[ARP]

Frank,

The shock absorber used by Otto was a willow hoop attached to the front of the glider. This would have helped in the event of it going in nose first. The aerofoil of his gliders had a sharp leading edge and the stall characteristic is very abrupt and can easily catch you out. The pilot weight needs to be kept forward and there are pads behind the shoulders to keep the pilot in the correct position. Unfortunately Stephan (Nitsch) left the pads off of his portable Lilienthal replica and I found out about the stall, the hard way,when I tried flying it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpDrGLF51SY
The hoop was not fitted so I am not sure how effective it would have been?

Tony

[ARP]

Stephan's web site is still active :- http://www.liederknechte.de/jumpnfly/ni.htm

If you download his book you will see the hoop on some of the gliders shown.

[Bob Kuczewski]

This is a diversion from the current discussion, and it might be redundant (I haven't re-read this entire topic lately), but a friend recently tried "Bubble Soccer, and I thought it might fit with the "Safe-Splat" theme:



My friend said the bubbles were surprisingly heavy (maybe 40 pounds), so that may be a consideration.

[JoeF]

Right on, BobK.
==============================
Support: http://www.bubblesoccervancouver.com/faqs
That site mentions "25 lb".

================================
Hang gliding: Consider explosive inflation of a harness to a full-bubble wrap.

[JoeF]

Alexander Bolonkin
and kPower
on special cushion domes
https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/AirborneWindEnergy/conversations/messages/18141

Perhaps a cushion for PG?

[JoeF]

Our kPower, Inc. offers for many uses, including PG landscape "landing" device or/and take-off platform device to respect the PDMC.
Wind-inflated domes.
I covered various wind-inflated huge items in earlier years during the studies on inflated slopes, inflated inclines, artificial slope-soaring ram-air parafoil mounds. Pere Casellas participated in those early discussions. I am not yet sure of the dates on the A. Bolonkin's meditations on similar wind-inflated bubbles.

Note that interior stay lines may bring relative flat mattressing; the stay lines would reduce membrane tensions that would build up to large when just one bubble is emplyed without the interior "cavexing" auxiliary lines.

My "cavexity" terms are now three decades old; it speaks to lines that connect two distinct points in a bladder; the line dimples either the skin surface or dimples the skin surface in two places; if one end of a cavexor (line) anchors to earth and the other end anchors to the skin of an inflated bladder, then a dimpling is invited. Jalbert ram-air parafoil is essentially a wind-inflated domes with "cavexing" lines and interior cavexing walls as tensional ribs. Huge parafoil kites have used interior stay or shaping or cavexing lines.

[Rick Masters]

This landing method reduces the risk of the PDMC somewhat.
Expensive, tho...

[JoeF]

Clip from a header at a forum: Airchair/Ultralight Gliders is a Restricted Group with 2219 members.
Airchair/Ultralight Gliders

[Frank Colver]

Here's the safe splat system I had on my Hangstat. Normally I would land on my feet but if I was heading for a hard landing I would keep my feet up on the base tubes. Eventually I added some restraining straps so that if it was being drug on its side I wouldn't contact the ground. Notice also air cushion feet at the corners.

Frank

[Bob Kuczewski]

Wow!!!   

Is that YOU Frank??