Paragliding 'Pole Dancing'...

At the end of 12 hours out on the Hills & Ridges in Fife and Angus with students & club members, it's time for some PlayTime :-)
Precision Paragliding providing an alternative to the BHPA since the late 90's for BHPA & ex-BHPA pilots wishing to RE-train or new pilot entering the sport who do NOT wish to risk the standards/accident rates produced by 'normal' PG theory, practices & procedures!

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• PG
• Precision
• Paragliding
• ESPclub
• Scotland
• NOT
• BHPA
• Tayside

[murrayhay]

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'

[SonOfRojBlake]

One possibly pedantic point - a reserve parachute won't kill you. It might fail to save you... ;-)

[murrayhay]

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]

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]

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!

[SonOfRojBlake]

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?

[murrayhay]

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]

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)

[SonOfRojBlake]

OK, I understand.

Do you fly without a reserve parachute?

[murrayhay]

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).