[Rick Masters]

Paragliding fatality #1307

Found this from April 9. A German soaring parachutist fell to his death from "hundreds of meters." The usual cause - "unknown reasons" -is given by the press, who still hesitate to say paragliders collapse in turbulence and kill their pilots, because this would make their countrymen appear, after so many identical seasons of slaughter, unbelievably stupid, i guess.

"Laut französischen Presseberichten hatte der 38-Jährige aus Medelsheim (Gemeinde Gersheim) in mehreren hundert Metern Höhe aus noch unbekannten Gründen die Kontrolle über sein Sportgerät verloren."

This guy was a German who impacted on the French side of the border. When the Frenchies found out he was a Hun, they didn't want to expend French funds on his recovery so they called the Germans to haul off his corpse by helicopter.

[wingspan33]

The costs involved in the rescue of injured CC pilots and/or the recovery of their lifeless bodies has become a significant issue in Europe. Will the public cost involved with the inherent faults of collapsible canopies finally lead to . . .

Or, will they just keep letting people die?

I took a course in college. One issue discussed was how the freedom to be stupid can also injure the greater community.

Example: Some people like to ride motorcycles without a helmet. But then, someone riding without a helmet is seriously brain injured during a crash. They have no health insurance of their own. They remain in a vegetative state for 4 years before they die. Their health care costs the State 5 million dollars over that time period.

Should dumb people be allowed to decide to NOT wear a helmet, or should the State pass laws to protect the dumb from injury and the citizens of the State from huge medical costs? The conclusion was - The State/Community has an obligation to limit the freedoms of people too dumb to ensure their own safety. Now, replace "motorcycle rider with no helmet" with "collapsible canopy pilot".

People with sense keep paying for dumb people, or, people with sense pass laws to end or seriously limit the use of collapsible canopies.

[JoeF]

FAA paraphrased: Pilots are to do no harm to people on the ground or in the air.

Per wingspan333, a case is building where the FAA may disallow inhabited high-aspect ratio soaring parachutes (Paragliders), unless a flight securely avoids the PDMC by using specialized aerial launching tactics and specialized flight terminating (such as cutaway above 1000 ft above PDMC to enter use of rescue chute).

[Rick Masters]

Paragliding death #1308
Victor Konstantinov of Bulgaria
April 22, 2015 Fethiye, TURKEY
"Fell" 200 meters.
https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/akm01
--------------
Only a paraglider can fall vertically - after it has collapsed.

It is impossible to "dive" a hang glider 200 meters straight down. Hang gliders are designed with "reflex" and generate a very positive "pitch-up" force at high speeds. Many paraglider operators, incredibly, don't think this is important or don't understand why this is important. (This represents a severe failing of the confused national hybrid organizations.)

Many hang glider pilots, not so incredibly, will not fly a paraglider because of this.

Collapsed paragliders fall ONTO things. This is not pilot error. Paragliders collapse in turbulence. Survival becomes a crapshoot - especially if within the Paragliding Dead Man's Curve (below around 300 - 400 feet). The only way to reduce the number of people dying on collapsed paragliders is to reduce the number of people flying paragliders. Paragliders have NEVER demonstrated a low annual incidence rate. Paragliding is gambling with sudden death.

Hang gliders can fly INTO things. This is pilot error. Pilot error can be reduced with training. Hang gliders have repeatedly demonstrated a low annual incidence rate. Hang gliding is a real sport.

[Rick Masters]

people with sense pass laws to end or seriously limit the use of collapsible canopies.

It is not necessary for hang glider pilots to confront paragliding. Education will not work. Legislation will only backfire.

Disassociation is all that is needed. Let the record of each speak for itself.

Walk away. Simply walk away. Start over.

[JoeF]

Hang gliding in the USA is at an important turning point.

Some key lessons have been learned. Paragliding shows no sign of overcoming the PDMC and inland-flight addiction. Today is a marking of the 1,308th paragliding fatality. It has become for some of us unconscionable to support paragliding in any way as a public recreation sport.

Each HG pilot in the world has an opportunity to focus his or her funds and time. How long will it take before the world sees orgs that are HG focused without the PG fiasco?

[Rick Masters]

End of tandem parachute or PG flight, Turkey, April 4.

[JoeF]

[JoeF]

When "99" is just not a big enough number:
Listen to the explorer's exclamation.

[JoeF]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_R ... mania.html
Paraglider crashes into sunbathers on beach
Watch the moment a paraglider crash lands into a group of sunbathers in Bulgaria