SAFA Skysailor Magazine

36 SKY SAILOR September | October 2021 The terrain changes direction by 90 degrees at this section which is 100 metres SW of the Jarosite launch. There is often a head wind and rotor at this corner, and higher altitude is required to successfully traverse this section. We’ll finish the vegetative matters with an encounter with the infamous Taswegian ‘horizontal scrub’… AIRS #1479 – Bush bashing and a chopper ride PIC was flying XC vol biv in SW Tasmania, was getting low and decided to top land and wait for better thermic conditions. PIC then decided to hike the ridge to a more appropriate launch site. On the hike, PIC ended up getting stuck in thick horizontal scrub (a specialty Tasmanian hazard), only gaining 100 metres in more than two hours. PIC was running low on water and concerned they wouldn’t get out before dark, so decided to send an SOS on their Garmin InReach. PIC ended up getting through the scrub after another 1.5 hours and cancelled the SOS, but the chopper was already dis- patched. Emergency services on arrival talked PIC into a lift back to their car because of the PIC’s level of exhaustion. Pilots endeavouring to do vol biv flights should be aware that their flying ability is only one of the required skills set required to conduct this style of flight. Skills and experience in on and off-track walking, navigating, camping/surviving, as well as a thorough understanding of the terrain, vegetation and weather specific to the area they are thinking of flying is just as important. Tasmania has some very challenging terrain and vegetation to navigate and move through so studying the area you wish to fly in is very important and will affect some of the decisions you make flying in these areas. Pilots should be prepared. Have fully charged batteries for radios and instruments, be familiar and know how to use your equipment especially InReach or Spot device; have offline maps available and have walking tracks loaded onto your flying instrument so landing options near tracks can be found well before the need to land. Don’t be afraid to send an SOS if you feel threatened, however having the ability to send an SOS does not replace the need to be prepared and have the relevant skills and experience to conduct this sort of flight. Now for some reports involving top landings that haven’t quite gone to plan. We’ll start off at Rainbow Beach on the Sunshine Coast in southern Queensland. AIRS #1349 – Stall followed by a fall PIC was flying their paraglider; the wind conditions were light NE, approximately 8kt. The PIC and the witness were the only pilots flying at the time of the incident. PIC had been ridge-soaring, then decided to land. PIC carried out standard S-turns to lose height and set up to land on the northern side of the sand blow, then carried out one final S-turn approximately 12m AGL. They applied right brake, turning away from the northern side of the sand blow, but whilst in this turn, the glider stalled and the PIC dropped vertically, impacting the ground AIRS Safety Wrap-up