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Do you wear a Parachute in a Glider ?

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Steve

Curtis Malone
Joined
May 6, 2002
Posts
737
For the glider pilots on the board, do you always wear a parachute when flying? I am working on my Comm Glider add at a pretty busy glider port and see about 50% of the pilots wearing emergency rigs.
 
I guess it depends on the school and the maintenance. If the maintenance is really bad and the gliders are neglected, I will wear my parachute.
 
When I had my own glider I always wore the chute. I think the theory is that if you are in a gaggle, then it is more for collision than maintenance problems. A few years ago there was a 126 that lost it's wing at 6,000' in Florida due to overstress in a thermal. The guy survived, had no chute, just rode it down. It's cheap insurance. The FAA admininistrator (ex) crashed his in colorado and died. Chute might have made a difference.
 
I always always always wear my chute in a Glider. At my old Gliderport outside of Dallas we had quite a famous soaring gentleman who had been flying gliders for over 60 years. He never took off without his chute in his glider.

He would know. In over 60 years he has had to bail out twice.
 
Donsa320 said:
\

Airplane parts?? :)

~DC
I was under parachute once and playing in a thermal under neath a cumulous cloud with my brakes stowed about 5 years ago.

I looked down and there was a sailplane underneath me spiraling up in the column of air I was in. I got out of the way so the pilot could keep spiraling up and when he went past me I saw the dude was circling tight with a hawk. Dambdest thing I ever saw.
 
I remember several stories about people getting a tow (the angle is fairly low), then releasing, raising the AOA only to have a snake that was chillin in the nose slither past. I would be under canopy shortly there after :)
 
ISaidRightTurns said:
I remember several stories about people getting a tow (the angle is fairly low), then releasing, raising the AOA only to have a snake that was chillin in the nose slither past. I would be under canopy shortly there after :)

Thanks alot. I have always been scared $hitless about that happening to me. Now you have just confirmed one of my worst fears.
 
here's a Q...

Why do you wear parachutes in gliders but not in airplanes?

Seems kinda odd to me.
 

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