SAFA Skysailor Magazine

23 November | December 2023 SKY SAILOR get my feet down, but this time was pitched forward falling headlong down the slope. My right shoulder impacted a rock below the launch surface and about 5m from the road, resulting in multiple fractures of the humerus including breaking off the rotator cuff. I made a radio call indicating I was not okay, and local pilots came to my assistance. I was taken to Salamanca Hospital, where x-rays were taken and the diagnosis made. I then contacted my travel insurance provider. After reviewing the x-ray, they determined that surgery was not immediately required, but they would fly me home Business Class. This was achieved four days later, taking 2.5 days. On my return to Hobart, I presented myself at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and was later assessed by the orthopedics team as requiring emergency/urgent surgery. This was performed in the week following my return. A recovery period of 6 to 12 months is indicat- ed, provided this operation proves successful. If not, shoulder replacement surgery will be required. What went wrong? A number of things… Let’s look first at the site. The Peñanegra launch surface is quite shallow and sits at 1910m amsl, slightly lower than the launch at the summit of Babadağ at Ӧlüdeniz in Turkey (1965m amsl). When flying while living in Turkey, I did not consciously compensate for the altitude of the various launches. Thinking about it though, I guess launching at altitude required a slightly longer run from me in lighter conditions – there are less air molecules at altitude to flow over the wing surfaces and therefore less lift generated. This did not even cross my mind this time. An added factor in this equation was the humidity and temperature: 35% humidity (significantly less than we experience here in Tasmania) and 25°C. Again, fewer molecules and less lift. A major complication was that we only had half the launch surface available to us because of the HG competition participants. The previous day, whilst heavily jet-lagged, I did a top-to-bottom flight. There was a reasonable Figure 2: Spanish x-ray (left); surgical wound (right) Figure 3: Post-op x-rays