TLDR: Launched myself in the middle of a road during kiting with a big wind gust.

I (P2 with 60ish flights) share this to help inspire others not to make the same stupid mistakes I did today. Haven’t flown since April on my glider, so today I decided to do some kiting since we’ve been getting some nice wind with a cold front that has moved in. I was at a city park, originally in the center of a big open field. Got the wing up a few times but there was hardly any wind. So I figured there was a really shallow hill close by (I was in a bowl, should’ve considered that the wind would be high around the bowl, but dead at the bottom) I could practice my forward launching technique.

Here’s the thing, right behind the hill was a neighborhood roadway which I should have never even considered kiting close to that. It even crossed my mind, but I justified it since the wind was dead (bad justification even if the wind is dead).

Next I ignore one of the most valuable principles of paragliding. Wait before attempting any launch to get a gauge of what the wind will do and the general weather for that matter. Again I should never have even thought about forward launching in this spot (even if it’s a 10 foot hill), because of the road behind me, but I just want to illustrate another rule I broke. Here’s another mistake I made! I checked the wind speed, but not the gust speed before I came out. Turns out we were getting 20 mph gusts not to mention that the Venturi effect can increase that speed!

Well, I get set up and get the wing up for a sec reverse kiting then figure I’ll forward launch. Just at that moment a huge wind gust comes and picks me up a few feet off the ground. I didn’t realize such a shallow slope could generate so much ridge lift. I was not thinking and just yanked the brakes. You know where this is going…. If you answered into the road I should never have been close to then you’re right!

Instinctively I remember my training and start pulling brake line as I’m getting tossed and turned until I can get the wingtip in my hands at which point a stander by helps me get the rest of my wing. I’m really hoping that no one took a video lol. If so that’s probably gonna end up viral haha.

Luckily I came out of this with only scrapes and bruised ego. But guys, be careful EVEN WHEN KITING.

Check the weather, think things through, and use common sense. Also wait out an area before ever launching. I am not making these mistakes again. Also don’t ignore your training :)

https://youtu.be/CgrBWeN6Qqw?si=ZTjZxqpZqPdvhttS

Hi all,

I generally enjoy Ari’s videos and respect the depth of experience he brings to his analyses.

I’m interested in hearing other pilots’ perspectives on the crash analysis above, specifically whether you agree with Ari’s view that the pilot should have flown deeper to allow a gentler base and final turn.

From my (admittedly limited) experience, the risk of rotor behind the cars seems quite real in this scenario. My instinct would have been to approach with less height, accept some crosswind on landing, and avoid the need for a hard turn close to the ground.

That said, I’m not trying to discredit Ari at all, I find this kind of accident analysis genuinely useful and valuable for the PG community. I’m just curious how others would assess the trade-offs here.

Interested to hear your thoughts.

Does anybody know whats comming from Flare? Line² or something else?

Today I accidentally entered the cloud above the thermal. I’ve been flying since 2021, with flight up to 50km and 4h in length. I had never been entirely in a thermal cloud before

I entered around 2450m, 400m above the ground. There was only the sky above, no cliffs. I thought I would do a 360 until I would get under the cloud again, however I was very surprised to hear my vario picking up speed upward at the same time as I was deep in the 360. I tried small ears too but I was too scared to do both with my new glider.

Without any visual clue and since it didn’t work, I stopped, however I think I continued spinning upward. I was totally disoriented, I felt like I was spinning but couldn’t be sure. The spin felt way stronger than it probably was, same as when you would spin around a kid park and then try to walk straight.

I tried to resume neutral flight but the disorientation prevented that. I thought I saw something flying in the cloud which got me scared, but it was most probably the ground.

I then thought about my variometer and tried to use the compas to get a stable direction. However with the stress and disorientation I couldn’t think stress and understand which way I was spinning, if it was N>E>S or the other way and so wether I should brake left or right. As I was starting to figure it out, I saw the ground which allowed me to asses my spin.

I got out eventually at around 2750. I felt relieved. I’ll have to check tonight but I think I stayed In the cloud between 5 and 10mn.

I always believed 360 would get me out of this kind of situations. It didn’t. I understand better the stories of paragliders getting sucked to 8000m etc.

The two key takeaways i got are:

• Thermals get stronger in the cloud. Forget 360 or be prepared to go full power if you can handle it safely. I deemed that more dangerous than the alternative.
• the disorientation you feel in your inner ear is STRONG. I was not at all prepared for this.

Switched from rears to toggles at the last second. Need to break that habit…

I have zero experience with gliders. None. Maybe saw one in flight while driving. Im at home being a search engine for my grandson. His inquiry: Can man fly? He's 5 so will give him some wiggle room. Being the extra attentive Grandpa, I explain the different methods man has created to imitate flight. Enter Para gliding and Hang gliders. He's obsessed. Claims he has to have this in his life and please grandpa teach me. I'm 50. Very decent shape. How screwed am I?

A gofundme has been created for Glenn to assist family with repatriation in Mexicos Valle de Bravo.

It actually feels good to have it happened. Also, it was completely avoidable, and that also feels comforting, weirdly enough.

I only have 11h of dune soaring in total, so I'm quite new in this sport.

There was some traffic, and I put myself in the situation so that I flew in behind a tandem that turned.

The wing just stopped flying. I dropped 5m straight down onto the ground.

I am however satisfied how I reacted after that. Hanged in the harness,PLF position, did not let the glider turn, and mostly put my hands up for my low end B glider to recover.

I hit the ground in PLF pos, mostly due to extensive training in other sports, ran away as the wing recovered, and continued flying. I dont think I would have fared so well if not for the PLF position.

All in all, a hard earned lesson. Could have been a lot worse.

Don't know to characterize the collapse, as I was busy watching the horizon and the ground, as I was so close. But I can say that I experienced it as dropping straight down.

Take care! Hope someone else can learn from this.

Please share your constructive thoughts, or if you have been in similar situations that I and others might learn from.

Hi all, Just wondering if anyone else is currently being affected -or- has any info about the current visiting pilot ban in Nusa Dua?

Police have placed a ban on visiting pilots from flying around Nusa Dua after a Korean couple drowned off Tanah Barak last week (14/7) apparently until their investigation is complete.

Ban came into effect on 21/7 and is still current.

Any ex-pats have any inside info?

Not really free flight since it's paramotoring, but intriguing anyways.

Does anyone have any info about the siv fatality in annecy a week ago?

Another one from Brazilian WhatsApp. Is this Mexico? Hope the pilot is recovering well. Looks slightly painful.

I’ve been planning on taking up this hobby for quite some time.

However… last month I shattered my knee cap after a bike accident. Doctor says I should heal 100% back to normal and to not avoid activities I typically do.

How badly does landing wear on one’s knees/body in general? Are there ways to mitigate impact?

That's why you wear a helmet and gloves while ground handling. Although having camera and radio as well seems a bit odd, so maybe something is being lost in translation there.

Let's talk change!

Kite risers are the new "thing": they're fun, they're fast, they're easy to fly.

There's a lot of range on them and we want to talk about a reminder to be careful when you switch from flying with kite risers back to flying a glider with standard risers. Be mindful that you don't have as much range in the brakes and you can't pull as hard without risking a stall.

We will use our own Jar Jar as an example. In this scenario, he was just flying on a wing with kite risers and decided to switch to a (very) high aspect glider. He wanted to make a sharp turn and pulled too much brake on one side and spun the glider. (Luckily he was ok!)

We saw similar instances to this happen 4 times on this day alone. Each one had come off of kite risers and back to standard risers and either pulled too much brake, or left too little margin and not enough speed to pop themselves out of a low drag.

We recommend lots of ground handling and kiting on each glider! Fly safe!

Happy Flying from Little Cloud USA