SAFA Skysailor Magazine

38 SKY SAILOR September | October 2021 The pilot sustained a stable fracture to their lower back and was recovering well. Pilots must pay close attention during site briefings to areas to be avoided due to rotor or other hazards. They must also be aware of their height and note factors that could lead to greater height loss than anticipated. Finally, avoid landing whilst in a turn as the forces involved are considerably higher than a tailwind landing. We’ll leave Rainbow Beach with a slightly different report on the theme… AIRS #1348 – Blown over the back before landing An international visiting pilot (VP) had arrived on launch with another pilot. The pilot was advised that the wind strength was due to increase during the afternoon. VP had selected UHF radio channel 13 but had not asked what channel other pilots were using and did not carry out a radio check. They launched and their flying was fine, top landing a few times. After launching and ridge soaring for a while VP noticed they were gaining altitude quite quickly. They tried to push forward to get in front of the ridge, but had no forward speed and were being pushed backwards. They then pushed full speed bar, but this had no effect. The pilot noticed two other pilots pushing out in front of the ridge, spiralling down, and heading to land on the beach. Realising they would not be able to get back in front of the ridge, at an altitude of approx- imately 600m ASL, VP has decided to turn downwind and head to a clear area behind Rainbow Beach township to land. They picked a place to land behind trees and made the decision to turn and land into wind at the last possible moment to have as much airspeed as possible. They landed safely and gave a statement to Police as well as speaking to the SSO about the incident. When flying any site always check which radio frequency is used, and always do a radio check to make sure you can be heard, and you can hear others. When wind conditions change, other pilots or a safety officer will warn pilots of changes in weather conditions. When flying coastal sites always keep an eye on the water for signs of an increase in wind strength, direction, or rain squalls. In stronger conditions do not fly over the ridge or behind, keep far out in front to give yourself time to take evasive action, always keep an eye on your ground speed to see your glider can still penetrate the wind strength. The pilot made the correct decision once they had realised that they were not going to be able to get back in front of the ridge and were getting pushed back over the ridge. They then turned tailwind to get as far away from the ridge as possible and land in the safest place possible. The outcome here was good but could have been a lot more serious. Now for a couple of reports from Stanwell Park (NSW). AIRS #1321 – Top landing wrist Injury PIC was preparing to top-land into the east launch top-landing area at Stanwell Park. PIC encountered some unexpected lift leaving them with a final glide trajectory that was AIRS Safety Wrap-up