1 it was a great day to be flying and due to several MISTAKES on my BEHALF, it could of been a disasterious day!~!
1 glider set up improperly
2 harness not put on right.
Hang chekc went right and all seemed right when I reached down to touch my leg loops buckles. They were there.
3 switchy at launch, always remember to run to the end of it. I did and my feet took 2 extra steps at the bottom of the ramp stepping on the boards as I left the ground a second time. [b]Any newer people remember that!~![/b]
4 I am a experienced pilot who should of [b]not made these errors[/b] in the first place. Let alone what was to come. I had planed on racing around with dave teal and seeing if I can get him up to speed for XC.... He had problems and as we talked durning his set up I told him to STOP EVERYTHING. and to start over on his set up and relax.
I twist up the strings on the glider I was flying to tighten the sail a bit more. I DID not notice one was not right. Hooked to batten but not right..The glider had a substantial left turn in it. Nothing I could not manage while flying prone. Or on the down tubes Up behind the bridge. WHERE I had come simi out of the harness and got on the tubes [b]to KNOW MY OPTIONs [/b]
I have one of the original Moyes Contour harness I am flying. I never properly got the leg loops out and connected to my harness. I set my launch postion in a head down and forward postion so It is where I want to be untill I am fully in the harness and can activate the pitch system etc...
Once out and flying I was not able to zip up I had fallen so far down into the harness. Clue 1 toes were packed into the bottom corner of harness.
Clue 2 If I am not in the harness right I can not zip up past my knees dou to the tightness.
Waiting for someone to land out ahead of me I am thinking of my list of landing option. I came up with a LONG LIST.
Normal approach one leg out land. drop glider to ground...
Normal approach land with both legs in the harness,.
Normal approach and land on the down tubes LOW to the ground with a heal in the zipper. (Break ZAIPPER not body) Other leg out. Hop once and then get other foot out and I am down running with glider...
This list has more but the last one was Just Make it on the grass no matter what and [b]Break the GLIDER.... NOT ME!~! [/b]
Flew over Fred in the L Z yelled down the issues in a lot of sink. My list was shrinking fast as I made the turn into the wash Low. Had and maintained GOOD SPEED still prone. Sink alarm in my vario is 600 ft and it was going off all the way till Almost impact.
Last minute turn left just past the streamer to level the gilder off. ALL f list gone. Fly at the bank bar in I pushed out climbed over the bank and up into/onto the grass. Glider turns left and is almost into the wind and
IMPACT!~! Not much flare from the base tube prone. Since I was not laying not that head up.
Both down tubes did a compression failure. Glider did not nose over. Joe greblo was there with helpers in seconds. THANK YOU one and all for your Help on my series of STUPIDITY and BAD judments and plan of attack...
New D T's and glider inspection in L Z... I am doing very well this morning with a tiny bit of soreness in my neck.