Just like with helmets I own a considerable number of reserves for loan to club members.
They are for flying in the circumstances where having a reserve results in a ballance in favour of safety i.e. the benifit outweighs the risks of flying with a reserve.
Over the years we have had several incidents CAUSED by reserves, fortunatly none resulted in an accident (other than minor scrape).
(incident = no actual damage or injury sustained, accident = damage and/or injury of note)
One harness+reserve baught 2nd hand would have KILLED if used (packing faults)!
Selling Pilot had paid a 'BHPA licenced packer' for re-pack, as she would not tell me who had re-packed it I passed her name on to the BHPA in the hope that they would 'pull' the re-packers 'licence'.
By the way one of the articles I wrote for 'Paraglider Magazine' was on 'How to survive (accidental) Low Level Deployments'.
I've done as many as FIVE test deployments in one hour so know a LOT about reserves!
The Reserve AND harness were baught from a lady BHPA 'pilot' leaving the sport, the reserve had recently been 'Checked & RE-PACKED' AND RE-INSTALED by a 'licenced' BHPA packer...
Due to ERRORS made by the 'licenced' packer if the reserve had been deployed it would have provided just enough drag to stop the wing from flying (down plane) BUT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OPEN FULLY AND GIVE A SURVIVABLE DECENT RATE..
MAIN ERROR: No. 1 line was tied to the PDA (center) line!
One 'KEY selling point' (in her advert) was 'Recently checked & re-packed'.
Note: this was NOT a 'selling point' for me as knowing better I do not trust the BHPA to train packers/coaches/instructors etc.
I'm ALWAYS avaliable to check (working along with the pilot) members harness & reserves for any potential safety issues/instalation/packing problems, mostly the problems if there are any relate to the deployment bag/handle/pins/connections.
Yes but the website is badly overdue a update/sort code errors/broken links and the need to add the missing articles/pictures/video not too mention a few Typos & US v UK 'spelling' issues!
As with the days drawing in, PG training is finishing at 8pm now I should get time to sort the website over the winter.
Certainly, NOTE it's not just HP&L, but that's one MAJOR factor in PG accidents:
Both from Human Performance & Limitations factors AND due to the reduction in control authority/feedback etc. (longer brake travel being a prime example) pilots who choose the PASSIVE safety approach to paragliding.. i.e. my wing/harness/helmet/boots/reserve will help keep me safe are significantly MORE likely to have an 'incident' (no injury/damage) that may (easily!) result in an 'accident' (injury/damage).
One other thing - I've noticed in some of your other videos that you fly without gloves. 2 observations:
1. Don't you get cold?? After an hour in the air, even WITH gloves, my fingers start to get chilly even on a good day, and I'm not a guy who gets cold easily.
2. I wouldn't fly a *kite* without gloves after seeing what a tensioned line did to someone's fingers.
I can understand avoiding gloves easier than I can understand avoiding a helmet, though, as they do affect dexterity.
Hi Simon, just back in from flying a couple of sites ;-)
1) Cold hands.. nope, but then I also fly wearing a kilt! Occasionaly I use finger-less gloves, of course full gloves for ski/fly days.
2) Yep line burns can be nasty, the only one I've got is a 2" scar on my left (outer side) knee, the line 'cut' a grove several mm deep WITHOUT cutting through the trousers...
So Gloves provide some LIMITED protection from lines, SCIENCE & good procedures are FAR better 'protection' for the hands!
For most serious PG impacts a helmet provides little or no safety gain, they do however provide significant (UP TO A POINT!) protection in the types of PG accidents which are DIRECTLY CONNECTED with the errors/failings in 'normal' PG training!
There are SIGNIFICANT (HP&L) safety issues WITH linked to use of PASSIVE protection.
A helmet would for me if anything, give rise to a (slight) REDUCTION in safety, this is NOT due to HP&L issues but the slight reduction in 'information input'.
Comments re: helmets notwithstanding, that is some Precision! Speaks of many, many hours of practice, which all of us, regardless of anything else, could do with.
Remember Helmets (especially PG ones) give ONLY very, VERY limited 'passive' safety... So the ONLY times (in almost 4,000 hours flying on DHV 2-3 or Comp wings) I've worn a helmet are for warmth (mid winter) or when filming (helmet cam)..
Aviation SAFETY in paragliding is EASY, which is why for the last ten years 75% of my students have been RE-training (ex)bhpa 'pilots'...
IF you are trully intrested in PG safety I suggest you try getting the BHPA to stop killing/hurting their members...
Sounds like famous last words to me... and who said anything about the bhpa or any other organisation, I was discussing you and your head. The words "Broken" and "Record" spring to mind, and not in the Guinness Book kind of way.
'Famous last words' include 'It's Ok he's read The Pilot Handbook' (BHPA advert of their training handbook)
Remember PASSIVE safety only (SLIGHTLY) improves the chance of SURVIVING a accident.. As I NEVER EVER fly using 'normal' theory/practice/procedures I am NOT exposed to the risks 'normal' (BHPA) pilots face!
'Broken' LOTS of 'normal' trained pilots end up broken due to the 'normal' (APPALLING) safety 'Record'!
I've shown for 10 yrs it's EASY to cut PG accident rates by 90+%!
Two words: subdural haematoma. I don't get it. Why would anyone, ever, not wear a helmet? I wear a helmet rock climbing, snowboarding, kitesurfing, kitebuggying, even cycling. The incremental increase in my safety is probably tiny. Against that, what? Looking a bit dorky? Flattened hair? Wearing a helmet in any active sport is just common sense if there's ANY chance of head injury. Militantly not wearing one just makes you look like an arrogant jerk.(Not saying you ARE - saying you LOOK like...)
The VERY limited PASSIVE protection provided by a PG helmet is mainly (like padded/airbag PG harnesses) going to help in 'stall on landing/take off type 'normal' PG accidents, involving a fairly vertical/low level drop/impact.
They also provide a certain (full face better) level of protection in PG 'drag' accidents (padded harnesses and 'normal' training INCREASE the risk of this happening!)
By the way due to the diffrent risk factors I often wear a helmet for skiing/snowboarding.
I still don't get it. You own a helmet. Why wouldn't you wear it? However limited the protection? In 12 years of snowboarding and 20+ years of rock climbing I have never, ever "needed" a helmet. I still wear one, because... why wouldn't you? It causes no detriment to performance, and any false sense of invulnerability wears off after the first hour, after which you forget it's there. Do you wear a seatbelt in a car, or do you drive according to your own theories and never have accidents?
Off road I never use a seat belt as they increase the dangers of injury Paul's dad Capt. Cutts died BECAUSE (on road in Germany while on exercise attached to the TA) he was wearing a seat belt!
I've seen quite a few PG pilots WEARING helmets suffer head injuries, that said Ali (been flying 20 years) when he went went skiding over the rocks yesterday evening was no doubt helped by the passive safety of his helmet, me I found the conditions easy and went down and spot landed next him.
In my 'day job' as a commercial photographer I've done quite a lot of (advertising) photos of 'the other kind' of pole dancing, in fact last time it was of Louise an ex-girlfriend of mine that happened to be the dancer...
NB (JW) she didn't have any tassels so they are not mandatory ;-)
Maureen did the filming (BIG Thanks), she is 3/4 of the way through her training and is on about 15 hours airtime (mix of Dual Control Tandem and solo) in the last few months, clips from her first flights at one of our top drivable Fife sites should be up by tommorow.
OK, I understand.
Do you fly without a reserve parachute?
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Yes.
Just like with helmets I own a considerable number of reserves for loan to club members.
They are for flying in the circumstances where having a reserve results in a ballance in favour of safety i.e. the benifit outweighs the risks of flying with a reserve.
Over the years we have had several incidents CAUSED by reserves, fortunatly none resulted in an accident (other than minor scrape).
(incident = no actual damage or injury sustained, accident = damage and/or injury of note)
murrayhay 3 years ago
One harness+reserve baught 2nd hand would have KILLED if used (packing faults)!
Selling Pilot had paid a 'BHPA licenced packer' for re-pack, as she would not tell me who had re-packed it I passed her name on to the BHPA in the hope that they would 'pull' the re-packers 'licence'.
By the way one of the articles I wrote for 'Paraglider Magazine' was on 'How to survive (accidental) Low Level Deployments'.
I've done as many as FIVE test deployments in one hour so know a LOT about reserves!
murrayhay 3 years ago
To be honest, anyone who buys a second hand reserve and used it "out of the box" is probably going to get killed soon anyway.
Are your articles for 'Paraglider Magazine' available online?
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
The Reserve AND harness were baught from a lady BHPA 'pilot' leaving the sport, the reserve had recently been 'Checked & RE-PACKED' AND RE-INSTALED by a 'licenced' BHPA packer...
Due to ERRORS made by the 'licenced' packer if the reserve had been deployed it would have provided just enough drag to stop the wing from flying (down plane) BUT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO OPEN FULLY AND GIVE A SURVIVABLE DECENT RATE..
MAIN ERROR: No. 1 line was tied to the PDA (center) line!
murrayhay 3 years ago
Part 2
One 'KEY selling point' (in her advert) was 'Recently checked & re-packed'.
Note: this was NOT a 'selling point' for me as knowing better I do not trust the BHPA to train packers/coaches/instructors etc.
I'm ALWAYS avaliable to check (working along with the pilot) members harness & reserves for any potential safety issues/instalation/packing problems, mostly the problems if there are any relate to the deployment bag/handle/pins/connections.
Velcro 'bonding' is also an issue.
murrayhay 3 years ago
Paraglider Magazine (.info)
Yes but the website is badly overdue a update/sort code errors/broken links and the need to add the missing articles/pictures/video not too mention a few Typos & US v UK 'spelling' issues!
As with the days drawing in, PG training is finishing at 8pm now I should get time to sort the website over the winter.
murrayhay 3 years ago
One possibly pedantic point - a reserve parachute won't kill you. It might fail to save you... ;-)
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Actualy flying with a reserve adds significant risks of death or injury which pilots need to ballance with the odds of it saving you..
Risks include: HP&L factors (pilot 'feels' safe)
Accidental deployment (esp. below a couple of 100 ft)
Loss/lack of control of direction (landing location) on use.
Wing/reserve 'fighting' due to any failings/errors in deployment.
Errors in packing/fitment.
Rendering your wing 'uncertified', some front mount designs stop harness working as 'GH'
murrayhay 3 years ago
Sorry, could you explain this?
"There are SIGNIFICANT (HP&L) safety issues WITH linked to use of PASSIVE protection."
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Certainly, NOTE it's not just HP&L, but that's one MAJOR factor in PG accidents:
Both from Human Performance & Limitations factors AND due to the reduction in control authority/feedback etc. (longer brake travel being a prime example) pilots who choose the PASSIVE safety approach to paragliding.. i.e. my wing/harness/helmet/boots/reserve will help keep me safe are significantly MORE likely to have an 'incident' (no injury/damage) that may (easily!) result in an 'accident' (injury/damage).
murrayhay 3 years ago
One other thing - I've noticed in some of your other videos that you fly without gloves. 2 observations:
1. Don't you get cold?? After an hour in the air, even WITH gloves, my fingers start to get chilly even on a good day, and I'm not a guy who gets cold easily.
2. I wouldn't fly a *kite* without gloves after seeing what a tensioned line did to someone's fingers.
I can understand avoiding gloves easier than I can understand avoiding a helmet, though, as they do affect dexterity.
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Hi Simon, just back in from flying a couple of sites ;-)
1) Cold hands.. nope, but then I also fly wearing a kilt! Occasionaly I use finger-less gloves, of course full gloves for ski/fly days.
2) Yep line burns can be nasty, the only one I've got is a 2" scar on my left (outer side) knee, the line 'cut' a grove several mm deep WITHOUT cutting through the trousers...
So Gloves provide some LIMITED protection from lines, SCIENCE & good procedures are FAR better 'protection' for the hands!
murrayhay 3 years ago
Sorry, I still don't understand the reasoning.
1. PG pilot wears helmet.
2. PG pilot experiences impact and suffers head injury *despite* helmet.
Your conclusion:
3. Don't wear a helmet.
I suggest a more logical conclusion is
3. The injury would have been MUCH worse without the helmet, good job he was wearing one.
I ask again: you own a helmet; wearing it doesn't affect performance; it offers a marginal increase in safety; why would you fly without it?
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
For most serious PG impacts a helmet provides little or no safety gain, they do however provide significant (UP TO A POINT!) protection in the types of PG accidents which are DIRECTLY CONNECTED with the errors/failings in 'normal' PG training!
There are SIGNIFICANT (HP&L) safety issues WITH linked to use of PASSIVE protection.
A helmet would for me if anything, give rise to a (slight) REDUCTION in safety, this is NOT due to HP&L issues but the slight reduction in 'information input'.
murrayhay 3 years ago
Comments re: helmets notwithstanding, that is some Precision! Speaks of many, many hours of practice, which all of us, regardless of anything else, could do with.
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Hi, to be honest flying close to this standard only takes a little practice provided the pilot bases what they do on science!
However it is a LOT easier to do this on a 'high' DHV rated wing than on say a DHV 1.
murrayhay 3 years ago
A superb demonstration of flying skill by the maestro himself. Brilliant!
Strutty1956 3 years ago
wheres your helmet, safety boy?
flyfreeX 3 years ago
Remember Helmets (especially PG ones) give ONLY very, VERY limited 'passive' safety... So the ONLY times (in almost 4,000 hours flying on DHV 2-3 or Comp wings) I've worn a helmet are for warmth (mid winter) or when filming (helmet cam)..
Aviation SAFETY in paragliding is EASY, which is why for the last ten years 75% of my students have been RE-training (ex)bhpa 'pilots'...
IF you are trully intrested in PG safety I suggest you try getting the BHPA to stop killing/hurting their members...
murrayhay 3 years ago
Sounds like famous last words to me... and who said anything about the bhpa or any other organisation, I was discussing you and your head. The words "Broken" and "Record" spring to mind, and not in the Guinness Book kind of way.
flyfreeX 3 years ago
'Famous last words' include 'It's Ok he's read The Pilot Handbook' (BHPA advert of their training handbook)
Remember PASSIVE safety only (SLIGHTLY) improves the chance of SURVIVING a accident.. As I NEVER EVER fly using 'normal' theory/practice/procedures I am NOT exposed to the risks 'normal' (BHPA) pilots face!
'Broken' LOTS of 'normal' trained pilots end up broken due to the 'normal' (APPALLING) safety 'Record'!
I've shown for 10 yrs it's EASY to cut PG accident rates by 90+%!
murrayhay 3 years ago
Two words: subdural haematoma. I don't get it. Why would anyone, ever, not wear a helmet? I wear a helmet rock climbing, snowboarding, kitesurfing, kitebuggying, even cycling. The incremental increase in my safety is probably tiny. Against that, what? Looking a bit dorky? Flattened hair? Wearing a helmet in any active sport is just common sense if there's ANY chance of head injury. Militantly not wearing one just makes you look like an arrogant jerk.(Not saying you ARE - saying you LOOK like...)
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
The VERY limited PASSIVE protection provided by a PG helmet is mainly (like padded/airbag PG harnesses) going to help in 'stall on landing/take off type 'normal' PG accidents, involving a fairly vertical/low level drop/impact.
They also provide a certain (full face better) level of protection in PG 'drag' accidents (padded harnesses and 'normal' training INCREASE the risk of this happening!)
By the way due to the diffrent risk factors I often wear a helmet for skiing/snowboarding.
murrayhay 3 years ago
I still don't get it. You own a helmet. Why wouldn't you wear it? However limited the protection? In 12 years of snowboarding and 20+ years of rock climbing I have never, ever "needed" a helmet. I still wear one, because... why wouldn't you? It causes no detriment to performance, and any false sense of invulnerability wears off after the first hour, after which you forget it's there. Do you wear a seatbelt in a car, or do you drive according to your own theories and never have accidents?
SonOfRojBlake 3 years ago
Off road I never use a seat belt as they increase the dangers of injury Paul's dad Capt. Cutts died BECAUSE (on road in Germany while on exercise attached to the TA) he was wearing a seat belt!
I've seen quite a few PG pilots WEARING helmets suffer head injuries, that said Ali (been flying 20 years) when he went went skiding over the rocks yesterday evening was no doubt helped by the passive safety of his helmet, me I found the conditions easy and went down and spot landed next him.
murrayhay 3 years ago
Very nice Murray!
flyWingNut 3 years ago
Cool Murray, not been out for ages myself mostly due the crap weather and lack of money, never mind such is life mate, keep it up mate.
johnnyblunder 3 years ago
the pole dancing was cool ! but i did not see any tassels? :)
johnnwhite 3 years ago
Not the kind of pole dancing I had in mind - but very good anyway!
Murmur2k 3 years ago
In my 'day job' as a commercial photographer I've done quite a lot of (advertising) photos of 'the other kind' of pole dancing, in fact last time it was of Louise an ex-girlfriend of mine that happened to be the dancer...
NB (JW) she didn't have any tassels so they are not mandatory ;-)
murrayhay 3 years ago
You legend!
Murmur2k 3 years ago
Maureen did the filming (BIG Thanks), she is 3/4 of the way through her training and is on about 15 hours airtime (mix of Dual Control Tandem and solo) in the last few months, clips from her first flights at one of our top drivable Fife sites should be up by tommorow.
murrayhay 3 years ago
LMNO!
johnnwhite 3 years ago