Experienced Vs. Safety

When experience adds skill it gives you greater control margins and the potential for greater safety. You can either spend that margin on flying more often, in a wider variety of conditions, or spend it on safety—flying in the same conditions but with wider margins.

Safety is related to margins—reducing margins reduces safety. Launching/landing a 12 mph wind for many pilots is easy but some will struggle. Launching/landing in an 15 mph wind for many is a near guarantee of injury but for a few it's quite manageable. You must be careful about how you get the skill, though, lest the learning be risky. That's where good instruction comes in.

The increased skill won't make you safer if its squandered by accepting rowdier conditions. Handling broader conditions may be your goal but don't be fooled into thinking you're safer. An an experienced pilot flying in worse conditions is no safer (and may be at more risk) than a less experienced pilot in mellower conditions.

An experienced pilot who accepts higher risks is no safer than the neophyte who climbs up to 200+ feet from a wide open field and only flies in benign weather. Yes, the newbie can get surprised by weather but that's extremely rare for someone who pays minimal attention to forecasts.

I know of only two PPG fatalities related to weather. One was a new and barely trained pilot who took on late morning's tumult. Only one non-flyer saw it and she reported that the pilot was "fighting it." Sounds like excessive hand movements—in all likelihood, he was over controlling. The other fatality launched in conditions that were already bad—far more experienced pilots didn't want to fly.

High Time Pilot Seriously Hurt

Sunday afternoon, Feb 18, well known Torrey Pines instructor Gabe Jeb was injured while soaring at a popular hill near San Diego. He had brought a group of students to Otay Mesa in southern California. Conditions were reported to be moderately windy with light thermic activity. According to USHPA representative Tad Hurst, he was flying a competition wing, the Paratech P8.

Gabe, a highly experienced acro pilot and instructor, apparently took a collapse shortly after launch. It spun him around and into the hill. He was initially unconscious and was subsequently air lifted to a nearby hospital.

Gabe has been recently getting into more motor flying and performed some Acro maneuvers at the Paratoys Salton Sea event.

He suffered numerous broken bones and a punctured lung but is expected to fully recover. We wish him quick healing and look forward to his return.