Now that's a close call

tawood

tawood

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Tim
Not an accident, but almost.


Especially relevant to me right now, as I just missed a powered parachute the other day. I was flying into the sun at 4500 MSL (3500 AGL) and I just missed it off my left wing.
 
At least planes fly in a 3 dimensional space so they have one more dimension to spare.
Nothing you can do about it if this was a boat.
 
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Yikes. That was close. That would be bad. Very bad.
 
He seemed to be looking at the incoming a/c but remained motionless?
If I saw it, I think I'd be at least trying to disconnect..or pull the knife out?
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
He seemed to be looking at the incoming a/c but remained motionless?
If I saw it, I think I'd be at least trying to disconnect..or pull the knife out?
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I noticed that too. He just froze, then disconnected much later (way too late if it had struck).
 
Oof, if he wasn't wearing his brown pants, he certainly is now.

Curious uneducated question though, about the rigging on these setups: Where is the tether hooked up on his harness? As in, if the plane had hit the line, would it yank on the chute harness directly and just take the guy for a ride? Or is it affixed in a way that would put the tension on his body somehow?

I figure the former option would grossly overstress/break the chute and/or lines, but at least give the guy a chance to cut loose and deploy a reserve. The latter, however, instantly makes him the softest meat-link in the chain...
 
tawood said:
I noticed that too. He just froze, then disconnected much later (way too late if it had struck).
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how you can tell when he saw it. He's looking down the line frequently before the pass, and he sounds like he's startled by the other airplane just before it passes underneath. Just because it's in the frame doesn't mean he saw it. As for the release, if it was 'way too late if it had struck' then it was clear it didn't strike. Don't get me wrong, it was scary as <poop>, I'm just not questioning his judgement and reactions based on what I saw in a video.

Nauga,
close enough
 
I dunno… it was sort of close, but didn’t seem “that close”.
I suppose the camera could make it seem further away.
 
nauga said:
I'm not sure how you can tell when he saw it. He's looking down the line frequently before the pass, and he sounds like he's startled by the other airplane just before it passes underneath. Just because it's in the frame doesn't mean he saw it. As for the release, if it was 'way too late if it had struck' then it was clear it didn't strike. Don't get me wrong, it was scary as <poop>, I'm just not questioning his judgement and reactions based on what I saw in a video.

Nauga,
close enough
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I was basing it on the way he keeps looking up at his chute every 2 seconds or so, then when the airplane clearly appears, he stops looking up but instead looks right at it/down. He seems to stare at the plane after the 1:33 mark.
 
tawood said:
I was basing it on the way he keeps looking up at his chute every 2 seconds or so, then when the airplane clearly appears, he stops looking up but instead looks right at it/down. He seems to stare at the plane after the 1:33 mark.
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Maybe. I think it's likely it was somewhere between that and when he reacted ("oof!") but can't be determined with any precision. Might be less ambiguous to just ask him, seeing as it didn't hit :)

Nauga,
and the horse's mouth
 
There's a weak link between the release and the tow rope. The guy in the paraglider would have not had an issue if the plane had hit the rope. The plane on the other hand, might have had some problems. It looked like a ground based winch tow, so the tow rope was being wound up on a spool. Often the tow operator has a guillotine to cut the rope in an emergency, but it's rarely used.

Also, it was likely better for him to stay on tow than release. The rope might make a bigger target slack than it would have attached to the paraglider. There's a small drogue chute on the end of the line that inflates on release, but in the time it takes to deploy, the tow rope could well have become a bigger target.
 
Launch was a four wheeler tow. Which side of the rope did the plane go?
 
geezer said:
Launch was a four wheeler tow. Which side of the rope did the plane go?
Click to expand...
It was a winch tow. The four wheeler brings the line back to launch after each tow.
 
I stand corrected. I have seen 4 wheeler launches, and made the wrong connection.
 
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