[Rick Masters]

This blog covers extreme sports news other than hang gliding. Sometimes examining other dangerous sports provides an insight to hang gliding.

[Rick Masters]

"There are many many people in the mountains!"

7.9 magnitude monster earthquake between Kathmandu and paragliding mecca Pokhara!
Nepal earthquake: Hundreds die, many feared trapped
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32461019

[Rick Masters]

PARAGLIDING remains dangerous (2004) - [Has this changed at all? - RM]
Paragliding is one of the highest-risk sports. Last year, ten paragliders died [in Austria]. Annually in paragliding, 900 are injured.

Vienna (OTS) - Paragliding is flying without long preparation or complicated technology. According information from the Austrian Aero Club, there are approximately 8600 paragliders in Austria. The risk of accidents in paragliding is extremely high. Analyses of Unfallhergänge show that most accidents are caused by failure of the pilots.

Every year there is one accident for every ten paragliders
In the past three years [2001-2004] an annual average of 900 paragliders were treated in the hospital after accidents. Thus, each year about ten percent of all active paragliders have an accident. 80 percent are subjected to broken bones; one in two (47 percent) injures his spine. The accident statistics come from the Institute "Sicher Leben."

About one third of the accidents occurred at takeoff, in the landing phase and during the flight. 78 per cent of accidents are due to thermal problems, wind gusts and turbulence. These data were obtained from an analysis of reported to Austro Control Unfallhergänge.

There are always serious and very serious injuries that need to be treated in hospitals. Falls from relatively high altitude (between five and 15 meters) often result in severe back and pelvic injuries. Injuries to the lower limbs are the result of takeoff or landing accidents - for example, fractures of the ankle..

Pilot error is the main cause of accidents [i.e. - making the choice to fly a parachute in turbulence. - RM]
These often occur at takeoff and landing errors. Accidents happen when you start, for example by lateral collapse or stumbling; Falls on or just above the ground are the result. On landing, it comes at the high or low-coupled approach in wrong direction corrections or when landing with a tailwind to accidents.

The most common cause of accidents is the so-called "collapse". In a "collapse," the sail is folded on the side or the front. The glider loses its capacity to fly and stalls.

[Here you can see the reseachers cannot grasp the concept that the problem is beyond the ability of training to fix. To them, it is incomprehensible that people would fly dangerously insufficient aircraft in such numbers. It must be a training problem, they believe. - RM]

Novices, due to lack of experience, are often not in a position to correctly manage slipstream turbulence and downdrafts, takeoff and landing phases or to react appropriately in case of complications.

Paragliders must complete training diligently
"Paragliding is a risk sport. Paragliders must diligently complete appropriate training. It is not enough to acquire only the minimum of knowledge. Only those who really dominate the sport can better estimate the dangers," said Dr. Rupert Kisser, director of the Institute" Sicher Leben. "

...[suggestions to improve training]
http://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_ ... efaehrlich

[Rick Masters]

The nation of Austria has now "solved" the problem of too many paragliding deaths and injuries from foreign tourists by refusing to acknowledge any flight certifications documents not printed in the German language. Because hang glider pilots have happily embraced parachuting as essentially the same sport as hang gliding, this also applies to them. Austria has also recently imposed lower flight ceilings due to the numbers of paragliders threatening commercial traffic. These lower ceilings also apply to hang gliders because their national organizations have been insisting for years that there is hardly any difference between modern weight-shift sailplanes and parachutes.

I have been warning for years that accepting parachutes into national hang gliding organizations across the world would result in the sport of paragliding dragging the sport of hang gliding down with it. Now every where you turn, you can see this happening.
http://www.kleinezeitung.at/k/kaernten/ ... n/index.do

[Rick Masters]

February 25, 1962

[JoeF]

CAUTION MACHINE TRANSLATION FOR STUDY ONLY.


PARAGLIDING remains dangerous
Paragliding is one of the high-risk sports. Last year, ten paraglider died. Annually asks the paragliding 900 injured.
Vienna (OTS) - Paragliding is flying without long preparation
or complicated technology. According information from the Austrian Aero Club, there are approximately 8600 paragliders in Austria. The risk of accidents in paragliding is extremely high. Analyses of Unfallhergänge show that most accidents are caused by failure of the pilots.

Every year an accident every ten paragliders
In the past three years had an annual average of 900 paragliders are treated after an accident in the hospital. Thus, each year an accident about ten percent of all active paragliders. 80 percent subjected to broken bones; one in two (47 percent) injured his spine. The proceeds from the leisure accident statistics of the Institute "Sicher Leben" forth.

About one third of the accidents occurred at the start, in the landing phase and during the flight. 78 per cent of accidents are due to thermal problems, wind gusts and turbulence. These data were obtained from an analysis of reported to Austro Control Unfallhergänge.

There are always serious and very serious injuries that need to be treated in hospitals. Falls from relatively high altitude (between five and 15 meters) often result in severe back and pelvic injuries. Injuries to the lower limbs are the result of takeoff or landing accidents - for example, fractures of the ankle..

Pilot error is the main cause of accidents
often occur at takeoff and landing errors. Accidents happen when you start, for example by lateral collapse or stumbling; Falls on or just above the ground are the result. On landing, it comes at the high or low-coupled approach in wrong direction corrections or when landing with a tailwind to accidents.

The most common cause of accidents is the so-called "collapse". The "collapse" the sail is folded side or the front. If the pilot is now too little or too strongly against slows, it comes to stall the glider and the glider loses its capacity and work a.

Especially "Little Wings" due to lack of experience are often not in a position to weather (slipstream turbulence and downdrafts), the flying area or off and landing phases correctly and to react appropriately in case of complications.

"Sicher Leben": paragliders must complete training diligently
... "Paragliding is a risk sport paragliders must complete diligently in the best interests appropriate training It is not enough to acquire only the minimum of knowledge Only those who really dominated the sport, can estimate the dangers better "said Dr. Rupert Kisser, director of the Institute" Sicher Leben ".

The basic training for paragliding includes theory (paragliders customer, aerodynamics, flight meteorology, etc.) and practice. Each course type (basic license, etc.) has an individual curriculum. "A cooperation between Austria and Germany is since 1996 the European highest standard of training for student pilots and flight instructors sure Acquired school confirmation after a successful completion of basic course is a three-year valid. In this time, a special pilot's license must be purchased, which will also be renewed every three years "has said Kisser.

"Sicher Leben": wear full equipment and choose proven grounds
of self-discipline and adherence to safety come first of all measures. For a paragliders Helmets and protectors mandatory for harness. In addition, the review of the equipment (label) is required every two years by approved bodies.

More is recommended that each paraglider, equip yourself with a tuned to the individual needs and harness a screen with suitable suitability (lt. Fitness levels). The equipment also includes gloves, ankle-high shoes with side paraglider protection against twisting and a radio.

Kisser: "Given the high number of spinal injuries must use responsible paragliders, so-called air bags to reduce the impact and thus the severity of the injury to the back or pelvis Also, I recommend any paraglider to choose only proven grounds for flights, always follow. to orient the weather forecasts and to dispense with unfavorable weather conditions if necessary rather once on a flight. "

Questions & contact:
Institute Sicher Leben .
Press Office
Mag. Alexandra Ludvik
Tel .: (++ 43-1) 71 770/225
CAUTION, THE ABOVE IS A MACHINE TRANSLATION AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS OF MEANING. SEE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE ARTICLE LINKED IN RICK'S POST.

[Bob Kuczewski]

1962SailplaneIncidentTorreyPines.jpg (152.85 KiB) Viewed 20282 times

Great find Rick!!!

Your research is amazing!!

Thanks!!!!

[Rick Masters]

It's a shame spectators were allowed to stand on the edge of the cliffs during the contest. The championships had been held since about 1950 and this was the first time anyone was hurt. Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, one might say the accident was inevitable, but with a dozen accident-free contests in the bank, any suggestion of crowd control would probably have met resistance.

[Bob Kuczewski]

... with a dozen accident-free contests in the bank, any suggestion of crowd control would probably have met resistance.

That's the unfortunate nature of human beings:  "If it didn't hurt me the last 10 times ... it must be safe."

[Rick Masters]

"If it didn't hurt me the last 10 times ... it must be safe."

This is the litany of the soaring parachutist. An acquaintance who was once a serious competitor wrote me to say half of the people who this person had flown with for years, had suffered some degree of disability. Back when I published the PDMC, this person was questioning the number of deaths, and was even present for one. It is too bad soaring parachutists have to learn by tragedy when a simple understanding of the PDMC is all that is needed.

A revelation which many in the soaring parachute community have difficulty in grasping are the odds of injury or death over time. Reports speak clearly that the injury/fatality rate is ten times that of hang gliding per flight, and even worse for time spent in the air. I have lost count of people who have quit the sport, from top competitors down to novice inland fliers, because they have simply seen too many people get hurt. The important question, rarely asked at first, is what are the odds of surviving without a crippling injury for 5 or 10 years in paragliding?