SAFA Skysailor Magazine

67 AUTUMN 2026 | March-April-May SKY SAILOR had been working with no problems. On the last approach, as the pilot attempted to turn away from terrain, they hit turbulence and a lack of ridge lift due to a shift in wind direction. This has caused the glider to not turn away from the ridge and resulted in the PIC impacting the sand dune. This section of the sand dune is very steep. The pilot managed to secure themselves on some vegetation to prevent slipping down the dune, and a fellow pilot landed close by and assisted in securing the pilot on the dune. Emergency services were called and the pilot was air lifted to the hospital. The pilot suffered three compressed vertebrae from the incident and is expected to make a full recovery with no surgical intervention. There was no damage to equipment. The pilot was flying a parakite; these particular styles of paraglider are designed for fast swooping and close proximity to terrain. They have reflex built into the canopy which makes them more resistant to collapses, however, when they hit turbulence, they tend to go soft on the brakes and steering ability is lost. Pilots must be aware that when flying this type of glider, they will not feel the collapse the same as on a normal glider. Parakites react differently to turbulence. Pilots must monitor the conditions at all times and watch for a change in direction of wind or strength. In this case, the sand dunes are deep in between higher sections of dunes, so when you get really close to terrain and the wind changes, these low parts of the dune are now subject to turbulence created by the higher dunes. Also, a pilot must always fly defensively and always have an abort plan in place. Flying parakites requires a lot of experience, and a lot more monitoring of small changes in weather conditions due to its close proximity to terrain. When flying a normal paraglider, a small shift in wind direction may not affect it. But when flying close to terrain and generally in strong winds, a small shift in wind direction can have a massive impact on your glider due to turbulence created from the terrain. #2029 – Heavy PG landing, Qld/S PIC was landing their paraglider in the LZ at Hinchies (Qld/S) in a southerly airflow, a situation they were not familiar with.