SAFA Skysailor Magazine

36 SKY SAILOR September | October 2023 AIRS Safety Wrap-up sinking without enough wind to soar, but were faced with fences. The pilot then turned back into the bowl and made a hard landing. They were advised over the radio that they were in a no landing zone and to exit asap. A chipped heel and torn tendon resulted. If the search for lift is unsuccessful, execute the back-up plan: Head to a safe landing. #1386 – PG full frontal collapse, proximity to hill near miss, Vic PIC was obtaining a check flight with a Skyhigh Club SSO at Flowerdale (Vic). On their second flight, PIC was making a first pass in a NE di- rection, when they entered sink at -3.5m/s for a few seconds. This slowed to a descent rate of -1.3m/s, at which point the wing was seen to surge and take a frontal tuck. PIC went hands up and waited for the wing to recover, which it did. In doing so, the wing turned towards the hill. The SSO called on the radio for the pilot to steer the wing, which they did, regaining control and narrowly avoiding impacting the hillside. They then steered away from the hill and continued their flight, concluding later with a successful landing. PIC and SSO debriefed afterwards and SSO pointed out that the collapse could have been avoided with more active piloting. Active piloting involves the process of continually adjusting brake input and weight- shift to respond to movements of the wing and maintain the pilot’s position centered beneath it. This delicate touch takes time to master and may well have avoided the collapse. With the wing collapsed, going hands up is correct, but pilots must be prepared to apply weight-shift to counter any rotation, and apply delicate brake input to assist in catching any surge.