Back in the late '80s there was a hang glider pilot in Ellenville, NY who shouldn't have been a hang glider pilot. While he LOVED hang gliding, he wasn't that good at it. And there's a connection here with collapsible canopies. Since it's easier to begin to learn how to fly paragliders, a student - who may not have the above average skills required to be an aviator - is easily convinced that they have "what it takes".
Sadly, as many of us here understand, it's harder (or impossible) to master a papraglider (as opposed to mastering the flight characteristics of a hang glider). So the naive (i.e. idiot) paragliding enthusiast is quickly (and often purposefully) lulled into the "this is the perfect aircraft" way of thinking. Then, some time later, typical atmospheric turbulence deflates their canopy and down they come - hurt or killed by the impact.
Since human beings evolved mainly in a 2D world*, as a majority, we are not necessarily skilled at large scale 3D movement. However a BIG number of human beings like to
dream about flying. And since a few exceptional people began leading us into the air over 100 years ago, those who dream about flying began to feel that they may actually be able to LEARN to fly.
Now you don't have to be brilliant to fly, but at least smart with an advanced sense of movement in 3 dimensions. You can't simply wish yourself into being a good aviator.
But regarding collapsible canopies, it's been made a lot easier for someone not truly suited to being an aviator to "wish" themselves into the sky. It must be noted that an understanding of basic aerodynamic principles is also required for aviator. This is where the marketing and "teaching" of paragliding require "idiots" as the inductees. Collapsible canopy students can't figure out why other aircraft (besides blips) have solid air frames. They can't figure out that they are being taught to fly the most complex form of parachute, which, for that reason, is more likely to suffer a failure in air. These students can't figure out that they are typically taught how to fly in thermals (i.e. atmospheric turbulence) and that turbulence can cause a PG to become a collapsed canopy dropping them to their death.
I would guess that skilled and capable aviators (not just flight dreamers) should be placed to the right of the mid point on the bell curve of of human intelligence. Unfortunately, that leaves a very large population of "flight dreamers" available to the collapsible canopy marketeers. These are the people who love the idea of flying, but probably shouldn't be doing it. The mere fact that they can be convinced that paragliders are safe (even safer than hang gliders?
) means they lack the critical intellectual skills required to be capable aviators. One could easily determine that the collapsible canopy marketeers "live" on customers who may be described as "suckers" and/or "idiots".
Like the fellow who wasn't that good of a hang glider pilot back in Ellenville, many collapsible canopy occupants LOVE the
idea of flying. It's the money grubbing marketeers who manipulate the
dream of flying into wads of cash in their pockets and bank accounts. While doing so these marketeers send the naive, ignorant and uninformed to suffer significant injury, or to die.
*Although tree climbing surely took us into a limited third dimension.
by Rick Masters » Mon Oct 23, 2017 2:32 pm 
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