A new P2 pilot visiting from out of town took off in light AM thermal conditions and got excessively deep in the brakes. It is unclear if he was trying to get comfortable in the harness or if he was just exploring too deep into the range of brake travel for too long. He was observed to have entered into a deep stall condition and a subsequent spin event. He suffered a back injury.
Generally good take away from this event:
- if unfamiliar or not current, seek guidance including radio guidance if possible
- the use of a stirrup is highly recommended in an effort to make the transition from launching to comfortable in the harness as seamless as possible
- knowing the range of brake travel from a starting point of 1) the minimum amount of brake that a person should fly around with to 2) ----> the most brake a person would apply to prevent a deflation IS SUPER KEY ( an instructor can help you to find these to benchmark brake settings on your glider)
- having an awareness about your hand position is essential - its even possible that this pilot was not aware that his hands were so low - this happens
- if you think you may have started to stall it or deep stall it, again let off before it manifests into something worse - like you touched a hot stove, let off
-if you manifest a spin event, fix your posture, arms in, feet together, look away from the hill and see if you can fly away. The usual rules apply, if the glider is behind you, let off, if its out in front, brake it. If it's behind you, expect for it to surge out in front. Do this surge management with your feet together and elbows in. It drastically increased the odds that you will handle the situation well. Believe that you can fly away from the hill. The more you believe that it is possible, the more likely it will become. If you believe that there is no chance, there is likely no chance. All this presumes that you are very low as this pilot was. If you are above 40 or 50 feet and you are having problems along these lines you should throw your reserve FIRST. Don't wait, just throw it.
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