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Hello and welcome to my Low Risk Hang gliding movie. I am going to talk about risks which
can be encountered by hang glider pilots and what can be done to minimize those risks.
My goal is to establish standards which, if followed, will result in a 100 percent success
rate in hang gliding. That means no accidents or injuries.
First I need to make some definitions to minimize confusion.
When I say "Low risk hang gliding", I mean to include paragliding. I think there should
be one word which includes every glider which can be flown from the side of a mountain and
there already is one, hang glider. Hang gliders include flex wings, paragliders, rigid wings
and foot launched sailplanes like the swift. Learning to paraglide is a smart choice for
someone who wants to experience Low Risk Hang gliding.
I also use the word hang gliding to mean flying a flex wing. If I tell my wife I am going
hang gliding, then she will expect to see a long tube on my car. If I tell her I am
going paragliding, then she will only expect to see a large backpack in my car.
I use the word "Low Risk Pilots" to refer to pilots who have demonstrated an ability
to fly safely and can be expected to have an accident free flight if they fly in Low
Risk Conditions. Tall grass and trees.
Tall grass on launch is a hazard because the pilot might drag a wing tip and have a bad
launch. He might even trip on the grass. Trees below launch are a hazard because as they
grow from year to year, they occupy the air which might be needed by the pilot to fly
away from the hill. The grass should be kept mowed and the trees below launch should be
kept cut back. We have begun cutting trees below launch all the way to the ground every
winter. This can be done with just a pair of lopers. The trees on Mt. Nebo would have
to grow for several years before they became a problem because of the steep drop off below
the mowed part. The trees at Jasper would become a hazard after only one season of growth.
We need to keep an eye on the vegetation on launch and assess if it is adequate for a
low risk take off.
Let's look at why soarable wind is a risk factor. There are several things which could
happen if the pilot is having an extended flight due to ridge lift.
The weather could change before he lands. The sun could set before he lands.
He is at risk of a collision with other pilots who are soaring the ridge.
He could fly into the trees along the ridge. He could lose altitude while not flying towards
the landing field. If that happens then the landing field might become out of reach.
There are several things which could happen even if the pilot does not have an extended
flight. The headwind means that glider will not glide
as far. A landing field which can be easily reached in no wind might be out of glide in
wind. Landing down wind is more dangerous because
of the higher ground speed. Launching in high wind adds to the risk because
the glider is more difficult to control. It is more difficult to maneuver into small
fields.
Here is why thermic air is a risk factor. Thermals when launching make the wing more
difficult to control. Thermals in the air make controlling the glider
more difficult. Skill may be required to prevent a paraglider canopy from collapsing.
Thermals enable the pilot to stay up for a long time. Conditions could deteriorate while
the pilot is flying. Thermals in the landing field make the approach
more difficult. The glider doesn't descend at a steady rate. Sometimes the glider actually
goes up. Thermals can change the wind direction in
the landing field. Thermals make it less likely that the pilot
will be able to glide to a far away landing field.
Ridge lift and thermals add risk to the flight but it is a small risk for experienced pilots.
I have no intention of asking other pilots to give up flying in those conditions. I had
many memorable flights last year with thermals and ridge lift without incident. This flight
was from Mt. Nebo in September. I didn't have a long cross country flight but I did climb
to over a mile high above the valley floor. I got cold after two hours in the air but
that was a small price to pay for such an enjoyable flight. The same day, some pilots
flew from Mt. Magazine to Mt. Nebo and beyond. Another pilot flew from Heavener, Oklahoma
to the Albright landing field just below Mt. Magazine.
Pilots who have the ability to fly in thermals and ridge lift do not want to give up flying
in those conditions. When they do fly in those conditions though, they may face additional
risks.
As the pilot glides towards the large field in the distance, he will be flying over many
much smaller fields. They have all been landed in but often the pilot feels lucky to have
landed without injury. Because the fields are small, a precision approach is required.
If the pilot is too high when he turns final then he will fly into the trees at the other
end. If he is too low then he will clip the trees at the approach end.
If the pilot is flying downhill, then he may continue to fly all the way to the other end
of the field without being able to stop his glider.
One solution to avoiding a downhill landing is to fly uphill. Sometimes, that means flying
downwind though. Flying downwind can have serious consequences if the ground speed is
faster than the pilot can run.
Several of these small fields also have power lines through the middle of them. Flying into
a power line is much more serious than flying into a tree. Also, with the line going through
the middle of the field, there is no way to go around it. A small field with a power line
going through the middle is not a low risk field.
One of the fields has a pond at the bottom of the slope. If a pilot is flying downhill
and doesn't stop before getting to the pond, then he will go into it. He can't go around
it.
Some of these fields have large sticker bushes and tall grass. Landing in these would be
very unpleasant and possibly dangerous.
If a barbed wire fence divides a field, then the pilot must make a decision as to which
side of the barbed wire fence he is going to land. It is a bad idea to just let the
glider land on which ever side it wants to land on. The glider might just decide to land
on the fence itself. This would be very dangerous for the pilot.
If a landing field is just beyond a pilot's glide, then he may try to make it anyway.
One method which has been tried is slowing the glider down to briefly gain a little altitude.
If that isn't enough then the pilot may slow down a little more then a little bit more.
Eventually what could happen is that the pilot may stall his glider. He may also collide
with the obstical which he was trying to avoid. That could be a line of trees, power lines
or a barbed wire fence. If it is not certain that the pilot will be able to glide to the
large field, then it is not a low risk flight.
There are three sites in Arkansas which are appropriate for Low Risk Hang glider Pilots
to have Low Risk Flights: Mt. Nebo, Mt. Magazine and Jasper. All three have easy, grassy slopes
and large landing fields. As the pilot in the video flies to a graceful landing in the
Albright field, I would like to talk about how many hazards are nonexistent for this
flight from Mt. Magazine. The launch has no tall grass or tall trees. The state park does
a great job keeping the grass mowed. The wind was not strong enough to be soarable. It was
late in the day so there were no thermals. The landing field is flat with no downhill
slope. With no slope in the landing field, there is no reason to perform a downwind landing.
The field is large with no barbed wire fence. There are powerlines along the western edge
of the field, but I don't consider them to be a hazard. They are easily avoided. The
landing field is close enough to easily make with a wide margin.
I will close this movie with a landing at the large Mt. Nebo racetrack field. I had
an unusual approach to the field because I had been trying to glide to the field next
to my house which was further away. I decided that I might not make it so I changed directions
and headed for the closer field. This field is close enough that I have never come up
short even when flying in the middle of the day when sink was present. For low risk flights,
the pilot should head to this field immediately after launch.
Everyone wins if Low Risk Pilots are allowed to fly Mt. Nebo and Mt. Magazine. The pilots
win because they get to fly the easiest, safest sites in the state and fly with their friends.
The mentors win because there will be less stress knowing that the flight will be uneventful.
The state park wins because they don't have to exclude pilots from taking advantage of
the wonderful assets which are enjoyed by other pilots.
Thank you for taking the time to watch my movie on Low Risk Hang gliding. I hope to
meet you on the mountain in the year to come.