norman

Paul,

I don't think anyone has any issue with the principle you describe, it is really sound and almost certainly the way the AAIB are thinking.

The issue is that there is no 'flagged' freely accessible link to the reports. They are behind the members area and there is no open link on the front face of the BHPA website available for non-members to use.

The impression that is being broadcast is that the BHPA are squirrelling this vital safety related information for their members. I fight shy of suggesting that they do this to further promote membership applications-enhance their standing as that applies heat to the situation that we can all do without. Is there another explanation though?

Hi Alan,

'Not accusing you of being partisan Alan, far from it. I could have phrased my reply a little better. I am just trying to maintain the most even tenor I can, I don't want to raise the temperature of the debate, just keep it moving in the right direction.

Production of Accident Reports

I would be surprised if the AAIB had not tutored the BHPA inspectors in the conduct of investigations at some stage or in the production of reports given that they are working hand in hand with them. AAIB inspectors are exceptionally well trained, they have a worldwide reputation for the quality of their work. Questions really?

I do wonder at the nature of the relationship between the AAIB and the BHPA. If the latter are producing these reports for no financial reward they probably consider their content to be (at least partly) BHPA intellectual property. That doesn't sit well with the AAIBs responsibilities so it is logical to assume that they are being paid.

As Simon says, what is less clear is why the AAIB are not demanding the visibility that you would expect from an Air Safety information provider. As others have said here, if WE THE PUBLIC are paying for the analysis, we want to see the results.

The BHPA/AAIB have a duty to make reports visible for ALL, if not a legal one, a moral one given the aeronautical ethos/best practice discussed here.

One good result from the report is that it is getting pilots to talk about and question flight safety.

Great point.

Hi Alan,

I take your point onboard completely.

But let's be 'non-partisan' in the name of Flight Safety and pass the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps a little lobbying on each report is inevitable. If the investigator sees an area that is well covered by the BHPA that he genuinely believes might have contributed towards saving a life, might he see it as his duty to point that out? Accident Reports make a great vehicle on which to ensure that your message reaches the widest audience? Let's have them in front of everyone who flies or is in some way connected to PPG, then we can be sure that nothing gets missed.

Paragliding Vs PPG wings

Even on a reflex wing, if you have the trimmers in (most people do for take off and landing). You are piloting a wing sharing the same characteristics as a standard PG wing.

The centre of pressure is back near a DHV1 wing or CEN LTF 1. when the trimmers are in. The centre of pressure moves forward and active piloting is no longer recommended when the trimmers are out and the reflex area of the rear wing is in operation.

I think we are on the same page Simon. I had a small debate with someone recently about preparation for a forced landing after engine failure. I suggested that part of the routine ought to be to consider the trimmer setting during the descent to ensure they suited the prevailing conditions.

My offering was that we might consider doing this every time during a pre-landing check so that we configure for the best outcome every time, conditions can and do change from takeoff to landing after all.

If the pilot has that 'trigger point' to consider the issue, he will cross it during every flight and use it.

I suppose my assumption was the pilot at Cheriton flying a Reflex wing he would have had a measure of Reflex set for the conditions as it was (allegedly) as rough as old boots..

Believable or bullsh1t, what do you think?

Something I find interesting is comparing required handling techniques between a wing designed for paragliding wing and one for PPG, a Reflex wing. The pilot concerned was reported as flying a paragliding wing; 'active flying' would therefore seem to be appropriate as I believe was commented upon in the Accident Report.

Reflex wing designs (according to my training and the owners manual for my wing) do not require (and in fact discourage) continual active flying techniques as per a previous comment.

Common sense would seem to point toward a 'halfway house' but I have insufficient experience of large wing displacements with my wing to comment. I know what I would do, whether others would judge that to be correct is another matter. Hell, why fly in weather that will produce them in the first place?

BHPA Accident Reporting for UK PPG

I think it would be a good idea for the BHPA to publish its findings in a place that is well marked and universally accessible to PPG pilots. An open link on the front page of its website would do the job extremely well.

I appreciate also that it is not for me or any non BHPA member to tell the BHPA how to administer itself, in this respect that is a job for the AAIB if indeed they want the whole industry to be aware of their findings...

In all other spheres of aviation Air/Flight Safety is a non commercial, non-partisan area. To take on a responsibility for PPG accident reporting on behalf of the AAIB implies a duty beyond its own membership. The results of any investigation could have far reaching consequences. Is it the AAIBs responsibility to promulgate findings or the BHPA's, interesting question?

When I last checked the accident reports were behind the members area. That was this morning but if a page has been created with links through then my remark is out of line.

PS; Just had a look and there is nothing on the front face of the site nor anywhere else that a quick page through detected. Could you post a link Simon?

Download it from here please guys.

BHPA Accident Report - Cheriton, Hampshire, on 29th August 2009.

Looking forward to the day when the BHPA publish accident reports (on behalf of the AAIB) for the industry on the open face of their website and not behind a members area. The reasoning should be fairly obvious.

Gary,

You might be taking off or landing which modifies the rules a bit. If you are being sufficiently irritating to cause a court case you might find the beak interpreting your actions to get to the bottom of them.

How the sport advertises itself is a major question as you suggest. The wrong message is passed if quality graphics of the stars are seen doing all the bad stuff. Irresponsible to do it, even worse to compound that by publishing it imho.

We need a better ethos within that frowns on such activities so that when people embrace it they will understand where the 'line' lies and follow it for their health and that of the sport.

Comment made a lot earlier.

Si,

Imaginative and humane - an excellent initiative.

This is probably the biggest issue we all face and potentially the most destructive to our sport imho.

The red colour used on the lettering does glare a bit and make the text difficult to read?

Great site though!

The decline of air sports seems to run next to the rise in the computer next to a number of activities. Gliding has been gradually seeping away, the average age of pilots is rising. Either kids are not inspired in the same way as they used to be or we are collectively not promoting air sports as well as we might to the young. Are they risk averse or just lazy I wonder?

Whitters, you are The Wanderer of the West Country skies... Fab!

Isn't that a flight simulator Gary?

Fanman,

Thanks for highlighting that important distinction. Lazy writing - yes, as i understand it, It is indeed component failure that mostly raises concerns, not necessarily the actual arm itself which tend to be easier to engineer strength and reliability into.

To be more correct then; I point toward the whole assembly and the general design philosophy (swing arms in general) and their potential vulnerability.

A graphic illustration of your point just received by email. The letter below discusses the question being raised here rather well.

The letter, provided by the gentleman I referred to a short while ago, makes very interesting reading, particularly given the credentials of the author and his approach to the problem studied.

Investigation into the failure of a swinging arm mounting bolt on a Clemente Snap 145 Paramotor.

The lesson for me here is of the vital importance of a thorough pre-flight inspection.. every time.

• Should we might consider 'self-lifeing' the critical components that are under repeated, regular strain?
  Replacing these components (correctly with manufacturer approved items) after a suitable interval (flying hours) or when they show any sign of wear might contribute to our safety by preempting a failure.

Sounds like one for our Engineering Members. Alan and Pete B might have some input for us.

As ever - all comments and views welcome.

Immediate Dariwn Award gazetted. W*nker!

Best Wishes and safe flying to all!

With a single bound out of the noughties and into a New decade.

Thanks Pete, I just need to know the date, I get back in Jan on the 8th.

Get together a great idea, France needs a good talking about with a beer glass in the hand and a fire warming ones front. January on Dartmoor.... luverly!

As luck would have it I have a good belt of January off as well. Assuming the dates work out well I would like to come along please.

When we go collectively mob handed we tend to go to.... La Belle France.

Airvault

Dune de Pyla

and onward to East...

'Dangers' might be too strong a word, more potential design vulnerabilities?

If an arm breaks under load then you could be faced with an uncontrollable spiral due to the asymmetric loading. I believe this effect has been cited in one accident report. I know one very experienced instructor/constructor who prefers the high hang-point configuration for its inherent safety in this respect.

Perhaps others more experienced could comment on the theme?

Parachutal stall - thud! Lucky escape.....

How much rain, is it a shower that you can fly out of and avoid, is it frontal and continuous or light and intermittent? If frontal in nature perhaps your decision to fly might have anticipated landing when the rain started. If it is related to showers then it may be a convective day - you will have considered the development of showers before takeoff and should have a plan.

These are evaluations and decisions to be made by the aviator under the wing but if you believe that the performance/safety of your wing is, or may be compromised, then a precautionary landing sounds like a wise course of action to me.

Different wings are affected in different ways aren't they. A high performance/sport aerofoil section may be more vulnerable than a DHV1-2 wing - experts please comment. Having the 'right' pilot underneath the 'right' wing avoids the 'undesirable' scenario of a low experience pilot being caught in a heavy rain shower. Another reason why we accumulate our experience under wings that match our abilities, not the current fashion or mis-timed aspirations?

What do the Tip to Tip '08 team think, they flew in a bucketload of rain at times?

iMovie which comes as part of iLife package is the dogs. It will enable you to produce really smart and professional movies in just about any format you would want.

A real plus is that it also handles the Sony output AvCHD really simply and works well with HD.

I am a bit of a muppet with this sort of thing, if I can do it then anyone can.

For Macs a really handy tool is Handbrake, this will rip/convert and export just about anything to anywhere. And its free....

[youtubevideo]

Looking a bit closer at the amended site it does seem to be a really handy piece of kit. When you look at what a standard GPS costs and then add mapping and navigation functionality to it the cost can rise well above this price point.

The Airspace alerting tool with its free update service adds value; NATS have been really proactive here.

• WARNINGS
  Audible and visual warnings are given for Airspace and Obstacles.
  The warnings occur at 10 minutes range
  Warnings are altitude sensitive
  Warnings contain relevant information such as class, distance, levels, name
  The system contains the full obstacle database as per the CAA database
  An altitude information box gives current GPS altitude for comparison
  NAVIGATION PACK
  For users who want the extra functionality of being able to enter and store routes, a navigation pack is available and offers the following features.
  Ability to set destination and add waypoints simply by pressing on the screen.
  Enroute Track, Bearing, Groundspeed, Distance and ETE information
  Load and save an almost unlimited number of routes into the system. Set often-used routes as favourites.
  View routes including distances and bearings
  Reverse routes when you get to your destination

Great pix, I see you took your teddy with you Whitters, never to be left behind if you want a smooth landing I always say.

Merry Christmas Ace, the Last Days of the Annus Horriblus and sunshine coming up over the horizon!

Yes Tom, a pain isn't it? Sorry about the inconvenience.

Simon is on the case, he is getting attacks from a couple of sources. I think he will screen them out eventually but until then just do the usual please - normal service will be resumed etc.