RidgeDancer March 1996
Reproduced from the monthly newsletter.
Contents:
HAMsters at Westlake
Who Can Observe
Enough Nar-Nar!
Pilot First Aid and CPR
HAMsters at Westlake
Ron Thompson & Ann Sasaki[Bzzzzzz......Bzzzzzzz........]
"Hello?"
"Hi Scott, I'm on the autopatch. I'm about 500' above the top of Westlake. It's flyable if you want to come on out."
"Great! I'll grab my wing and come on out. If you hang on I'll try to give you a call on the repeater directly."
Scott lives about 40 miles away in Vallejo, but his 70 watt mobile radio can put out a pretty good signal, and we talked periodically as he drove the 1 1/2 hours through traffic to the coast. He paged Michael on his cell phone, who was out walking the dog in Novato.
While Scott and Michael were driving to the coast, a C130 transport plane came by low in front of the cliff belching smoke out of it's jet engines.
"Jeez! Look at that @#$%^ plane!" I had switched to simplex to talk to Ann, who was at the top of the stack and in danger of receiving some awesome wake turbulence from the plane. "I'm going to put on ears and get down lower", she said.
About 15 minutes later, a Coast Guard helicopter came by about 200' off the ocean and proceeded to cruise back and forth in front of us. We couldn't land because the LZ is down low where we would be in great danger from the rotor turbulence, and we couldn't go away because he kept going back and forth.
On a whim, I punched in the frequency for Marine channel 16. "Coast Guard helicopter, come in. Hello Coast Guard helicopter in front of Fort Funston."
"This is Coast Guard Helicopter P Blah Blah Blah 5. Go ahead."
"Hi, I'm a pilot of one of the Hang Gliders flying near you, and you are causing a potentially hazardous situation to the people in the air. We can't land while you are immediately in front of the cliff. "
"This is P Blah Blah Blah 5. We have a report of a hang glider pilot out of his harness in the water around Mussel Rock. We are conducting a search. Can you please clear the area if it is endangering you?"
"I can land if you go away for a minute, but I can't tell the others to clear the area because they aren't on a radio. I'll land and check if anyone knows anything about a pilot in the water, because I didn't see anyone go in."
"Any help you can give would be appreciated. This is P Blah Blah Blah 5 over."
We landed and checked around but no one had seen or heard of anyone going in the drink. I talked to the firemen who were standing around watching the helicopter, and they said that a person in one of the houses on the edge of Westlake had reported a hang glider in the water.
"Coast Guard helicopter, this is Hang Glider pilot. No one on the ground knows of any pilot that has gone in the water."
"OK. Thanks for the help. By the way, can I have your name?"
[Gulp!] "Ok, my name is Ron. I'm not licensed for this frequency, but since it is an emergency, I thought I would give you a call."
"Understand. Thanks again. P Blah Blah Blah 5 out."
After lunch, Scott and Michael showed up, and we all flew again. No pilot was ever found in the water, and it was the best day flying in January that anyone could remember.
I posted this story to the Hang Gliding mailing list a couple of months ago, but thought that the BAPA members who don*t read the list might enjoy it as well. The events of that day are a good example of why I fly with a radio, and have the Amateur Radio license to go with it.
Things you can do with a radio:
1. Call your friends on the repeater or autopatch and tell them it*s flyable.
2. Contact the Coast Guard to call for help if someone goes in the water.
3. Dial 911 on the autopatch to call for help if someone is injured.
4. Listen to detailed wind and weather conditions for the local region.
5. Talk/listen to the HG pilots at Diablo or Mt. Tam to get their analysis of the conditions before you fly.
6. Talk to your friends who are up at Potato Hill on the repeater from your house in Pacifica to ask how the conditions are because you are going up the next day.
7. Call for a retrieve when you land out.
8. Tell your friends to stay away from the big rocky spine because there is severe turbulence over it.
9. Discuss the merits of landing with other pilots since the conditions seem to be changing.These are just a few of the things you can do with a radio, but there are three things you must have: An Amateur Radio license, the proper equipment, and the knowledge to use the equipment.
The license is easy -- just study for a couple of months and take one of the VEC exams that are given every weekend. Contact me for locations and times if you are interested. Alternatively, you can take one of Lorraine McCarthy*s NO CODE TECHNICIAN classes which are listed on the BAPA calendar.
As far as equipment, there is almost nowhere in the U.S. where you can't hit a repeater with a handheld radio and a 5W battery (there are about 250 2 Meter repeaters in Northern California alone!). Any brand of radio is fine as long as it covers the 2M band. You might want to check to see if it can be modified to transmit out of the 2M band if you are planning on using the USHGA business band frequencies. Note that it is against the law to modify a radio to transmit out of band, but it is legal to use any means necessary to call for help in an emergency. If you are flying in the mountains, a roll - up antenna which doubles your range is a good idea if you go cross country or land out.
The knowledge to use the equipment is acquired by talking to your friends who have been using radios for a while. You can always contact me by phone or e-mail or in person if you have any questions. If I don't know the answer I can always ask Scott McDonald (he has an Extra class license).
Finally, here are a few frequencies you might be interested in:
Diablo HG: 146.415 Simplex TAM HG: 147.495 Simplex Commonly used HG repeater on Mt. San Bruno: 145.370 - Good repeater at the Beach (Pacifica): 146.925 - 114.8 Tone Good repeater at Potato Hill: 146.850 - 110.9 Tone Good repeater at Hat Creek: 147.030 + Marine Channel 16 (emergency): 156.800 Simplex Marine Operator (need marine license to use): 161.900 - (5MHZ offset) NWS Weather radio: 162.400, 162.550If you are interested in selecting a simplex frequency for BAPA use at the coast, please contact me. This will enable pilots to talk to each other as they fly and share information about conditions.
In addition to increasing communication and safety, handheld radios add some fun to the otherwise boring sport of paragliding!
Who Can Observe
Jack HodgesFellow pilots,
As many of you know, as of this past January we have a new paragliding rating structure. Each of you who are members of the USHGA Paragliding Division will have received a copy of the new Pilot Proficiency Program (Part 104) and at least have the ability to know what the changes are and how they affect you.
What you may or may not know is that other aspects of the rating program also changed. Most significantly, the paragliding community now has a "relief valve" on getting signed off for an Intermediate or Advanced rating, and the associated special skills. The exact mechanism is that the paragliding community now has its own Examiners and Observers, and these individuals have the same kind of functions as their hang gliding counterparts. John Wilde and I have been appointed as regional Examiners for paragliding in this area, and we have likewise begun to appoint pilots as Observers. I have appointed one each for two of our local sites: Dave Sondergeld for the Stables site, and Eric Wilcox for Mt. Diablo. I think that we should have at least one Observer appointed for each site, so I it would be nice if we had a few more.
You might well ask how the Observer program works, and that would be a very reasonable question. An Observer can observe Intermediate and Advanced flight skills, as noted in the Part 104, and sign a pilot off for having successfully demonstrated a skill. The Observer can also administer written exams for the Intermediate and Advanced ratings, and special skills, and sign off on the rating application for these proficiency skills. An Observer can ONLY observe, and cannot instruct. In some cases, the Observer may be qualified to instruct, but as an Observer it is not acceptable to offer instruction. That role is reserved for instructors. So the Observer can tell you that you did not perform a task appropriately, but is not allowed to tell you (and may indeed not be qualified to do so) how to change your flying to do so properly. The effect of this program is to reduce the load on instructors, who spend most of their time teaching Beginner and Novice pilots, and, occasionally, Intermediate and Advanced pilots. They do not have a lot of time to watch other pilots, regardless of their willingness to do so.
How does a pilot invoke this method of advancement, and how does it work? Generally you would get in touch with a local Observer and discuss how they undertake the observing process. It is entirely up to the Observer as to how to proceed, and it is reasonable to expect each Observer to explain to you what they would require. Though it is purely a volunteer job, it takes a lot of time to do it, and so the Observer may want to be involved in your advancement to greater or lessor extents. For example, some Observers will be willing to observe and sign off on single skills, but may not be willing to sign off on the entire rating from 1 or 2 observed skills. Since the pilot who signs an advancing pilot off is essentially responsible for evaluating the advancing pilot's level of maturity and wisdom with respect to the sport and the community, 1 or 2 skill observations might not make some pilots comfortable with such an evaluation/decision. Other Observers may only be willing to work with an advancing pilot if they can observe all the skills for a particular rating. Of course there are many other possible scenarios.
The key thing to remember here is that you have new options for advancing through the rating system, and you should, by ALL MEANS, avail yourself of these mechanisms and advance at a safe and enjoyable pace. Everyone enjoy that spring air!!!
Respectfully submitted,
Jack Hodges USHGA 13200
Enough Nar-Nar!
Ann SasakiA sunny, smooth day at the coast is a blissful event for many pilots. I was reminded of this on January 28 (my birthday!) when it was so soarable we got several hours of airtime and saw just about everyone in the flying community. After the somewhat bleak winter months, we are often a bit rusty on our coastal skills and the spring can bring high winds and lots of shears. We're also dying to be flying so we tend to rush out and fly without much restraint. This seems like a good time to print a few reminders about flying at the coast.
Para-pointers:
1. A site introduction is important to having safe and fun flights when you are new to a site. Local pilots who fly the site often will have tips and cautions that will help you plan your flight and stay out of trouble. Don't launch at a new site without getting a site intro. If there is no one to talk to because they are all up there soaring, then at least watch people fly for a while to observe wind direction, where the lift is, where the traffic is, where pilots launch and land and so on.
2. One of the most important things to do when approaching any unfamiliar site is to ask the locals what they think of the current conditions. This is how you learn to read the conditions for yourself.
If no one else is flying, it's best to find out why rather than decide they're all a bunch of wimps. And, if an experienced local pilot lands and recommends that you don't launch, find out what their reading of the conditions is because they may have seen and felt something you haven't.3. Although flying is an individual rather than team sport, getting to know other pilots is enjoyable, educational, and probably increases your safety because people know who you are and what your skill level is and are concerned about your well-being.
4. Having flying mentors and friends who are experienced pilots can be very helpful. You can learn a lot by watching the senior pilots fly and asking them about techniques they use. My experience has been that people are glad to share information and tips that they have learned through many hours of flying.
5. When you fly, always take a good look at any wind indicators such as flags, waves on the water, wind lines on the water, whitecaps, clouds, fog, birds soaring by, hanggliders, other paragliders and so on. If you see something you don't understand, ask someone what they make of it. For example, if the wind seems very light on the ground but there are some hanggliders skying out, what does that indicate?
6. Be aware that in the winter months the tide in many places along the coast comes ALL the way up to the bottom of the cliffs. Then there is NO beach. Do not launch if there is no beach.
If you are flying for a long period of time, keep an eye on the tide and observe whether it is coming in or going out in case you have to land on the beach.7. Do not go near the water. We have witnessed tragic evidence of how dangerous this can be. If you end up in the water UNHOOK immediately, dump your harness, reserve and glider and be alive to regret the loss. Carry a hook knife and have quick release connectors on your harness so you can get out quickly if necessary.
8. Test the conditions as you fly. Keep your eye on the water to see if whitecaps or wind lines are developing. Watch carefully for fog moving in and dropping lower.
Do not go up into the fog when flying. This is dangerous for you and other pilots because of lack of visibility and the potential for midairs or getting blown back.9. Conditions change quickly at the coast! If the wind seems to be getting stronger, move out of the lift band and plan your landing. Don't expect the wind to drop off, because usually it will only keep building. Use your speedbar or adjust your trim and penetrate out and come down immediately.
10. If the wind has picked up while you were in the air, land at a low spot such as the beach or other low, flat area, rather than insisting on top landing where the wind is much stronger. Practice dropping your wing quickly so you don't get dragged when you land. Talk to other pilots about their methods for doing this - some people swear by B risers (which takes a fair amount of force) and others prefer C's.
11. Check the wind direction - sometimes it switches and if you fail to realize this you can sink out or risk being rotored by hugging the wrong face of the cliff. Check the streamers and other indicators as you fly. Do not fly by formula, each day the conditions may be different.
12. Don't go to any huge cliff like Westlake until you have CONSIDERABLE experience flying the coast. Before you go, be familiar with staying on the outer edge of the lift band and increasing your penetration if necessary. Go the first time escorted by your flying mentor or a friend who is experienced and conservative, preferably in radio contact with them. Stay below the top and out away from the cliff. The lift and blow-back potential are incredible on a 500' sheer cliff. Do not discover this by getting sucked up on top and having to avoid deadly power lines and major roads with lots of traffic!
13. Until you are extremely familiar with coastal flying and the specific site, don't fly above the top of a large cliff like Westlake because the wind gradient can make it much windier at the top. Stay low (like halfway down at road level at Westlake) and out.
14. Stay out of deep bowls because the wind will be even stronger there due to the air funnelling into the bowl. Once you have gone to back of the bowl, you may not be able to penetrate back out.
This also applies to large gaps in a ridge. Don't get sucked in and stuck. Move away from the ridge as you cross a large gap so you don't suffer from gap suck.15. Watch out for rotors, such as the Mussel Rock rotor on days when the wind is WSW. A rotor can easily collapse part of your wing which is dangerous if you are close to the ground or the cliff. Do not go into the shadow of a cliff when the wind is coming from the opposite direction and do not land in the path of a rotor. Adjust your flight path and landing area.
16. Remember that if the wind is cross and you are having trouble penetrating, you can turn downwind. So for example, on a SW day, you turn NW and due to less wind resistance can then penetrate out of the lift band and come down for a landing. Turning straight into the wind may cause you to be blown backwards if the wind has become very strong.
17. Know the performance characteristics of your wing with you on it. Remember that the same wing in the same size, performs differently under different loads. If you are light on your wing, be more cautious about speed and penetration, blow-back and getting-dragged potential. You need to fly differently from someone who loads the wing more heavily and has good penetration.
18. When you call the windtalker and get the Fort Funston readings, it's probably wise to add a few miles per hour to the wind speed because the windtalker is located pretty far back from the cliff. Also, be aware that the conditions can be quite different at Fort Funston than they are a few miles to the south. There are many days when one coastal site is soarable but another only a few miles away is not. Therefore, when you arrive at a site, evaluate the current conditions rather than assuming anything.
19. Fly with a radio and talk to your flying friends while in the air. This can be a good way to discuss any changes in conditions or things that other pilots have spotted.
So there, in a large nutshell, are my top recommendations for flying at the coast. I would welcome other pilots adding wisdom that they have learned to this list. Here's to having a safe and soarable year!
Pilot First Aid and CPR Class
Ann SasakiYou've gone on a weekend trip with a small group of flying buddies to a mountain site in a sleepy rural area. The flying is good and everyone is enjoying themselves and then there's an accident. Due to the remoteness of the site, it could take a while for emergency services to arrive. This is a time when it may help if all the pilots in the group have some first aid and CPR training.
Whether it is flying or being out on a walk with your dog, we never know when we may encounter an accident. Taking one class will not make us experts in first aid but it may allow us to be more effective in assisting while waiting for professional help.
Also, for those of you who have taken a first aid and CPR class a while ago, it is a good idea to refresh your knowledge so that you are current. I took a class a few years ago and know that I need to update my training or else I will not really be of much help.
I encourage everyone to get involved and take some training. As with other efforts we make to increase safety at our sites, I think we strengthen our flying community by being educated.
Tom Azzopardi who is a fire captain and paramedic in South San Francisco, will schedule a First Aid/CPR class if there are eight to twelve people interested in attending. The class will cost $40 including a CPR manual and will be scheduled from 8:30 - 3:00 on a weekend day, ending early enough that you have four to five hours of flying time left once we are on Daylight Savings. Please contact Ann Sasaki at (415) 355-8888 if you are interested in attending a class some time this Spring.