Thursday, December 5, 2019

Flight Outside of Conservative Weather Parameters

Early in the Spring a P4 pilot flying an EN B glider attempted to kite on a mountain site in gusty and cross  conditions.  The pilot was plucked and drug causing a minor injury to an arm.  The category of this accident is flight outside of conservative weather parameters.  


Kiting on or above a steep mountain face adds the possibility of thermic lift in the wind making it very difficult to avoid being plucked into the air.  A great deal of practice kiting on flat terrain in strong wind can help develop the skills required to launch a windy mountain site.  Often repacking the glider and walking down is the better decision.  

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