Not a good LZ choice .....
Mark Selner - 2014/08/26 19:42:20 UTC
Yeah Mike, I think most of us humans will be able do avoid landing in solar power generating arrays and home in on our narrow dry riverbeds with large rocks strewn all over the place when we need to park these things. So why worry about stupid fucking birds getting vaporized at a rate of one per two minutes, migrating into lit skyscrapers at night, flying into glass and in front of cars, not getting out of the way of our house cats fast enough, landing in oil spill disaster areas, ingesting stuff with our pesticides concentrated in it?Mike Badley - 2014/08/26 20:04:36 UTC
I think that might be the farm out by Barstow. The mirrors have to be cleaned routinely so they rotate them down at night time. However, in the event of emergency (such as a hail storm or dust storm blowing rocks around - they can rotate them downwards in 'arrays' which focus the light on an arc that is 'visible' and does not contact any structures. They talk about birds being attracted to the arc and getting vaporized when they cross it.
Reasonably easy enough for any but the 'bird-brained' to avoid.
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=31061
Paraglider and Russian Eagle
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=31747Mike Badley - 2014/04/09 07:12:06 UTC
Sacramento
OK - This is a GREAT video. LMFAO
Pilot has a bird strike with a pair of eagles, one of which gets tangled in his risers. Has to throw reserve. He talks all the way through it - but the subtitling is in English.
A must watch...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGzzSIZvA40
Lockout
Mike Badley - 2014/08/24 23:31:39 UTC
This pilot NEVER made any attempt to pull a release and rode the downtubes all the way in. He should have been drilled from ground training day one to NEVER STAY ON A BAD TOW. He had a lot of time to release. At least 5 seconds or so from when the towline hopped his wheels before it was too late to have any affect.
Mike Badley - 2014/08/25 14:58:02 UTC
That is WHY it is so important to get off of a bad tow immediately - while you still have some rational thought instead of the 'oh s***' paralysis that rides the lockout into the ground.
Trust in your winch crew - but trust in yourself more. Train from DAY ONE to get off a bad tow. The annoyance and frustration of resetting is far more worth it than testing your lock-out response.
At least you're a consistent total fucking douchebag.Mike Badley - 2014/08/25 21:30:52 UTC
Only the pilot (pulling his release or having ice-water in his veins to be able to get a hook knife out and cut the bridle) OR the winch operator dumping pressure can rectify the lockout.
