When I was 17, my dad took me to some cliffs south of San Francisco to learn how to hang glide. The class met at a cliff to watch experienced pilots take off before going to a practice slope. The first launch we watched took off, made a smooth arcing turn, and crashed at full speed directly into the vertical cliff about 150' high and fell. He broke both legs at the least, but survived at least long enough for the ambulance to get there.

Dad cancelled my class, I never learned to fly.

Labeling the pilot as an idiot may not be a good way to ensure things like this don't happen again. As mentioned above, the same exact thing happened to a highly experienced, highly decorated hang gliding trainer. It seems to be a momentary lapse in judgement in what (to them) is a routine so ingrained as to be automatic.

Maybe they should implement written checklists like pilots. For hang gliding, it could be something both the instructor and the passenger need to physically sign off on. I imagine it wouldn't be too burdensome since it is likely to be very short (at least compared to pilot checklists).

https://aviation.stackexchange.com/a/12221

Baring checklists, the safest hang gliding instructor in the world is likely to be this gentlemen following this incident. I recon his vigilance is sky high at the moment. (Assuming he didn't quit altogether like his BC counterpart.)

>> ^SlipperyPete:

piano intro
Vomit rain!
Lay your lunch all o-ver the terrain.
Vo-mit rain!!
I turn my head here to avoid puking on myself
Cover your heads or you will feel the pain!


HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Retro meme win!

Your video, Guy can't keep his breakfast in during hang gliding, has made it into the Top 15 New Videos listing. Congratulations on your achievement. For your contribution you have been awarded 1 Power Point.

This achievement has earned you your "Pop Star" Level 49 Badge!

I don't vomit often. But when I do, I do it hang gliding.

>> ^SlipperyPete:

Heard on the ground below:
"This rain smells funny".


Or splattering on someone's face.

From the tire tracks at the landing site, he's planned this out. Probably by cutting the engine close to where he takes off.

The plane he's flying is practically an ultra-light. The take off was no more dangerous than hang gliding.

Thank you Haldaug!

In reply to this comment by Haldaug:
*promote

too awesome! thanks Ornthy!

In reply to this comment by Ornthoron:
Here, I made you an embeddable playlist for the great Maria Schneider video, so we can listen to the rest of the song as well:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D72686EF437CAAEA

Here, I made you an embeddable playlist for the great Maria Schneider video, so we can listen to the rest of the song as well:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D72686EF437CAAEA

Beautiful solo by Ingrid Jensen on Flügelhorn. You can hear she is thinking about hang gliding while playing.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'Maria, Schneider, Orchestra, Hang, Gliding' to 'Maria, Schneider, Orchestra, Hang, Gliding, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin' - edited by Ornthoron

sure, go ahead. nice piece of music, btw

In reply to this comment by Fusionaut:
May I add this to your wings channel?

http://www.videosift.com/video/Maria-Schneider-Orchestra-Hang-Gliding

May I add this to your wings channel?

http://www.videosift.com/video/Maria-Schneider-Orchestra-Hang-Gliding

Tags for this video have been changed from 'skiing, hang gliding, slope, splat' to 'skiing, hang gliding, ski jump, slope, flying, splat, face plant, ouch, fail, landing' - edited by kulpims