It was another hot and unpleasant day in the tow paddock today. Lots of flies, thorns, and heat. A pilot locked out, crashed and died in front of me and Dean. I will not go into the details, but it was ugly. The day was cancelled and now the day after is cancelled also. The meet officials are re-examining all their operations hoping to avoid a repeat of this accident. (It was similar to the no-injury tow incidents yesterday; towing 90 degrees to the wind which caused the downwind wing to drag along the ground. What was different was the wind was not as strong and the pilot foot launched, dragged his wing and managed to get off the ground before starting to lock out.) I meet the pilot in Deni and spoke to him several times during this meet. It is a real loss.
I can fill in pilots that want details when I get back. I had a front row seat to the whole accident, including the tug that was flown by Bob Bailey.
The pilots already in the air yesterday reported 1000 fpm climbs to 9,000 feet with light winds. It may have been the best flying day of the meet. I spent this morning totally retuning my glider. I finally got tired of the little problems I have been putting up with. I hope it flies properly tomorrow. I know it is not smart to mess with a glider in the middle of competition, but right shoulder and arm are very sore from trying to keep the glider flying straight.
3 comments:
Greetings from Puerto Rico Tom. Bobby and I have been reading your posts and following the days scores rooting for you. Sorry to hear about the fatality of one of your fellow competitors. We hope you are able to stay focused and continue to fly well and safely these next flying days.
Thanks for the best wishes. Any injury, especially a fatality, makes everyone double-check why and how they fly. I know these things are a part of our sport and have prepared myself long ago for this kind of accident. I an ready to fly. I am a little nervous about my glider, but if I can get it fixed up I will be charging ahead full speed.
Gosh, Tom, I'm sorry you and Dean had to see that accident close up. Same happened at Deni a couple of years ago, and it upset me a lot. Give a hug to Bobby, and Dean for me, hope they're ok. Kate
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