19: Risk & Safety

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Risk is the inevitable price for our kind of fun. How much risk depends on what we do. Boating around up high in the calm edges of daylight incurs minimal risk, but even then you’ll eventually encounter surprises. This chapter aims to expose real risk and help cope with the unexpected.

Misunderstandings persist–even among some instructors–as to what causes most accidents. For example, training is a particularly dangerous part of a pilot’s career. That can be mitigated, though, by choosing an instructor as recommended in Chapter 1. It points out the dark corners, how to avoid them, and when appropriate, how they can be minimized or recovered from.

Some things that look crazy really aren’t, while some seemingly benign stunts are really asking for it. We help sort out the difference. Not all the nuances can be covered in this material (or the book) but a good instructor will.


High Time Pilot Seriously Hurt

Freeflight Instructor Gabe Jeb seriously hurt at free-flight site 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....

Tribute to Alan Chuculate

Alan Chuculate died Nov 6, 2005 in a powered hang glider after hitting wires during approach. It was just after sunset. He was with two others landing just off the beach in a field about 4 hours south of San Diego.  Alan had an immense influence on my flying by...