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In case (heaven forbid) this ever happens to you, try to find a piece of wreckage to use to fly, like a maple seed. The Free Fall Research Page: Unplanned Free

In case (heaven forbid) this ever happens to you, try to find a piece of wreckage to use to fly, like a maple seed. The Free Fall Research Page: Unplanned Freefall? Some Survival Tips by David Carkeet http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/carkeet.html http://www.greenharbor.com/fffolder/carkeet.html Reading these articles is very personal to me, because I crashed my parapente on takeoff on what would have been my second solo flight. I still want to take up training again, but I need a new coach who I trust to tell me when the wind's strong enough.

deepsun 9y ago
Hm, you must be able to tell it yourself, you're the pilot, not your coach. In parachuting that's even one of the questions for test -- who's the final authority during flight: A. Your coach. B. The most experienced pilot on site. C. You (the pilot). D. Parachuting club owner. For paragliding there's USHPA ratings, feel free to study them: [1]. For example in 12-02.13 there's requirements for P1 (Novice Pilot) rating, and recommended operating limitations for them: 1. "Should fly only in steady winds of 12 MPH. or less." [1] https://www.ushpa.org/legacy/documents/sop/sop-12-02.pdf https://www.ushpa.org/legacy/documents/sop/sop-12-02.pdf
- peterburkimsher 9y ago
  I spent 2 months salary over the course of 6 months to train with an unlicensed coach who is not an official USHPA instructor. He was trying to sell me his old gear that hadn't passed safety inspections in over 5 years. Several people warned me against training with him. Why did I continue? There's no other English-speaking coaches in the south of Taiwan. Also, his training was the only one I could afford. I really want to learn to fly. "I need a new coach who I trust" is more related to the other issues than the relatively minor incident where I ended up in a tree. I accept my share of the responsibility for attempting that takeoff, and I'm grateful that it didn't result in serious injury. When it happened though, it was an appropriate time to call off the course and stop that con man from trying to sell me unsafe equipment. And, back to the topic, it means I have a personal sense of how terrifying it can be when a parachute doesn't inflate.

deepsun 9y ago

Hm, you must be able to tell it yourself, you're the pilot, not your coach. In parachuting that's even one of the questions for test -- who's the final authority during flight: A. Your coach. B. The most experienced pilot on site. C. You (the pilot). D. Parachuting club owner. For paragliding there's USHPA ratings, feel free to study them: [1]. For example in 12-02.13 there's requirements for P1 (Novice Pilot) rating, and recommended operating limitations for them: 1. "Should fly only in steady winds of 12 MPH. or less." [1] https://www.ushpa.org/legacy/documents/sop/sop-12-02.pdf https://www.ushpa.org/legacy/documents/sop/sop-12-02.pdf

peterburkimsher 9y ago
I spent 2 months salary over the course of 6 months to train with an unlicensed coach who is not an official USHPA instructor. He was trying to sell me his old gear that hadn't passed safety inspections in over 5 years. Several people warned me against training with him. Why did I continue? There's no other English-speaking coaches in the south of Taiwan. Also, his training was the only one I could afford. I really want to learn to fly. "I need a new coach who I trust" is more related to the other issues than the relatively minor incident where I ended up in a tree. I accept my share of the responsibility for attempting that takeoff, and I'm grateful that it didn't result in serious injury. When it happened though, it was an appropriate time to call off the course and stop that con man from trying to sell me unsafe equipment. And, back to the topic, it means I have a personal sense of how terrifying it can be when a parachute doesn't inflate.