SAFA Skysailor Magazine

32 SKY SAILOR September | October 2024 #1994 – PG tree landing at Mt Victoria near Blackheath launch, 20/5/2024, NSW PIC was flying their paraglider from Mt Blackheath (NSW). They continued pushing to the north towards Mt Victoria, after noting a small clearing in trees as a possible landing zone. PIC continued towards the pass, but did not find lift. They returned to the clearing, but made a tree landing when attempting to land in it. The pilot required assistance to be extracted from the tree, without injury. When deciding to glide over terrain with limited landings, always keep an altitude buffer to account for variables such as strong or changing winds, strong sink, turbulence, lack of suitable landing areas. This buffer can be essential when conditions do change, to ensure you can make it to a safe area. Keeping multiple potential landing areas within glide is important when flying XC, even over familiar terrain. Having an alternative option, even when scoping out a landing area from the air, is important in case of difficult to see obstacles such as powerlines or tall trees surrounding a potential landing area. Observation is a key skill in aviation. Be aware of the terrain, your altitude and what other more experienced pilots decide to do on a given day. Communicate with more experienced pilots to understand their assessment of conditions and why they made certain decisions. Scoping out potential landing areas from the ground first can be a good way to reduce risk when starting out XC flying. Having the correlation of what the landing looks like from the ground vs what it looks like from the air can help when making assessments of unfamiliar landing areas. Now a couple of hang glider landing reports. #1985 – Poor HG landing in soft soil, Qld/S PIC was flying their hang glider at Dalby (Qld/S). The soil in the chosen landing area was still boggy after significant rain. They failed to flare effectively, and the wheels and control frame dug in, causing a sudden stop and nose over. The pilot sustained an injured left shoulder and dislocated right shoulder. The glider a broken upright. Be aware of any previous heavy rain which may water-log the ground and may not be visible from the air. Assume the impact position or release at least one upright if a nose-in is occurring or unavoidable. #1974 – Tunkalilla HG landing accident, SA PIC was flying their hang glider at Tunkallilla (SA). A witness reported the pilot conducted 360º turns from in front of the hill to approach the designated landing area just behind the take-off slope. The first two approaches were too high and resulted in missed approaches. The third approach appeared to be the correct height above ground but possibly too fast. The pilot overshot the landing area and turned the glider crosswind at the top of the take-off slope. On turning crosswind, the glider stalled and impacted the ground on the right side of the base bar, nose and the right wing tip. The glider turned and stopped upright, but facing slightly downwind. The pilot sustained AIRS Safety Wrap-up