day was "thermic" but quite calm. On tow takeoff from his dolly went well and as usual I never felt Luis behind me. He and I could "thermal" together on tows on the good days.. As I rotated and picked up a bit of speed I did feel him pull left.
Did you move left to help him out?
I kept normal power and did not feel any signs of a strong lock-out, which I guarantee you any experienced tug pilot can feel, until I looked over and saw Luis's glider continuing to pull left, but not so much in climb.
- Oh. So you didn't feel a lot of tension but the glider was getting dangerously locked out to the left. So what's that tell you about the value of a light weak link as a lockout protector?
- Did you drop down and turn left?
I even thought maybe I should release...
Why?
-- Didn't Luis have the best two-point release money could buy?
-- If he had wanted to wasn't he perfectly capable of getting off without any compromise of control?
Nonsense.
It's completely about convenience.
People like to argue about it and in their arguments, they dig up rationalizations of it not being about convenience, but sorry... it very much is about convenience.
...over the safety of the glider.
...given the weak links and corrective pilot decisions in general.
Got news for ya, dude.
- Weak links can do nothing but negate or function in the absence of execution of pilot decisions.
- They have absolutely nothing to do with lockout protection - as you guys are just about to demonstrate (as if we really needed yet another expensive data point.)
- If you're a fellow hang glider pilot and long-time fly-buddy and friend of Luis's it's almost a no brainer that he was using his weak link as a lockout protector as well.
We were not at more than twenty meters above the ground. Hardly beginning the climb.
You'd begun it twenty meters worth - which you probably shouldn't have.
In any case, whatever I might have thought or done, I did not have time. I felt the "release" and saw him continue his bank and spiral left with too little ground room.
Well, the important thing was that whatever was going on back there was fixed.
His glider hit hard but not at full bank and the glider suffered only a bent left leading edge and two down tubes.
Yeah. The glider itself didn't absorb that much of the impact.
Luis passed away in our presence within minutes we are sure. I was there, but in respect to his family and friends we are letting the inquiry work do its course before drawing any conclusions of any sort.
How much respect and concern do you have for the people who'll be flying the same glider using the same equipment behind the same tug in the same conditions tomorrow? Isn't it more important to toss out your best shots immediately? Even if they're wrong how much more killed than Luis do you think somebody listening to them could get?
I hope all his friends will not only love him but also respect this mourning of the family.
Not if respect for this mourning of the family includes delay or suppression of any thoughts on what went wrong here and how best to prevent a rerun. And if the family's worth merde they'll be wanting you to do whatever it takes to minimize the probability of this happening to someone else.
We will keep you and all of his numerous friends around the world posted as quickly as we can. I have taken the liberty to "respond" in urgency to the report on the net as I am confident Luis's brother Carlos, who I have spend the last two days with would appreciate we keep the news to the strict facts, as Luis would have as well, and avoid polemics and interpretations.
Fuck that.
- We're never gonna have all the strict facts because the person who was in the best position to observe and interpret what was going on ain't around no more.
- If we don't do polemics and interpretations of the totally fucking obvious everybody ends up getting fed loads of diables de poussière invisible merde by negligent, ass covering, lying motherfuckers like Davis, Rooney, Paul, Lauren, Tim, and Trisa.
- If Luis was of that persuasion then fuck him too.
- And I note that his was many voices that we didn't hear during the Zack Marzec postmortem. Yeah, there may have been something of a language barrier but Antoine's Asshole-ese made a lot more sense than the homegrown Pigfucker-ese which I was hearing so I'm guessing he'd have been able to do a more than adequate job as a translator/interpreter.
I am glad to have met such a friend and pilot! He lived entirely to the fullest his two dreams. I admire him for that.
And he died doing what he loved.
I'm gonna do a polemics/interpretation now...
- You guys don't know what the fuck a weak link is and you're trying to use it as a lockout protector.
- You weren't using Joe Street's release - which is the only commercially available two pointer that isn't a piece of shit.
- Luis came off the cart early and couldn't get the glider under control. He could've probably aborted right away and achieved a better outcome than he ended up with.
- You climbed sixty feet you didn't need to climb. I think y'all could've flown out of that situation if you had skimmed and moved left as much as possible.
The USHPA brings the hammer down on a flight park that wasn't playing by the rules and was jeopardizing our FAA tandem and towing exemptions. (Hang Glide Chicago)
Why stop at one of them? Name one US aerotow operation that doesn't violate the crap out of everything it can find to violate the crap out of every time it pulls a glider off the ground.
...has been certified by the United States Hang Gliding Association. That's a name I know I can trust because my safety has always been their foremost concern.
And I guess that includes constant updates on the latest:
- USHGA aerotowing equipment requirements, guidelines, and deletions
- opinions on strengths of loops of 130 pound Greenspot
- items of homemade straight pin funky shit Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney refuses to tow
We are proud to announce that Danny Hartowicz has agreed to instruct for us along with Mike Van Kuiken doing tandems.
Danny can tie a loop of 130 pound Greenspot to raise its consistency to 345 pounds and Mike can show you how to swing your body way outside the control frame so it stays up there while you reach out with one hand and release.
Week-end of June 30th to July 2nd. This weekend is on hold. We apologize for the inconvenience. There are a few issues we need to take care of so we can get back in the air.
Oh, right. Alligators don't get that far north and coyotes take too long.
Under its previous owner, Arlan Birkett, Hang Glide Chicago had three fatal accidents over the last two years...
And the same year Steve Wendt only had half that many in a 126 day period as a consequence of violating USHGA SOPs, shit equipment, and shit training - and the fully fatal one was off site.
while being towed up tandem behind an inexperienced and unrated...
...and unnamed...
...tug pilot.
Reminds me a lot of Bill Bennett and his student behind an inexperienced tug pilot a bit over nine years earlier. But at least that inexperienced tug pilot was named and did us the courtesy of giving us as detailed an account as his memory allowed him.
The previous death occurred on tow...
Bullshit. It occurred after his illegally light Davis Link dumped him OFF tow. And we do:
-- not know what would've happened if he'd been able to stay on tow but the results wouldn't have been any worse
-- know that if an abort was the right call at that point neither Bill nor Arlan was executing it
The experienced pilot was flying a glider new to him, a Moyes Litesport, in the middle of the day, without a fin. The pilot "locked out," and dove into the ground.
- And no fuckin' way would that have happened to Zack Marzec flying his trusty ol' Moyes Xtralite pro toad behind Mark Frutiger. Zack would've handled that situation just as well as he would've handled his own - had it not been for that invisible dust devil he hit at just the wrong moment.
- Lemme tell ya sumpin', motherfucker...
-- There:
--- has never been an SOP or regulation requiring a goddam fin
--- WAS:
---- an SOP on release actuator placement and it didn't state to position it such that you have absolutely no possibility of accessing it in an emergency
---- and IS a regulation on minimum weak link rating and he was violating it - as he was instructed to do when he was rated and as you force people to do when you appoint yourself as the safety standards arbitrator at USHGA sanctioned pecker measuring contests
-- And it's no accident that you're talking about irrelevant bullshit like fins and treating the Quallaby Release and Davis Link issues as nonexistent.
The weaklink was 90kg on the upper, so 156kg on the towline. It didn't break before the pilot release too late.
Side by side harnesses and pilot on the right.
At the bottom range of speed the tug wing can fly 50km/h.
No dust monster, no wind gust from the side.
There are videos embedded and from the ground but all have been seized for the investigation.
Oh crap. I was hoping it was the worst commercial release on the planet and instead it was the best. I was afraid that was gonna happen.
So the weak link strength was pretty much exactly the same as the US "standard tandem aerotow weak link". For the North Wing T2 tandem that 0.67 Gs - 0.13 Gs south of legal and still totally useless in making a low level lockout less lethal. We can use that.
50 km/hr / 31 mph. Going too fast wasn't a problem for that glider.
Surprised that if the pilot was on the right and the glider locked out to the left that he was the one who came out second best. Very sad but if it had been the other way around his life would've taken a permanent turn a little bit like Jon Orders' did.
I think the "lesson" here is not to blow tow "at the first sign of trouble" because even if he had done that right off the cart the result could've been ugly - conceivably worse - and my call is that if the tug had done everything possible he could've flown out of it.
The lesson is don't allow yourself to get into a bad situation down low. I think this is pretty much the same crash that Steve Elliot had on 2009/01/03 at Forbes - 'cept that Luis had the capability of blowing tow before impact and effected it.
Thanks ZILLIONS for getting us up to speed on this one.
Boy I hope those videos get released. We can get a hundred times more good out of them than the official investigators ever will.
He was relaxed and up to his best at being careful and enthusiastic as many pilots and friends will remember him.
...
I have many hours of towing and at being towed in all conditions and the day was "thermic" but quite calm. On tow takeoff from his dolly went well and as usual I never felt Luis behind me. He and I could "thermal" together on tows on the good days..
Both of these guys could've done better on this one but neither one was an incompetent bozo and the guy on the back was a former French national champion.
I even thought maybe I should release, which is not always the safest option given the weak links and corrective pilot decisions in general.
Ignoring the crap about the weak links... He's right.
- Dumping the glider from the front end and overriding the call of the passenger carrying Pilot In Command of the glider would've DEFINITELY been the wrong call.
- Luis had the capability of dumping the glider right off the cart but his call was not to instantly send his angle of attack through the ceiling...
Wills Wing / Blue Sky / Steve Wendt / Ryan Voight Productions - 2007/03
NEVER CUT THE POWER...
Reduce Gradually
Increase Gradually
...and it wouldn't have been mine either. Both planes on that tow were able to climb to over sixty feet after the cart was kissed bye-bye.
And maybe that sixty feet...
I felt the "release" and saw him continue his bank and spiral left with too little ground room.
...allowed enough recovery to mitigate the severity of the crash to the extent that the glider...
His glider hit hard but not at full bank and the glider suffered only a bent left leading edge and two down tubes.
...wasn't too badly damaged, the pilot...
Luis passed away in our presence within minutes we are sure.
...at least survived the impact for a few minutes, and the junior occupant...
Luis's passenger was in fact hurt and shocked at the time but is now out of danger...
...had a lot better outcome than the ones at:
1996/07/25 - Gates Field, Ohio
1998/10/25 - Groveland, Florida
2005/09/03 - Cushing Field
Luis was able to blow tow without interruption of his control efforts (compare...
...contrast) and without having to wait for the fucking focal point of his safe towing system to decide to kick in.
I think it's a real good bet that with the Industry Standard crap that's used universally in US aerotowing operations there'd have been twice as many fatalities that Sunday and the repairs on the T2 would've been a lot more expensive.
Also note that this two thirds of a G weak link this tandem glider was 68 pounds / 53 percent over the capacity of the New and Improved Lockout Mountain Flight Park Release "at this time".
And I'll bet that glider wouldn't have been equipped with that release minus your efforts. I think you can put a life saved in your résumé...
Hang Glide Chicago's instructors as of last week were not USHPA certified for tandem (one is a T-1 and the other has no tandem rating) or instruction (as a review of the USHPA database can quickly tell you), contrary to the above statements from Hang Glide Chicago's web site and in violation of the USHPA's exemption from the FAA.
And if you don't have good USHPA certified tandem aerotow instructors you might not get taught:
- that a bridle that distributes the load between the pilot and glider is a three pointer
- the limits of the Cone of Safety - outside of which one becomes susceptible to lockouts
- that the purpose of the weak link is to keep you from getting too far out of whack
- that putting standard aerotow weak links on both ends of pro toad bridles doubles the allowable tow tension from 360 to 720 pounds and allows you to get twice as far out of whack as is safe
- how critically it endangers the tug when a standard tandem weak link is used on a solo glider
- why using 260 pound Greenspot to tie a weak link loop that blows at 260 pounds is unspeakably dangerous but using the Wrap and Tie method to boost a loop of 130 to 260 doubles the consistency of the break point and safety of the towing operation
- how a Spectra bridle acts somewhat like an impact wrench on the weak link while a polypro bridle acts somewhat like a shock absorber, prevents the weak link from breaking, and greatly increases the safety of the towing operation
- why USHGA specifies that in tandem training you demonstrate your ability to react to the inconvenience of a simulated weak link break only at altitude and in smooth air
- the point in your training at which you've developed the skill necessary to safely pro tow
In addition, their tug pilot was not USHPA ATP-rated as required by our FAA exemption. This situation obviously jeopardized the USHPA's relationship with the FAA.
Well not just that... A tug pilot not USHPA ATP-rated as required by our FAA exemption might:
- allow people to tow with:
-- homemade equipment with short track records
-- funky shit
-- fishing line heavier than 130 pound Greenspot
-- weak links:
--- on BOTH ends of the bridle
--- heavier than the Dragonfly's tow mast breakaway protector
--- proportional to flying weight or, worse yet, glider capacity
-- straight pin barrel releases which are hard to close over thick rope with no weak link
In addition, it raises concerns about the level of safety practiced at Hang Glide Chicago, given its history.
Given its history of having shit that all the other operations get away with all the time happening low enough to matter a couple of times.
You've also got to wonder how its students get USHPA rated.
Btw, it's nothing to do with you "counting" on the weaklink breaking... Its about me not trusting you to hit the release.
If it were only about what you want, then you could use what you like.
You want the strongest weaklink you can have.
I want you to have the weakest one practical.. I don't care how much it inconveniences you.
I don't trust you as a rule. You Trust you , but I don't and shouldn't.
Nobody's card is worth anything, we all suck, the only reason any of us last more than a dozen tows is because you and Rooney force us up on fishing line that blows every fourth tow and might compensate for the cheap bent pin shit you sell us and save us from a low level lockout some day if:
- we survive the inconveniences long enough; and
- the low level lockout is 250 feet or higher.
Tracy Tillman, the USHPA regional representative in this region...
And tireless advocate of tying 130 pound test fishing line to polypro bridles in manners which cause it to break more consistently and in accordance with one's expectation of it functioning as our primary defense against lockouts.
...contacted Joe Yobbka, Hang Glide Chicago's new owner numerous times last week (he had previously contacted him, also) and Tracy made absolutely certain that Joe was aware of the significance of the precarious situation he had inherited from Arlan and how much it endangered hang gliding towing and tandem flights through out the country.
Yeah Joe, I just can't overemphasize how important it is to have everybody's credentials in order when you're flying people on total bullshit theory, procedures, equipment, and pretenses of standards and rules.
Joe has been very cooperative with Tracy and Mark Forbes...
Problem, Joe... Those two people are near the bottom of the list of ones you really wanna be very cooperative with.
...USHPA vice president who at Tracy's urging (he wanted to avoid even an appearance of a conflict of interest)...
Right, Trisa. We DEFINITELY want to avoid any appearance of...
We're re-working the accident reporting system, but again it's a matter of getting the reports submitted and having a volunteer willing to do the detail work necessary to get them posted. There are also numerous legal issues associated with accident reports, which we're still wrestling with. It's a trade-off between informing our members so they can avoid those kinds of accidents in the future, and exposing ourselves to even more lawsuits by giving plaintiff's attorneys more ammunition to shoot at us.
Imagine a report that concludes, "If we'd had a procedure "x" in place, then it would have probably prevented this accident. And we're going to put that procedure in place at the next BOD meeting." Good info, and what we want to be able to convey. But what comes out at trial is, "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, my client suffered injury because USHPA knew or should have known that a safety procedure was not in place, and was therefore negligent and at fault." We're constantly walking this line between full disclosure and handing out nooses at the hangmen's convention.
Did you and Mark have a good laugh about all the death and destruction Trisa and Mark have precipitated by viciously demolishing every competent effort towards fixes anybody in hang gliding has attempted to implement in the course of the past couple of decades?
Joe has suspended tow operations until he has an ATP rated tug pilot doing the towing. He has suspended tandem and instruction until his tandem pilots have the proper tandem and instructor ratings.
Have you talked to Jim Keen-Intellect Rooney? He's the best of the best and...
Passenger was fine, visited me in the hospital. Me? multiple injuries. Two and a half months in hospital.
...should be healed up enough by now to give it another go. And he's so great with passengers that they visit him in the hospital - just as he dutifully goes to the hospital to visit all the stronglink...
Only later, when we're visiting them in the hospital can they begin to hear what we've told them all along.
...victims who were foolish enough to listen to T** at K*** S******.
Joe is committed to making sure that Hang Glide Chicago is completely on the up and up with the USHPA and the FAA.
And DO make sure to stay current on the most convenient opinions regarding the strength of a loop of 130 pound Greenspot.
I have had my doubts in the past about the ability of the USHPA leadership (EC) and their regional directors to take effective measures to enforce compliance with USHPA regulations and our FAA exemptions, so this incident is to me a great example of what can happen when the USHPA takes its responsibilities seriously.
The first thing anybody who was halfway serious about enforcing compliance with USHPA regulations and terms of agreement would do would be to have you, Rooney, and all the Questies publicly drawn and quartered.
Those exemptions need USHPA enforcement if they are to be honored.
Dr. Trisa Tilletti - 2012/06
I'll start with a legal review. The FAA has mandated requirements for weak links in FAR 91.309(a)(3) [ref 1] for civil aircraft towing sailplanes, ultralight gliders, and hang gliders in the US. It states:
(3) The towline used has a breaking strength not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not more than twice this operating weight. However, the towline used may have a breaking strength more than twice the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle if--
(i) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the towline to the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle with a breaking strength not less than 80 percent of the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle and not greater than twice this operating weight.
and
(ii) A safety link is installed at the point of attachment of the towline to the towing aircraft with a breaking strength greater, but not more than 25 percent greater, than that of the safety link of the towed glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle end of the towline and not greater than twice the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle.
Pilots must use weaklinks provided by the meet organizers and in a manner approved by the meet organizers. All weaklinks will be checked and use of inappropriate weaklinks will require the pilot to go to the end of the launch line to change the weaklink.
Weaklinks will consist of a single loop of Cortland 130 lb Greenspot braided Dacron Tolling line and should be placed at one end of a shoulder bridle.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see that Tracy, working together with Mark, was able to obtain compliance without having to resort to an FAA inspection of Hang Glide Chicago.
Yeah, after three deaths in the space of a bit over fourteen months the LAST thing we wanna see is an FAA inspection of anything anywhere. We have a proud tradition of saying whatever we think it is that people wanna hear and never having anyone inspect or question anything. And we sure don't wanna be jeopardizing that at this point in our history - especially not at this operation.
At the 2008 Forbes Flatlands Greenspot for the first time was used as the standard weaklink material (thanks in large part to the efforts of Bobby Bailey). We applaud these efforts to improve the safety of aerotowing by using a better weaklink material.
We applaud this great milestone in our never ending effort to perfect aerotowing even more than Quest has.
Tracy is a FAA Safety Counselor for the FAA's Detroit FSDO area, in addition to being the USHPA regional director, and it is his duty in this capacity to work with outfits that have FAA compliance problems and to get them in compliance before the FAA inspector comes out and the hefty fines start.
Wouldn't it be a lot easier if he just changed the requirements to guidelines when outfits killed people by violating the requirements and then deleted the guidelines altogether when outfits killed even more people by ignoring the guidelines?
Tracy's position with the FAA is voluntary and he has no enforcement authority...
Why would he want enforcement authority from the FAA when he can do anything he goddam well feels like with the USHGA SOPs and fill the magazine with any lunatic rot that suits his fancy?
...but he can call in the FAA (as can any one else).
Let's not go nuts here.
Here are the results from the USHPA database:
81044 - Michael Van Kuiken - 2006/06/30 - H4 - 2005/06/01 - Arlan Birkett - AT FL T1 AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC
39166 - Daniel Hartowicz - 2007/05/31 - H4 - 1988/02/15 - W. Henry - AT FL PA VA AWCL CL FSL RLF TUR XC
72929 - Joseph Yobbka - 2007/11/30 - H2 - 2000/05/21 - Arlan Birkett - AT
So where are the results from the USHPA database for Gary Solomon? Or are we bending over backwards now to pretend he never existed?
