WVHGC

Presidents Report
Hi all,
Well another year has rolled on past and the festive season is upon us again. Phil is taking a break from the  Presidents’ roll so I am filling in for the time being. The flying season is well underway with good flying had by some. Unfortunately there have been a few accidents already so its a timely reminder to us all before launching, to; assess the conditions, preflight your
glider and yourself, and plan your flight before you launch. If you are unsure about any of the above, ask an Advanced pilot.
Summer conditions produce much stronger lift/sink cycles, and switching conditions on launch and in the landing paddock are to be expected. Keep an eye on the wind sock as you set up for landing and be prepared to modify your landing phase if need be.
The competition season is also upon us and competing is an excellent way of improving your skills by being  surrounded by fellow pilots sharing their experiences and tips. I recommend to anyone able, to attend a
comp and experience the excellent flying and camaraderie at such an event, even if you just ‘free fly’.
On behalf of the Committee, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year break.
Fly safe,
Meeks
Recent and Upcoming Events
With all the recent accidents and incidents this could be seen as the gloom and doom issue. But fear not.. lessons can be learned, future incidents hopefully avoided and at the very least they make for interesting
reading. There’s also been some great flying; Will and Glen ran the successful long weekend friendly competition at Mt Beauty; first time novices have been getting some airtime at the local sites; a few short cross countries; a
few bent downtubes, all great stuff.
Rohan is also running his hugely popular XC Tour to Corryong over the Xmas / New Year break. For all those wanting a few more hours in the air and a bag full of hints and tricks from the master, this is the best
value around. Should be compulsory for all those thinking of heading XC at some stage. See the man himself for more details.
Corryong Cup is fast approaching and a fair contingent of Western Vic pilots are heading up. With a waiting list of about 30 people it’s too late to enter, but free flying might be possible (if you feel like flying with 70 others) or just generally hanging about and taking in the atmosphere of a relaxed comp.
Rachel had an interesting time at Nevis recently. Here’s a write up and a few shots of her grand day out.

Rach’s Story
The wind was predominately south west on launch, (sub optimal really) but I got off in a good cycle. My launch was good! Was watching the wind sock all the way down and it was WNW, W, WNW, NW, W, even though it was SW
on launch. I figured that if I came in parallel with the fence as it was predominantly W I would be able to allow for any variance. Might have worked if I had actually set up in the paddock and away from any
obstacles! I over estimated the glide ratio of my glider, didn’t think about the potential for rotor, set up too far back, and the list goes on.
Started to think I was possibly too far back when I thought that I might have to lift my feet up to clear the trees running N – S along the fence line!
Naturally, the wind swung SW and I got rotored by the trees on the E -W fence line and slammed in to the ground. It happened so quickly! I hadn’t bled off any speed so the impact was significant – subsequently
snapping my humerus, and nearly taking out my radial nerve! I didn’t know that at the time though – just that I had broken my arm, was tangled up in the harness, and couldn’t move without almost passing out with the
pain. Managed to radio to the guys on launch that I had broken my arm, and kinda needed some help as there was no-one else in the landing paddock.
I am not sure how long I was stuck there – felt like hours but was probably only about 20 minutes or so, before Meeks and Andy flew down to help. They called an ambulance as there was no way I was moving
without drugs!!! Everyone else packed up on launch and organised the cars and Phil and Tracey drove down the Cowan track in record time! (I should add that Tracey was driving – not Phil!)
I would really like to thank Meeks, Andy, Tracey, Phil, Gary, Dean, Curtis and everyone else who helped me on the day: keeping me sane whilst I waited for the ambos, packing up my glider, driving my car, sacrificing the days flying!

All primed and ready to go

A bit of first aid in the paddock for a spiral fracture of her left arm

Luv that gas

And a sad little Fun 160

No photos of the other incidents of late, but here’s a list:
Gabriel took off from Thistle Hill without pulling back his wing and locking it in. Check out Will’s website for
the video…
http://www.ridethespiral.net/?p=1231
Matt flew his new Litespeed at Landscape and had a heavy landing which turned into a full on allergic reaction to the grass in the landing paddock and ended with him in hospital.
Terry flew from Thistle Hill, not sure of the details but landed heavily and is thankfully recovering in hospital.
And then there’s the usual mix of bent downtubes and dented pride.
Club Flying Trip to Tasmania
Here are the details of the proposed flying trip to Tasmania in March 2010.
The plan is a return trip on the Spirit of Tasmania to Devonport, self driving to Hobart and basing ourselves in accommodation there for 10 nights before returning to Devonport for the sail home. The flying will include Eaglehawk Neck, Winton Hill, Tunbridge Tiers and other local sites. (may the weather
gods be with us..) On non flying days (inclement weather) it is proposed that we will do the “touristy” thing i.e Mt Wellington, Cadbury’s, Treetop Walk and the Flying Fox.
Transport:
Fly/Sail, Self Organised:

http://www.spiritoftasmania.com.au/fares/

Proposed dates and sail times are: (Depart Melbourne 2000hrs Friday 5th March) and (Depart Devonport 2000hrs Tuesday 16th March 2010. That should give us 9 or 10 flying days.
Transport will be by pooling cars (4wd volunteers if possible please) to keep the environmental and cost impact to a minimum. (to be organised once we have the numbers)
Accommodation in Hobart is:
Amtolu Holiday House
http://www.stayz.com.au/28684 (Cost for accomodation only is $62 per person per night for 10 nights. Final cost may vary slightly depending on numbers)
Adam Parer’s Epic Flight
Shamelessly copied from the web but still worth a read if you haven’t already…
It was the 2nd task of the Gulgong Classic and just like the day before the wind gusts and turbulence in the
tow paddock were moderate to heavy. It was about 30-35 degrees Celsius at ground level and the conditions
seemed stable although the weather report had predicted good instability. The task was 209km, north, to
Manilla Airstrip. Due to the rough conditions weak links were breaking just about every other tow and the two
tugs worked hard to eventually get everyone off the ground successfully.
I towed out of the airstrip around 1:30pm and went to release height behind Pete Marhiene. During the first
thermal I noticed several light inversion layers. Eventually I drifted downwind and met up with Chris Jones,
Phil Schroder, Oliver Barthelmes and Dave May and we topped out at 6500’ before heading NW in a crosstail
direction to get on the upwind side of the course line.
Chris was ahead by 200m and after a 5km glide I watched him complete two turns in what looked like solid
lift. Eventually Dave, Oli and Phil would also head for Chris. Before I got there he had already straightened
up and was back into a search pattern. This was typical of the conditions for the day; very short lived ‘bubble’
climbs, mild to moderate turbulence and generally a stable type of feel to the weather. Way off to the north
great looking clouds filled the sky along the Liverpool Range and Beyond, we needed to get there but for
now we continued to hunt for a core that may be lurking around in the stable conditions of Gulgong.
While Chris, Oli, Phil and Dave tended to search upwind I turned downwind for about 100m and noticed the
air felt much better there with the promise of more lift, still bumpy and stable but at least the feel of more lift.
I fully expected to only gain a few turns out of any climb I may find before it too petered out. Soon I felt some
lift ahead and to the left so I began a shallow turn in that direction and the vario started to chirp at about 200-
300’/min. VG was off except for about 1 arms length of rope. I was flying at about 50kph with a bar position
faster than best glide speed.
As I climbed for about a ¼ of the first turn the ‘G’ began to lighten and the nose started to ease over. For
that first split second I expected a ‘wire slapper’ to precede a return into normal flight. This did not happen.
The ‘G’ went to zero and the nose continued over. I braced onto the basebar and attempted to pull in and
maintain hang position. This however could not be maintained. The ‘G’ went negative and the nose went
over. I maintained some grip on the basebar and kept the torso as close to it as possible but the leg/boot
end of the harness could not and it continued to move toward the undersurface and my upper body would
eventually follow. The nose-over motion accelerated and then I lost contact with the basebar.
As I fell weightless through the air the glider proceeded to tumble and I fell behind the trailing edge, clearing
the wing without making contact as it passed underneath inverted. Just as the glider came around upright I
bottomed out with a thud, the hang strap went tight, and for a split second I thought the glider may stabilize
however it had more than enough momentum to enter the 2nd tumble. Again I don’t recall hitting any part of
the glider as it went over a second time. Once again I fell with another thud till the hang straps went tight but
this time the tension lasted for a much shorter period of time. Then I went weightless feeling as if falling
straight down for several meters before feeling the beginning of a rotation/spin in the horizontal plane (like a
sycamore seed). We suspect the sidewire had broken at this point and the wings began to fold together.
The first spin finished and I entered the 2nd spin with much more speed. I tried to go for the parachute
handle but the ‘G’ force had already built up significantly and rapidly. Soon my arms (and eventually my
head) were forced and held out away from the center of rotation, preventing me from reaching the parachute
handle. I realized I was in a bad way and my life depended on it but hard as I tried and with all of my strength
my arms remained straight pointing away from the harness and the parachute handle.
What quickly followed is something I could never have imagined, such a force, developed by these rotations,
and an incredibly rapid acceleration in speed and the increasing ‘G’. I have watched video of similar motion
when a glider folds its wings but on those occasions the rotation seems to reach a maximum after a number
of rotations. Not in this case. The ‘G’ force continued to increase and was transverse to my prone position,
pooling blood ventrally (front half of my body. The eyes sustained advanced haematoma from this force). By
the 5th and 6th rotation the load was so severe I knew the equipment would have to fail soon (and hopefully
before I sustained serious injury). Then in a split second the ‘G’ load went to zero and I was being thrown
through space. At least I could move my arms and hold my head up now. I reached for the parachute
handle.
I was aware of moving horizontally with a lot of velocity and also heard the airspeed accelerating very
quickly. Motion through the air was like a projectile but apparently turning into a freefall. I realized then I had
definitely separated from the glider. I located the parachute handle and pulled with my right hand but it didn’t
budge, and after a few more heaves convinced me the parachute was jammed inside the harness. (We
would discover the back plate had failed catastrophically and reduced the opening of the parachute port).
As I fought to remove the parachute I was aware of free-falling straight down in a boot-first/head-up/’pencil’
position. During the next 5 seconds as I continued struggled with the parachute the sound of the airflow
achieved a deafening maximum and with some dread I realized I was at terminal velocity. Using one arm
was not working to free the chute. I reached down with the left arm and with both hands heaved on the
handle. After about 7 seconds into the freefall I felt the parachute come loose. I threw it sideways, let it go
and waited.
What came next was the most painful and violent impact I have ever felt in my life, like I had been torn in
half. Extreme pain instantly filled the body concentrated in chest and upper back and I knew I had sustained
serious injury. With intense dismay I immediately suspected my back was broken. First thing though I was
alive but was I still free falling? I looked up just enough to see one of the most beautiful things in the world, a
clean circular shape of the front 1/3 of the parachute, taut, inflated and in tact. The air was quiet now and the
earth was no longer hurtling towards me. In less than 15 seconds I had fallen 4000’ and the parachute and
harness had survived the deployment and so had I but not without injury. The pain suggested I was in a real
bad way.
The thought of paralysis filled my mind over the next few seconds. I needed to know. I hoped and then I tried
to wriggle my fingers. They moved. What about my legs? In my mind I pleaded before trying to wriggle my
feet. They moved. Relief was now mixed with pain and a concern my back was probably still broken but the
spinal cord was intact. I needed a soft landing to protect what wasn’t damaged. I looked down and the
remaining 2000’ came up very slowly indeed. I could hardly breathe. I needed to get down as soon as
possible and get help.
After a minute of trying to get more air into my lungs my vision started to fade, I was graying out. I remained
conscious but gradually blacked out and realised I may have sustained fatal internal injuries and this could
be it.
My thoughts went to my wife who passed away earlier this year. I hoped that if this is what was it then I
would be with her soon. Immediately I felt contentment for the first time in 4 months. My soul mate, taken
from me so early in our life with whom I had shared so much… The pain was no longer on my mind and I felt
calm. A few moments passed before I had an awareness I was not dying, I would survive, and this was not
my time. The peace gave way and the pain came back with a vengeance, shock set-in and I passed out.
When I came too I was on my back looking up at the sky. I looked around and suddenly the realization of
what had just happened came back all at once. I said out loud in disbelief and with incredible happiness and
relief, “I survived!” Then I started to get dragged backwards at a waking pace for a few feet before coming to
a stop. I looked over my shoulder and there was that beautiful red colored parachute again, behind me and
still inflated by the drift on the ground. Soon a mild increase in wind strength came through and again I
slowly got dragged along the ground a few more feet.
The pain was worse than ever now and I had to get out of the harness. I assumed my back was broken and I
checked arm and leg movement again, all were working. I unclipped the leg loops and the waist belt then. As
I struggled in vain to undo the chest buckle I heard a voice from behind. A farmer who had seen my
parachute from a distance sitting inflated on the ground drove over to see what it was. “Can I give you a
hand son?” he asked as he walked into my field of view where I lay on my back. “Yes, undo this buckle and
call an ambulance”, was my reply.
He too struggled with the chest strap. I had one more go and it finally released. I rolled out of the harness,
stood up, walked over to the shade of a nearby tree and sat in the least painful position, crouched in a semi
squat. There I would stay for the next 90minutes until I could be evacuated.
Three positive images I saw that day I will never forget. First, a glimpse of that High Energy parachute sitting
high above and taking me safely to earth after the wildest and most painful ride of my life. And again as I lay
unconscious in that field then waking up, looking over my shoulder to see it there once again, that big red
parachute, on the ground, still inflated as if it were watching over me.
Second was the sight of Oli, Dave, Phil and Chris all coming to land only meters away from where I sat in
absolute searing pain. I watched them get out of their harnesses one by one and I felt much safer straight
away. They rallied around me in relative silence but their concern was obvious. It took 45 minutes for the
ambulance to arrive but the pilots urged the paramedics on and tried to hurry them to do what ever was
necessary to get me out of there and into hospital. I heard Oli pleading with the Ambulance Officer, “You
need to get the helicopter, just send the helicopter right now”. “Dave sat next to me and relayed my answers
as I could hardly speak. I can’t tell you how good it was to have them there.
Then the Westpac helicopter arrived and what a sight! The crew was on the ball and once airborne I finally
realised I was safe. We lifted off and headed straight for The John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
As I was wheeled in through the hospital doors a familiar face in a green medical gown stood waiting,
Conrad Loten, fellow hang glider pilot and head of the Emergency Department took over my treatment and
directed his staff calmly but with obvious authority and competence. After the CAT scan Conrad came over
to my bed and confirmed the damage; 6 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a broken sternum and a flail fracture
of the chest. “What about my back?” I asked. With the slightest hint of a smile he assured me the back was
in perfect condition, no damage to the spine whatsoever.
Quietly but with apparent concern Conrad kept in touch of my progress and treatment over the next week. I
was very lucky indeed to have him in my corner. Friends visited everyday and thankfully I made a quick
recovery in that first week. While the prognosis is still somewhat uncertain it seems as though I could make
something close to a full recovery. Everyday I am feeling much stronger and more positive of a good
recovery.
I was very lucky to have survived this accident and many things were in my favor including a lot of luck. The
specialists believe fitness and good health gave me a big advantage not only aiding in the healing but also
probably prevented me from sustaining more serious injuries. And since my wife passed away some months
ago I have lost a considerable amount of weight. I suspect the less momentum I was carrying when the
parachute inflated the better. This was always typical of her and in the most unusual of ways she continues
to look out for me.
In hindsight I began preparation for this accident 18 months ago. At Forbes in 2007 I watched Austrian pilot
Andreas Orgler experience an almost identical accident. While his incident did not involve the violent
sycamore rotation he did tumble twice and then separated from his glider. His pilotless wing then descended
straight at me, head-on, and only just cleared mine with a closing speed that would have certainly brought
me down too. Meanwhile Andreas quickly deployed his parachute during his freefall but well before achieving
terminal velocity. Despite this his inflated explosively and failed. He continued to freefall right before my
eyes.
Witnessing such a traumatic event left me deeply affected for a long time but it was the motivation to
understand why it happened and reequip with the most advanced skyline harness and a new High Energy
parachute, equipment that could survive such an ‘unlikely’ event where pilot and glider are separated in
flight. The accident in Forbes helped prepare me to survive mine at Gulgong. This may be small consolation
to those who have never met me and knew Andreas, but the fact is there are many people here now who are
very relieved and very happy because I am alive. He helped save my life.
I am very happy to be alive.
My understanding of flying has not changed in any way and I am not left with any doubt about the safety and
risks of hang gliding. I hope to fly again but that depends on the ribs. And if I get to fly for another 15yrs I
would be surprised if I ever come across the same air that lead to my accident last Monday. Nothing I could
have done and no sort of equipment would have behaved differently. The air was tipping me over no matter
what. When I eventually reequip it will be with the same gear.
Check your equipment and update to the best. The extra few $100 is worth it! Fly safely.

Enjoy the summer