SAFA Skysailor Magazine

37 September | October 2022 SKY SAILOR due to not having enough clearance over the fence. As they walked the wing back, while kiting for a second launch attempt, they were distracted by a couple of pilots who had just arrived. PIC failed to catch the wing on a minor surge, which then took a frontal collapse and fell behind the pilot on its trailing edge, with the pilot still facing into wind. Rather than killing the wing with the C risers, the pilot elected to immediately reinflate the wing, then turn and run towards it to reduce the strength of the pull from the inflation. The pilot had not finished their turn toward the wing when it pulled strongly as it inflated. The pilot’s right foot was on the ground in the act of turning with an overly straight knee, and the force of the inflation caused the knee to be twisted and sprained. The pilot ended up lying on the ground and managed to grab the trailing edge of the wing to prevent infla- tion. The sprain was bad enough to prevent walking, but witnesses were immediately on the scene and rendered assistance to immo- bilise the wing, pack up the equipment and call the pilot’s partner who took them to hospital. Torn ligaments were diagnosed. Don’t allow yourself to become distracted when launching and don’t rush the process. If need be, reset the launch sequence and start again. When kiting the wing in stronger conditions, be prepared for unexpected wing behaviour, keep the legs bent and load the wing with your weight, ready to move under it or kill it with A or rear risers. Staying in Victoria, but heading out west… #1633 – PG losing control on launch causing unplanned landing on cliff at Portland Nuns Beach A very low-airtime pilot launched at Nuns Beach (Vic). They became distracted imme- diately after launch whilst settling into their harness. PIC attempted to deal with the issue whilst still holding the brakes, causing the wing to lose speed and altitude, giving the PIC no choice but to land in bushes 4m below launch. Deal with secondary issues when you are well away from your launch and have sufficient height to do so safely. If unable to do this, land immediately. #1583 – PG meets dust devil, Mt Black After a successful inland flight at Mt Black (Gordon, Vic), PIC was ground handling in the LZ when a dust devil spontaneously launched glider and pilot to approximately 20m agl. The pilot was able to gain control and successfully land. Nil damage to equipment or pilot. Whilst clipped into harness with glider attached, have a helmet on and be in readiness to fly. An awareness that the glider can launch spontaneously in certain atmospheric conditions, should always be maintained. #1504 – Incident while training for PHG endorsement (Airborne V-lite) PIC was undertaking training with a CFI for their Powered Hang Glider endorsement, in their co-owned Airborne V-Light, at Ararat airfield (Vic). Conditions were mildly thermic with a wind of 8kt and gusts of +/-3kt, at 140 degrees (runway is 120 degrees). PIC was per- forming a required task at 50ft agl when they