The newb with newbish questions

[DigitalBishop]

They say the only stupid questions are the ones that are never asked. Certainly there are annoying ones though. Here's what I'm trying to do as I move in to this awsome and awe inspiring sport.

1. Get a realistic point of view of the sport.
2. Allay fears and worries.
3. Get out the annoying newb questions so as not to overly bother instructors and pilots with annoying newb questions (too late? ).

So, on with the question(s).

Safety concerns me a lot in this sport. As I was lurking on the forum I was reading the amazing flights section. One of the posts caught my eye and as I began to read it almost seemed too fantastic a flight. It was Stebbin's post "Over 100 Miles, but not in Hurricane". Reading along he reports of being at 15,000 feet and having the ability to go higher if it wasn't for having no O2. Thoughts raced through my mind as to how it would feel to be at 15,000 feet in a glider for the first time solo. Fear, uncertainty, doubt and finally anticipation. The fear comes to mind with the question, what would I do if something (God forbid) happens at that altitude? Deploy the chute right away, ride it down and pray that I don't hit anything (like powerlines)? I remember one extreme case where I saw on YouTube a glider that had a major wing failure and the pilot pinwheeled down to the ground despite throwing his chute and firing off a balistic chute when that failed. I would expect that it would be pretty normal to wonder and worry about these things when you're new and inexperienced.

On a side note I had a great time at Dockweiler. Thank you Paul for answering questions and letting me sit in on a class and generally putting up with me. If any of the students read this it was nice meeting you and see you soon as a fellow student.

I also had a fun time being an LZ rat at the Sylmar air park on Sunday and Monday. I got to meet a lot of new faces and hope to see you all again as a fellow pilot. Thank you for answering my questions you're all a credit to the sport. It shows how much you care about the image of the association and the sport itself. Oh and thanks for showing me how to take down and pack up a glider and for sharing a beer with me.

Thanks,

Jamie

[Chip]

Jamie,

I think it's only natural to wonder those things that you haven't experienced yet. I know when I was still in the Navy, stationed in the Philippines, and was reading about the flying in the Owens Valley in the magazine, I quaked with fear about the prospects of flying there. But by the time I had enough experience to fly the Big "O", I think my fear had changed to intimidation and a healthy respect for the conditions I was about to fly in.

You'll contunually experience many "firsts" throughout you flying career.
first "high" flight", first hour long flight, first cross contry flight, first landing out, and so on ...........

It's important to do as you're doing, get out there, ask questions and make informed decisions. Manage the risks you're willing to take and above all "have fun". Not all pilots want or desire to set records or even leave their primary flying site, but they still fly because they love it.

For me hang gliding is a life altering sport, for others that isn't true. I do know that some of my best friends are hang glider pilots and always will be.

[Joseph]

I have been flying at Kagel for a little over a year. It is a great sport and I can't really picture my life without flying in it. My advise to you is to pay attention to Joe Greblo and the other instructors. Everyone pays a bunch of attention to thermalling but landing is probably the most important skill followed by takeoff for safety. Get very good at it. As Chip said you will experience many firsts over time. While flying at high altitude is awe inspiring, there are likely to be many less dramatic times that are equally awesome for you. I remember the first time I got high enough at Kagel to see the desert and mountains behind launch, just a wonderful vista. Take your time, be smart and you will have a blast.

[Christian]

Yeah, risk. Worth thinking about. This has come up many times on the Oz Report, and if you dont mind a few digressions along the way there's much to think about here:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2022&start=0

It's a thread called "Risk" which then continues as ""The New Risk Thread"

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2154&start=0

Both the Oz Report, and the Oz Report Index (forum), have searchable databases. For a small sport, this search function is a rich hunting ground for information and opinion on all topics.

[stebbins]

Jamie,

I am happy to see that newbie pilots are thinking along safety lines. (At least you are!) And none of your questions and comments are dumb.

Just a few notes from my admittedly biased perspective:

1) Enjoy your early flights now. Trust me, you will remember your first time soaring above Kagel alone as long as you will remember your first 100 mile flight. Your first XC, even if it is only a few miles will be burned into your brain even more than the first time you get to 15,000 feet. Your first flight from Big Sur will be memorable, and you don't need to be a hang 4 to do it. Heck, I STILL remember my first flight at big sur, the first time I flew over the ocean, and that was 22 years ago! (Or was it 23???)

2) Listen to your instructor about safety. Keep safety in mind without scaring yourself away from flying. Keep a cool head about it and remember that the mountain will still be there next time, so if it isn't right, don't fly.

3) Don't worry about being too high. In general the higher you are the safer you are, as long as you are in safe airspace and not hypoxic. It is very hard to hurt yourself hitting the air. It is the ground you have to worry about. You asked what you'd do if you were high and needed to throw your chute. That's good. The real problem would be if you were LOW and needed to throw your chute. The altitude from 20' to 500' is the most dangerous, in my opinion. That's where you have low chance of a good chute deployment, and very little time to do anything about any problems. If you are 10,000' above the ground, you have time to deal with things. Time to think about if you want to deploy. Time to think about WHEN and WHERE to deploy, etc. Plus, there is less air traffic there than there is just above Kagel....

4) When you get to the point where you are wondering about using O2, remember that everyone is different about how high they can safely go. I know a guy who almost passes out if he walks fast at 9000'. I know other folks who can hike at 14,000' all day and be fine. And it isn't always who is in good shape. I know my limits from experience so 15,000' is my limit (and lower if I'm going to be there a long time.) But other folks need to have Oxygen at lower altitudes. Your mileage may differ.

5) Keep your most important safety equipment in shape: Your brain and attitude.

I look forward to seeing you out at the hill. I really like talking to new pilots, and welcome them to our sport.