Swiss Hang Gliding Mishap

[RobesonsRme.com]

This happened on the first day of this Floridian's Swiss vacation.



Charlie

[orvet]

That was amazing! My wife saw that on Facebook this morning and said, "Come here, you have to see this!"
I think we both watched it twice, just transfixed by the sheer pucker factor!

[Doc B]

The guy says he's going to do it again...cause he didn't get to experience the whole flight

[royal0014]

Jeeezus !


He should have dropped as soon as he realized he was not attached.
I know . . . armchair quarterback ...

No way I could have held on as long as he did

[kootenay joe]

The same thing happened here in B.C. about 2 years ago. A young woman tourist, on her honeymoon i think, was taking a tandem hang gliding flight with a licenced guide. The guide forgot to secure the safety strap. Her new husband watched as she fell to her death.
kj

[btrwtr]

You would never really know how strong a grip you have until this.

[RobesonsRme.com]

While I watched this and I've done so about four times, I was somewhat shocked by the way in which he, on more than one occasion, was suspended by only the grip of his left hand and thought that, early on at least, he missed the opportunity to obtain a more secure position by pulling himself up and over the axle and get both his arms or even his entire upper body over it.

But, he was there. I wasn't. Cannot argue with the result. He didn't fall and didn't release that left hand grip until his feet touched the ground.

Next Time I'm in the gym, I'm going to see if I can hang suspended by my left hand on a chin-up bar and my right on the vertical support for two minutes and fourteen seconds. But I'm not going to tear my biceps tendon in the process.

Charlie

[philco]

This reminds me of something I witnessed many years ago. I was visiting with a friend on property located close to an area where a local parachute club had a jump zone. While we were watching, several of parachutists jumped out of the plane and eventually floated to the ground under a full canopy. Moments later we noticed that something was hanging below the plane. As the plane circled and reduced altitude it became clear that what was hanging from the plane was a man whose parachute had somehow become entangled with the wing of the plane.
The plane circled the area for a long time. We heard multiple sirens coming in the distance bound for the drop zone which was blocked from our view by a hill. After what seemed like forever, someone climbed out onto the wing and (I presume) cut the chute loose then jumped himself. The stranded parachutist dropped like a rock with the parachute flapping but remaining unopen as he fell. He vanished from our view behind the hillside. The next day I heard on the news that the guy had initially survived the fall but later, after arriving at the hospital, had succumbed to his injuries and died.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Phil, I fail to understand that sequence, unless he was not wearing a reserve chute. Maybe civilian jumpers don't.

Sad. It's not a sport for sissies.

Charlie

[kootenay joe]

In both the above video and the B.C. incident i described, the hang glider guide forgot to buckle up the safety harness that secures passenger to the pilot. It is a totally unacceptable mistake. In my line of work it would be like the anesthetist forgetting to turn on the oxygen. (Actually there is a fail-safe system, you cannot turn off just the oxygen)
kj

[philco]

Phil, I fail to understand that sequence, unless he was not wearing a reserve chute. Maybe civilian jumpers don't.

Sad. It's not a sport for sissies.

Charlie

Charlie,

I know absolutely nothing about parachuting other than I never intend to try it. If he had a reserve chute, it never deployed. It was one of the most surreal things I've ever witnessed.