Launching unhooked--can it happen to anybody? The latest victim is Kevin Rooke, a highly regarded NZ instructor, who released quickly and survived. Rooke was the investigator on Jim Rooney's unhooked crash last year, and wrote the acident report.
Joe Greblo gave an "unhooked" clinic at the Dockweiler beach party. This report on his demo is from "Unhooked Launch in New Zealand" at http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php ... sc&start=0
"Progressive options after realizing you arent hooked in:
1. Let go before you leave the ground.
(This requires a launch technique in which you never run holding the glider down on your shoulders. You train yourself to let the glider fly so you can note pressure on the leg straps. If you dont feel that pressure, let go of the glider).
2. If you find yourself flying unhooked, do not let your grip slip down the downtubes.
(They probably will, which means the glider will dive)
2A. If your grip slips down the downtubes, continue to #3. But #3 will be harder or impossible.
3. Swing up into the monkey position and fly the glider to landing or choose a place to deploy chute.
Then we all had a great time monkey-launching over the sand.
Then everybody went home and stared at the ceiling, thinking how hard this would be in real conditions. Which I think was the point of the clinic.
Greblo teaches a hook-in check the instant before launch. To him, a hang check is part of the preflight and has no value in confirming that you are hooked in at the moment of launch. "
Greblo on Launching Unhooked, What to Do If
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SHGA Communications
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Just for information to all club members.
On the very day that Joe was teaching folks what to do if you don't hook in, I was flying the Condor at the beach. Trying to soar, I let myself get distracted and started my launch run unhooked. Because I was letting the glider float over my shoulders, I immediately knew that I wasn't hooked in. I had only taken two steps, so I "skidded" to a stop. I didn't let go of the glider, nor did I fall down or launch unhooked. But ONLY luck, years of experience, and quick thinking saved me from an embarassing launch unhooked.
The overwhelming majority of unhooked launches happen due to distractions: Camera, spectators, changing your routine, unhooking and hooking back in (or not), thinking about soaring, thinking about that person you hooked up with last night (or almost hooked up with) etc. On the mountain, and under tow, I always take 3 seconds to take a deep breath and make sure my head is where it should be before I do my final hook-in check. On the training hill, I let myself get complacent. It's just the beach, right? I want to jump into the lift band now! The result almost was an unhooked launch.
Make it a point to ALWAYS do your hook in check. ALWAYS make sure your brain is in gear before you launch. And ALWAYS make sure you are actually thinking about what you are doing, not about something else, even if that something else is part of the flight. When you launch, think about the launch.
Joe has his five Cs, 5 things to check before launching. They are, from bottom to top:
Crotch (Leg loops buckled?)
Chest (Chest buckled if your harness has one?)
Chute (Is it fully installed and pins locked?)
Chin (Helmet on and buckled?)
Carabiner (Hooked in?)
On the very day that Joe was teaching folks what to do if you don't hook in, I was flying the Condor at the beach. Trying to soar, I let myself get distracted and started my launch run unhooked. Because I was letting the glider float over my shoulders, I immediately knew that I wasn't hooked in. I had only taken two steps, so I "skidded" to a stop. I didn't let go of the glider, nor did I fall down or launch unhooked. But ONLY luck, years of experience, and quick thinking saved me from an embarassing launch unhooked.
The overwhelming majority of unhooked launches happen due to distractions: Camera, spectators, changing your routine, unhooking and hooking back in (or not), thinking about soaring, thinking about that person you hooked up with last night (or almost hooked up with) etc. On the mountain, and under tow, I always take 3 seconds to take a deep breath and make sure my head is where it should be before I do my final hook-in check. On the training hill, I let myself get complacent. It's just the beach, right? I want to jump into the lift band now! The result almost was an unhooked launch.
Make it a point to ALWAYS do your hook in check. ALWAYS make sure your brain is in gear before you launch. And ALWAYS make sure you are actually thinking about what you are doing, not about something else, even if that something else is part of the flight. When you launch, think about the launch.
Joe has his five Cs, 5 things to check before launching. They are, from bottom to top:
Crotch (Leg loops buckled?)
Chest (Chest buckled if your harness has one?)
Chute (Is it fully installed and pins locked?)
Chin (Helmet on and buckled?)
Carabiner (Hooked in?)
Fly High; Fly Far; Fly Safe -- George
Actually, I believe that what you think is 'chest' is actually 'clearance'.stebbins wrote:Just for information to all club members.
Joe has his five Cs, 5 things to check before launching. They are, from bottom to top:
Crotch (Leg loops buckled?)
Chest (Chest buckled if your harness has one?)
Chute (Is it fully installed and pins locked?)
Chin (Helmet on and buckled?)
Carabiner (Hooked in?)
Allen
Perhaps it is clearance. But I think of it as chest because:
a) I need to check my chest buckles too
b) For me, checking the chest includes checking clearance
Thanks for the clarification. I learned to fly long before Greblo came up with the 5 Cs, so I had to pick it up by watching others. I clearly mis-remembered that one item, putting in what was most critical for me...
It would probably be better to call it 6 Cs and count both chest and clearance.
a) I need to check my chest buckles too
b) For me, checking the chest includes checking clearance
Thanks for the clarification. I learned to fly long before Greblo came up with the 5 Cs, so I had to pick it up by watching others. I clearly mis-remembered that one item, putting in what was most critical for me...
It would probably be better to call it 6 Cs and count both chest and clearance.
Fly High; Fly Far; Fly Safe -- George