SAFA Skysailor Magazine

43 May | June 2022 SKY SAILOR Acute Care Clinic, where a sprained wrist was diagnosed. PIC was wearing heavy, infrequently worn boots at the time. Pilots are urged to ensure launch surfaces are clear of potential hazards before committing to launch. AIRS #1483 – Launch accident at Paragliding State of Origin PIC was participating in their first competition at the State of Origin 2021 at Manilla (NSW). They set up to follow their team leader from the NE side of the East launch, a position they did not prefer. They inflated their wing in a reverse launch and perceived the wind was crossed from the left (east). A witness later confirmed that at the time of this incident, the wind was, if anything, slightly crossed from the right. The PIC realised as they were running that they were about 45 degrees off course, but believed they had compensated for the crosswind by running across the slope. Ahead were two saplings and they elected to fly between them and committed to the launch. PIC became airborne, continuing their flight path without correction, but then sank into tall grass between the upper and lower east launches. They sank further than they expect- ed into the grass and fell forward, impacting a hidden boulder. The pilot travelled to Tamworth Base Hospital for a full assessment but was lucky to only have a broken tooth, whiplash and bruising. The PIC was feeling stressed with the new experience of flying in competition and being confronted with increased scrutiny on launch. This resulted in a loss of situational awareness with respect to the wind direction. As a result, they incorrectly interpreted the wind direction and elected to run across the terrain, rather than correcting on inflation, running downslope and flying away from the hill. This approach had worked earlier in the day, and the pilot was expecting the same result. It is important when feeling uncomfortable or stressed on launch to recognise this and avoid the trap of becoming fixated or narrowing your observations. Take a deep breath and slow things down. Forms and Documents SAFA Documents are now available in the Member Zone of the SAFA website . To access them select then select ‘Documents’ in the left-hand menu. These documents are constantly updated, so download them only when required. DO NOT save them for later use. The office will not accept outdated forms. Documents available to the general public are accessible on the website under: ‘Pilot Tools’  Forms & Docs Visiting Pilot Membership Pilots requiring Visiting Pilot Memberships please go to www.safa. asn.au/visiting-international-pilots SAFA Office Manager