Would you fly into this?
Photo courtesy of “Julie”
There have been two stories lately in the paper… the latest being today, in the Sydney Morning Herald about a fatal glider accident where the pilot was decapitated.
Of course, with the gliding community being so small, the news is a hot topic on mailing lists / forums etc. Most want to know why the glider pilot (or the instructore sitting in the back) did not execute a “ground loop”, a procedure where a glider rolling on the ground digs a wing into the dirt, spinning the glider around (and most likely writing it off in the process), but stopping its forward momentum towards a deadly obstacle.
However, as a pilot I know that it’s all about circumstances, and with the speed things happen it’s all too easy to judge someone. I’ve also been in a situation where the glider / tug combination was not climbing as quickly as expected, and it’s a truly frightening experience when you realise you have no emergency options, and sometimes you have to make a choice between breaking the plane, or potentially ending up in a fatal situation for both you and the tug pilot.
However, the other story is one that truly perplexed me. It was the one about a German paraglider pilot who got sucked into a storm, and managed to survive. Unfortunately, on the same day a Chinese paraglider pilot got sucked into another storm and died.
Now, thunderstorms are truly frightening things when you are in the air. Dark, and towering over you ominously, they can create an uplift of up to 60 kts, downdrafts perhaps even faster, and ferocious winds that far bigger planes dare not go near. Not to mention “sparkage”, or lightning. Keep in mind that this person is not even flying a rigid wing aircraft… she was hanging from an oversized kite..
In the recent Australian Junior Nationals Championships, we had a day where a thunderstorm was blocking off my route, and to go around it would require a 30-40 km detour and a probability that I would not get back. I remember flying about 10 km from the front of the storm, trying to get around when other gliders reported to me that they saw lightnight strike right next to my aircraft. I made the decision then and there to abort task and go home, which although lost me many competition points on the day, meant I didn’t land in a paddock (a potentially dangerous situation, especially when storms are around) and got home safely. That’s what I don’t like about competitions… people take them too seriously and put their safety at risk. One can argue that real risk is the only way you win, but is a dead winner really a winner?
The German paraglider pilot in the SMH story I fear fell into that category. She states she didn’t “see the storm” in later interviews, but I do not comprehend how a situationally-aware pilot (like she should be), could not see a 60,000-foot cloud spitting out hail and rain (and possibly making sounds and flashes of light for extra effect). I’m willing to gamble she took the risk of trying to outrun in, and took that risk in order to gain a competitive advantage.
I’m willing to bet she now has a decent respect for thunderstorms.
or 
However, have a look around on other sites and you will be surprised how many of them have feeds.
Needless to say, my brother and his wife are very proud, but still find it all quite surreal. Adam and I went to visit the little bub on Saturday night after work, and it’s always amazing just how small they are! Tiny little fingers that barely wrap around my little finger. Of course I think she is extremely cute, but then again I’m biased 
Here is Adam, with Courney. I think he’d make good father 
