US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Ground loop mitigation.

I could use some assistance coming to a solution whereby one could mitigate damage by their action while in the process of a ground loop.

We have been through how best to crash and not tear a rotator cuff by letting go of the control frame before impact but consider this:

Long ago as the high school diver on our swimming team I knew that in order to increase the rotation of a somersault or a twisting dive I would have to either tuck into the smallest ball possible or draw my arms in as close to my body as possible.

Watching Olympic figure skaters I could see them doing the same thing while spinning on the ice. As they drew their arms in closer to the point of rotation the spinning would increase in speed.

Okay now onto the ground loop in progress. The right wing just hit the ground in the LZ. Everything else is still off of the ground. (But not for long.)

Before we let go of the control frame due to the impending impact. Would we fare better if we moved our body closer to the grounded wing tip or away from it?

Hi Bill

This sounds like a good question.

Instructors or flight park owners might be able to give a more informed opinion. They see it most often, I'd guess.

Thanks Sam, for the feedback.
Just after I posted I came up with the pole-vault scenario. Could the ground loop be likened to whether or not a pole-vaulter had tried to gain more distance from the anchor point of the pole or aborted and tried for the airbag landing area underneath the bar? (Does that make sense?)

I’m now thinking that my first two premise scenarios (Diver and figure skater) have more to do with centrifugal force and that my third scenario, dealing with a pole vaulter and the force applied to a lever, would be a more likely analogy.

I’m still working on it though and thank haven this problem has us suspended in mid ground loop before impact (stop action if you will,) while I decide what to do before arriving at the scene of the accident.