RE: CPC: Abridged summary of cpcl@googlegroups.com - 27 updates in 3 topics
STUART CARUK
Hi fellow aviators,
I rarely find time to comment, but as posts on this topic reference TowmeUp.com, and the fact that I used to fly around this area extensively as a Regional Airline Captain, here’s a few points.
There are 2 types of charts that pilots use when flying in this area. A sectional chart, with all kinds of airports, airspace, and navigation aides depicted in pretty colors, and a more spartan IFR chart for pilots who aren’t interested in airports without instrument approaches, or sorting through the clutter. You can find both types online for free at www.Skyvector.com. You can buy the chart, or in windows 10, look for Snip & Sketch, draw a box around the image on screen, click to save it as a .JPG, and print the image. It’s unlikely that your paraglider will fly off the small chart printed. I’ve attached both charts to this email for the area around Chehalem.
The first key point is that Chehalem is right near the Newberg VOR, which is a navigation aid used by both VFR and IFR pilots. As to the question, could you talk to a pilot flying over the VOR? It would be highly unlikely. Pilots could be headed for Sportsman Airpark, Twin Oaks, Hillsboro, Portland, or talking to Flight service or their buddy on an air to air frequency. So expecting to hear from the pilots on any given frequency is just not going to happen.
In reality, below 10,000’ the speed limit is 250 knots. Just about every airliner or commuter is going to be hustling as quick as possible. On arrivals we slowed to 250 knots before descending through 10,000’, but I personally never slowed below that unless directed by ATC, or when I reduced power coming up on the outer marker to stabilize the approach for landing. So it’s very likely that aircraft around you are traveling a mile every 14 seconds. Well documented studies will note that it takes an average pilot about 15 seconds to see an object out the window, determine if it’s a collision threat, decide which direction to maneuver to avoid a collision, take appropriate action, and have the aircraft respond. So, simply put if a plane busts out of cloud a mile away from you, on a collision course, he will hit you, most likely… Fortunately the sky is a big place, flying objects are pretty small, and the odds of 2 of them occupying the same exact airspace are slim. But your odds go up near places where aircraft congregate, like navigation aids.
The guy out sightseeing in his Aeronca Champ at 80 knots is more than likely actually looking out the window, paying attention, and he has the best odds of seeing another aircraft. Pilots though, are trained to detect motion across their windscreen as they scan for traffic. Paragliders sadly don’t move quickly, and even brightly colored ones are very hard to spot from an aircraft. You could work to have a hang glider or paraglider symbol placed on the VFR chart, but the IFR guys would never see it or know about it. The greatest threat comes from the IFR commuter aircraft like the EMB-120, Jetstream’s, DASH 8’s and similar headed to and from Portland. They are more likely to be lower in the airspace we use, and even in VFR conditions they are very busy. One pilot is flying the aircraft getting ready for the approach, the other pilot is more than likely coordinating with their station for updates on weather and the outbound load, fuel required, and how many passengers and bags they can take on the next leg of their trip. The odds that anyone is seriously looking out the window, actively scanning for traffic is slim. Even if they we’re looking, as paragliders we are more likely to be interpreted as a bug splat on the windshield. So your safest bet is to not only assume that nobody is looking for you, but that they are actually hunting you down, and make sure you stay well clear of them. As to wagging your wings to make yourself visible… unlikely, remember odds are they aren’t looking for you. In your favor though is that most pilots will pull up and turn to avoid an obstacle. You should have a decent descent strategy in your repertoire to avoid cloud suck. Aircraft avoidance is a good time to put it to use and head down quickly. I like front horseshoes, and spin turns, but B stalls, and asymmetric spirals are good options as well as others. If you don’t have a decent descent technique an over the water maneuvers clinic should be in your future.
As far as tree rescue goes, I designed a belay device years ago that requires no knots to be tied in our kit. It’s simple and a great way to get out of a tree. The club used to put on clinics and teach people how to tie a munter hitch on
a carabiner as a descent aid, but the reality was that even with good instructions, in a clinic setting, 50%+ of the attendees couldn’t tie a proper knot. The odds of doing it under stress in a tree were slim. Buying a device and knowing how to use it is critical.
I got a call in the shop one afternoon from a pilot I know well who had just landed in a tree while visiting a site in California. He asked me for advice on how to use the directions provided with the kit. Turns out he had never opened it before, and had left
his reading glasses in his car, so they were useless. Ultimately I searched the web, called the site liaison and asked if he could go check on the pilot. A rescue crew arrived and rather than have the pilot lower himself out of the tree, he pulled up a climbing
rope with it, and the rescue crew ascended the rope and lowered the pilot safely down. They offered to recover his wing for $200 and he was too cheap to pay the fee, so the glider was left to be recovered as a prize by a local pilot. There’s a lesson in there
somewhere…
For years I have kept a spreader bar hanging in my shop for pilots who want to get hoisted up on a shop crane and practice rappelling with our device to determine the ideal number of wraps. It’s free for anybody all you need to do is call or email and set up a time.
One thing that always annoys me is the advice given by some people to use really skinny line. I searched high and low to find a really strong 6mm perlon cord to use for rappelling. I found a company in Canada that makes a custom cord for abandoning ice climbs (Espirit Ropes if you care). It has a rated breaking strength of 2800 pounds. It also has a sheath that gives good grip and provides plenty of friction to slow your descent. When you tie a figure 8 knot in the end to make a loop, it breaks consistently at around 1720 pounds. A figure 8 knot reduces the strength about 40%, most other knots are worse. This rope should survive even a short drop off a branch for example.
Standard 6mm perlon breaks around 1800 pounds and would be barely adequate. 5 mm perlon breaks at around 1200 pounds, or 720 pounds. This might be adequate for a very light person, but consider that a 200 pound person that falls 3 feet off a branch would exert about 1400 pounds and you might note that the cord would very likely break. I’d use that only in a very extreme emergency. For guys using anything lighter, you are just nuts. You could go source some 3mm Technora. We sell this in a kit to the US military and it’s insanely strong, stronger than our 6mm cord, but it looks like dental floss. I’ve done hundreds of rappels with it, but I’d never want to use it to come off a branch 100’ off the ground. If I had to evacuate the 7th floor of a building with people shooting at me.. I could probably be motivated. Heck even with our kits, and 6mm cord, I’d hang out if rescue was imminent and pull up a real rope with my kit. It makes recovering the gear so much easier.
If you’re concerned about getting out of a tree, feel free to give me a shout. If you’re an instructor and you plan ahead, I’m happy to help out.
Fly High,
Stu
Stuart Caruk
Director of Research and Development
Innovative Economical Solutions
23102 NE 3rd Avenue
Ridgefield, WA 98642
Direct Text / Cell (360) 607-6845
Office Phone - Best Place to leave a message is at IES (360) 887-0702
Delivery or Pickup Address FOB is:
23102 NE 3rd Avenue
Ridgefield, WA 98642
It's best to call before coming to confirm that we can unload or load you if you need assistance.
From Exit #11 off Interstate 5 North, or South, head East towards Battleground.
At the first light, turn left and head North on NE 10th Avenue.
Go exactly 1/2 mile, and turn left onto NE 229th Street. It's a private paved road.
Follow this road until it turns to gravel, continue straight going down the slight hill.
At the corner, follow the road to the right, through the 2nd yellow gate, and continue to
the turnaround at the end. There is ample room to turn around log trucks, semi trucks with long trailers, or lowboys at the end. Look for the source of the most noise, ring the doorbell by the front door, or honk your horn to get our attention if you don’t see someone immediately.
