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topic: environment (22 articles)

Bottled Water Is Sucking Florida Dry

September 17, 2019, 6:54:25 MST

Bottled Water Is Sucking Florida Dry

The aquifer.

environment

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/15/opinion/bottled-water-is-sucking-florida-dry.html

The state’s aquifers are shrinking, yet corporations want to appropriate even more of them.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida has the largest concentration of freshwater springs in the world, but they are being devastated by increasing pollution and drastic declines in water flow. Some springs have dried up from overextraction; others have shown signs of saltwater intrusion and harmful algae blooms.

At least 60 springs discharge from the Floridan aquifer into the Santa Fe River, which runs 75 miles through north-central Florida. This aquifer is the primary source of drinking water in the state. The state and local governments have continued to issue water bottling extraction permits that prevent the aquifer from recharging.

The answer to this problem is simple: No more extraction permits should be granted, and existing permits should be reduced with the goal of eliminating bottled water production entirely in Florida. At the very least, corporations should be taxed for the water they now extract free of charge. That revenue can be used to pay for water infrastructure projects.

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Air Quality

Thu, Sep 7 2017, 10:20:44 am MDT

Unhealthy

environment

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.mapcenter&mapcenter=1

You can zoom down to your location.

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Dying to fly

November 3, 2015, 7:10:43 PST

Dying to fly

At Point of the Mountain

environment|PG

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/3116059-155/op-ed-point-of-the-mountain-gravel

Point of the Mountain gravel pit is choking us

Gravel pit dust not only contributes to valley-wide air pollution, but also contains unique toxins. Soil analysis of the POM area revealed significant contamination with heavy metals, especially uranium and arsenic. Crystalline silica is ubiquitous in the dust and chronic exposure is well known to cause destruction of lung tissue and function, and can lead to lung cancer and increased vulnerability to tuberculosis. While concerns regarding chronic silicosis are usually limited to those occupationally exposed, nearby residents can be exposed 24/7 rather than merely during work hours, and the exposed residential populations include children and babies in utero, greatly magnifying the public health consequences.

The Point of the Mountain forms a natural venturi effect or constriction in the valley that causes wind to accelerate as it competes to get through and over this gap. These remarkably consistent winds make the POM an internationally famous paragliding site. Wind over 10 mph will pick up dust from disturbed, raw land surfaces, like gravel pits, and on 80 percent of days the wind is strong enough to blow dust from POM into the greater Salt Lake or Utah counties depending on the direction. If you are a resident in just about any part of Salt Lake or Utah counties you are already inhaling dust from Geneva's POM gravel pit.

Biodegradable flagging tape for wind streamers

Thu, Mar 26 2015, 8:14:09 am EDT

Which way is it blowing?

environment|gear

J. Gibson «J. Gibson» writes:

I just discovered this eco-friendly alternative to the plastic product found at many flying sites.

http://www.benmeadows.com/ben-meadows-biodegradable-flagging-tape_36814365/

3.0 mil Nonwoven Cellulosic Roll Flagging is Ideal for Short-Term Tree Marking. Complete your next flagging job without leaving a mark on the environment. Ben Meadows Biodegradable Flagging Tape is made of material derived from wood pulp. Functions like other roll flagging except that it degrades in 6–24 months (depending on conditions). Completely nontoxic. Choose from: Blue, Orange Glo, Red, White and Yellow. 3.0 mil thick. 1"W x 100'L roll.

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Don't go near the water

October 4, 2013, 8:45:04 MDT

Don't go near the water

A petrifying experience

environment|wildlife

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Beach Debris

Fri, Aug 10 2012, 8:22:43 am MDT

In Michigan

environment

J. Gibson «J. Gibson» writes:

Northwest Michigan has some of the finest beaches in the world. Our club site is located on one of these beaches and the ¼ mile walk from the LZ to the stairs that lead back to launch is normally pristine… except in the summer months. This morning I found almost 30 streamers and dead balloon remnants that drifted over from Wisconsin and other states further west. Last year I found one imprinted with words advertising an auto dealership in North Dakota. Sometimes I find them partially inflated floating on the water. Keep in mind that Michigan has over 3,000 of miles of shoreline and these remains shown in the photo are from walking just a few hundred footsteps.

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Condors and lead

March 22, 2012, 8:39:41 EDT

Condors and lead

Get the lead out

environment|wildlife

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/15/zeroing-in-on-lead-in-hunters-bullets/

A California condor soars over the hills of Big Sur after being treated for lead poisoning and re-released.

Citing risks to birds and to human health, roughly 100 environmental groups formally asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency this week to ban or at least impose limits on lead in the manufacturing of bullets and shotgun pellets for hunting or recreation.

The use of such ammo by hunters puts about 3,000 tons of lead into the environment annually and causes the death of 20 million birds each year from lead poisoning, said Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate at one of the groups, the Center for Biological Diversity.

One of the species most at risk from lead is the endangered California condor, a scavenger that may ingest lead while eating the remains of animals shot with lead bullets, federal and state wildlife and park officials say. The lead pellets within shotgun shells also closely resemble “grit,” pebbles consumed by many species of birds that are necessary for digestion.

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Bad Air

Mon, Sep 26 2011, 8:33:12 am MDT

Andy Jackson flight park

environment

http://www.environmentamerica.org/home/reports/report-archives/clean-air/clean-air/danger-in-the-air-unhealthy-air-days-in-2010-and-2011

Of large metropolitan areas, or those with populations over 1 million people, Riverside-San Bernardino, California suffered the worst smog pollution in 2010 by far, with 41 more days than the area in second place: Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA.

State-by-state rankings of smog in 2010: Across the state of California, there were 135 days in 2010, or more than a third of the year, when at least part of the state experienced smog levels exceeding the health standard.

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Camel Carbon Credits

Thu, Jun 9 2011, 8:06:45 am MDT

I continue covering Oz and the latest Oz developments

environment

http://bigpondnews.com/articles/Environment/2011/06/09/Kill_a_camel_claim_a_carbon_credit_623190.html

He estimates that given their lifespan, every animal culled would save around 14 or 15 tonnes in (carbon dioxide) abatement.

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Cotton in the Texas panhandle

March 31, 2011, 2:33:30 pm EDT

Cotton in the Texas panhandle

Seemed like there was a lot there before

environment

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/29/business/29cotton.html

“There’s a lot more money to be made in cotton right now,” said Ramon Vela, a farmer here in the Texas Panhandle, as he stood in a field where he grew wheat last year, its stubble now plowed under to make way for cotton. Around the first week of May, Mr. Vela, 37, will plant 1,100 acres of cotton, up from 210 acres a year ago. “The prices are the big thing,” he said. “That’s the driving force.”

The shift is particularly noticeable in the Texas Panhandle, where cotton is a relative newcomer. Traditionally, the region was too far north and the growing season too short for cotton. But within the last decade, hardier varieties were introduced and slowly the crop caught on. One reason for cotton’s growing popularity is that it takes far less water to grow than corn. Panhandle farmers tap into the Ogallala Aquifer, but that water source is being depleted and farmers face looming restrictions on water use.

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Deep Natural Gas wells - like in Zapata

Tue, Mar 22 2011, 9:03:05 am EDT

Fracking

environment

These wells have been drilled in and around Zapata and along our course over the last decade.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/101022-breaking-fuel-from-the-rock

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Forbes - it's raining »

Wed, Mar 10 2010, 8:40:21 am EST

BBC and the World report on rain in Forbes

BBC|Christmas|environment|news|podcast|weather

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8544716.stm

Since Christmas, parched areas of New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, have received their best rains in a decade, fuelling hopes the continent's worst drought in a century may finally be easing.

Near Forbes, a farming town 380km (240 miles) west of Sydney, vast tracts of desolate land have turned a splendid shade of green, while dry rivers and creeks have been revived.

"The impact of the rain has been fantastic. It has just really lifted the community and really lifted the environment," said Carissa Bywater, the general manager of the Forbes Shire council.

This oversees a town that has faced the dire prospect of running out of water, while the nearby Lachlan River almost stopped flowing.

The answer to today’s Geo Quiz today is Australia. Something’s happening in parts of the country that hasn’t happened for years. It’s RAINING. Correspondent Phil Mercer reports from the farming town of Forbes that locals hope the worst drought in memory may finally be breaking.

March 9 broadcast of PRI's "The World" - podcast here: http://www.theworld.org/2010/03/09/geo-answer-109/

Go fly a kite

Wed, Mar 25 2009, 8:35:29 am EDT

Get high to get the high power

environment|Saul Griffith

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/492

Saul Griffith: Inventing a super-kite to tap the energy of high-altitude wind.

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Biodiesel car?

Mon, Dec 15 2008, 9:07:40 am PST

Do we want clean air to fly in?

environment|Pre-Worlds 2008

KCRW (http://subscribe.kcrw.com/subscribe.php), the model of a green community oriented NPR radio station, is giving away a 2009 VW Jetta TDI Clean Diesel car -- the 2009 Green Car of the Year!

I believe that we drove one of these at the pre-Worlds in France this year. Nice car.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/automotive_news/4235586.html

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2009-volkswagen-jetta-20-tdi-review/

Biodesel

Wilderness

July 2, 2007, 11:30:59 EDT

Wilderness

The old west

environment

The NY Times article.

...in what may be the most overlooked part of the West — the Big Empty of north-central Idaho.

I drove once until there was no more road, and then hiked, with two of my brothers, until there was no more trail. Like leprechauns at rainbow’s end, we found a deep pool at the base of a waterfall, hard by a grove of ancient cedars. We caught fish until our arms were tired, and then watched the night sky theatrics. There was river music, white noise for sleep. And I promised never to tell the exact location. This was in the upper reaches of the St. Joe River — that’s all I’m able to say.

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Harvesting the winds

August 14, 2006, 5:22:03 pm CDT

Winds

Here in Big Spring, we fly with the windmills

environment

Just what you need to power your electric car.

http://www.whyy.org/podcast/081406_100630.mp3

We talk with LESTER BROWN, author of the new book Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble. Brown says the world is too much too quick, and the only solution is adopting an environmentally friendly sustainable economy. Brown is president and founder of both the Earth Policy Institute and Worldwatch Institute

Big Road near Laredo

Wed, Jun 21 2006, 10:57:15 am EDT

Highway

We've flown over the first part of this highway ever since we came to Zapata

environment

http://www.nascocorridor.com/

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15497

Quietly, but systematically, the Bush Administration is advancing the plan to build a huge NAFTA Super Highway, four football-fields-wide, through the heart of the U.S. along Interstate 35, from the Mexican border at Laredo, Tex., to the Canadian border north of Duluth, Minn.

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Tucks, are they inevitable?

Thu, Jul 17 2003, 7:00:03 pm GMT

Australia|certification|competition|DHV|environment|John Vernon|Peter Dall|Ron Gleason|spin|tail|tuck|Wills Wing|Wills Wing Falcon|Zapata

Richard Lever <RLever@aol.com> writes:

John Vernon's principal argument is being overlooked here.

(editor’s note: Not overlooked, but it is always good to put the spotlight back on it.)

The Atos may have entered an incipient spin due to being flown too slow. I think we all accept that spins are a reality with any high aspect wing and that to fly a rigid you need to watch the speed. But having said that, what happened after the pilot applied correct spin recovery techniques is the real issue.

John mentions that other pilots flying that day referred to conditions as 'similar to a British autumn', if slightly choppy (well even here in Blighty we get the odd rough day, but if you can't fly safely in Britain where can you?). The point is that the glider failed to recover from the ensuing dive - a basic pitch stability issue. It wasn't in a radical/competition environment and it wasn't a non-certified glider.

(editor’s note: We know that conditions in one patch of the sky don’t necessarily correspond to conditions in another patch of the sky. When I tucked in Australia over the flats the air was seen to be just fine by the pilots near me. But one (perhaps very small) patch of it wasn’t.)

Felix is one of hang gliding's pioneers and I hate being one of his detractors. The Atos is one of the sexiest high performance wings ever built and one day I hope to own one. But in the meantime please get the thing sorted!

(editor’s note: I’m thinking that flex wings have also failed to recover from dives. The other day out of Zapata we had Ron Gleason go into a 120° dive when flying an ATOS-C with a tail and he and it recovered. Peter Dall in Australia also tucked an ATOS with a tail and recovered.

I guess I’m unclear as just to which lesson I’m supposed to draw from the fact that the ATOS didn’t recover in one case and did in two others. That flex wings recover in some cases and not in others.

Am I supposed to think that the DHV certification only protects me up to Y limit? Is Y the same for flex wings and rigid wings with tails? If Richard could just enlighten me as to what I’m supposed to think here I would really very much appreciate it.

The only hang glider that I know for sure hasn’t tucked or tumbled in the Wills Wing Falcon. I’m sure that there are others in this class with similar records. Is this due to the design, the pilots, or the conditions in which it is flown in, or all three? If I want to never tuck again should I fly a Falcon only, and only in benign conditions?)

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The Spanish ATOS “incident”

Mon, Jul 7 2003, 6:00:05 pm GMT

accident|aerotow|airline|airspace|altitude|Angelo Crapanzano|bridle|Carlos Avila|certification|cloud|control frame|DHV|environment|equipment|Felix Ruehle|Florida|foot launch|general aviation|GPS|harness|injury|job|landing|military|Moyes Xtralite|parachute|Ron Richardson|safety|site|spin|Swift|tail|technique|tow|towing|tumble|USHGA|Wallaby Ranch|winch

David Cross <d.cross@chello.nl> writes:

I have recently had the unfortunate experience of departing controlled flight in an ATOS rigid wing hang glider. I have written this report to share the experience with my fellow aviators so that any lessons learnt may be shared and the accident assessed by those with a better insight in this field than I.

Description of Flight Conditions

I had launched in the mid afternoon with an aero tow from Aerotow.com's facilities near the town of Avila in central Spain. I was planning to fly some cross country under the tuition of the highly experienced Ron Richardson. It was my second flight of the day. On the previous flight I had found the conditions to be weak with the thermals broken and the climbs poor and I had not been able to stay up for long. The afternoon however improved with the cloud base lifting to about 7000' altitude (average ground elevation of 3000'), with promising cumulus development downwind to the east and no sign of the previous day's overdevelopment.

The second aero tow was bumpy but easy to handle on the ATOS with its excellent control harmony between pitch and roll. I was waved off in some lift over a small ridgeline to the south east of the field. I again found the lift to be broken and the climb weak. Ron was at this stage further to the east overhead the town and was calling a 300'/min climb on the averager. As I was at this stage too low to get over to him I focused on what I had in order to build more altitude. I scratched up to 4800' altitude and then ran for a good looking cumulus on the way to Ron's position.

Loss of Control

Entering the Thermal

I rolled right hand into the lift under the cumulus and worked hard to centre it. The conditions were choppy but not rough and smoothed out somewhat above 5000' altitude to a steady 300 fpm up. The conditions downwind were now looking really good and through each turn I was scanning to pick up Ron's Avian Cheetah on the horizon, and I could hear Darren Blackman heading in towards us on his Swift. Things were at last coming together after a week of poor conditions. I was relaxed, thoroughly enjoying the ATOS and looking forward to the afternoons flying.

Turn Reversal

I had in the last turn noticed a slight increase in lift in the southern sector of my circle. I glanced down to see if there were any birds marking the core and was presented with a magnificent stork circling left hand counter flow to me with slightly intersecting circles. After one more turn I saw that (as always) he was doing a better job than I and so I planned a turn reversal into his circle.

The reversal worked out well. As the stork slid under my nose I experienced a moderate pitch up from the stronger lift and eased the bar in to lower the nose and accelerate while rolling out of the right hand turn into a left hand circle. Due to the fair conditions I had been thermalling at 40-45 km/h (25-28 mph) indicated airspeed (IAS) with 20-25° of bank and had felt very comfortable at this speed.

(editor’s note: Unless the thermal is absolutely light (50-100 fpm) and full with no turbulence, I’m flying at 34-38 mph. The speeds indicated above are much too slow for the conditions described.)

As I had now accelerated into the stronger lift I estimate that the IAS was approximately 48-50 km/h (30 mph) as I started the reversal. The flap was set at 8-10°. The reversal was initiated with moderate spoiler application - I estimate ⅓ to ½ deflection. The altitude was now 6000' (about 2500' AGL due to the ridge below).

Departing Controlled Flight

As the left hand turn was established I felt a light short period aerodynamic buffet on the control frame and almost simultaneously experienced a very rapid nose down pitch rotation through approximately 90° of pitch. I estimate the pitch rotation rate to be 50 -60°/sec. There was also some left hand roll rotation, although this was less than the amount of pitch rotation. I was not aware of any significant yaw.

As the departure started my assessment was that the glider was auto-rotating and that I was in the incipient stage of a spin. I had been thermalling with the bar in the upper chest to lower chin position. As the nose down pitch started I rapidly moved the bar in to the mid chest position in an attempt to reduce the angle of attack, un-stall the wing and stop the autorotation. This appeared to stop the left roll rotation rate but had little effect on the rate of nose down pitch. During the latter part of the initial nose down rotation I estimate that the g loading on my body was 0 - 0.5 g (I felt almost weightless).

The glider then appeared to stabilize very briefly in the vertical nose down position before rotating extremely rapidly in pitch to the inverted position. This second rotation was violent and uncontrollable. As it happened I felt a powerful rearward pull from my hang strap and the control bar was pulled from my grip. I was thrown hard into the undersurface of the glider which was now inverted, next to the A frame. I estimate that this pitch down rate was well in excess of 90°/sec.

The glider now stabilized in the inverted position while descending in what appeared to be a relatively gentle oscillatory spiral. I was somewhat disorientated at this point and so may not be too accurate about the motion of the glider. I do however recall some spiral motion and some oscillation above and below the horizon.

I was lying on the undersurface of the wing to the left of and outside the A frame. I immediately checked the leading edges and tips and observed no apparent structural damage. I assessed that I had sufficient altitude and attempted to right the glider and reached for the A frame to do this. When I grasped the left down tube to attempt to right the glider, the glider entered a very disorientating oscillatory rotation but remained inverted. I assume this was caused by spoiler deflection when I moved the A frame.

After two rapid rotations it did not appear to be recovering. At this stage I was losing situational awareness with respect to the height remaining for recovery. In addition the gliders unstable motion had me concerned about the possibility of being knocked unconscious.

Parachute Deployment

I thus looked for clear air and deployed my emergency parachute hard in the direction of rotation half way between the right hand wingtip and the keel. The parachute deployed immediately and then appeared to semi collapse as the glider was rotated by the parachute deployment into the upright position, swinging me hard to hang to the outside of the A frame. The parachute then reopened immediately.

The system of parachute, glider and pilot now became extremely unstable with the parachute and the glider appearing to work in opposition. The glider appeared to accelerate and pitch nose up, causing the chute to collapse and then re-open before the cycle was repeated by the glider. From my vantage point the parachute was describing a sine curve-like path across the horizon while collapsing partially and re-opening in sequence with the pitch motion of the glider.

The glider and parachute appeared to be rotating rapidly about each other with the centre of this rotation somewhere between the glider and the parachute. At no stage was the parachute positioned above the glider. The centripetal acceleration of this system rapidly became very high. I estimate the g loading to be approximately 3 g and I was swung out helplessly under the wing clear of the A frame unable to control the system at all.

Stabilizing the System

I now broadcast a Mayday call, and informed Ron that I had deployed the parachute and was going down. I described my status and informed him that it did not look promising. At this stage the rate of descent and particularly the angular rotation appeared to me to be very high and I was sure that ground impact in this configuration would have severe consequences.

After several high g rotations I managed to grab the hang strap behind my neck and pull myself toward the A frame and grasp a down tube. Adrenaline is a wonderful thing. I then pulled myself into the A frame. This had an immediate positive effect. The parachute stabilized above the glider, the angular velocity reduced and the g loading reduced. I was now descending through about 500' AGL with a moderate oscillation but no angular rotation at all. I now called Ron to inform him that the situation was under control and proceeded to describe my probable touchdown position to him.

Touchdown

I descended onto the slope of a rocky tree covered ridge. Before impact I positioned myself as high into the A frame as possible as I was not sure what the rate of descent was and I wished to protect myself from any impact on what appeared to be very rocky terrain. I kept my legs bent to absorb as much shock as possible.

I was fortunate to impact into the crown of a moderately sized tree. The A frame took much of the initial impact of the branches. The glider was then swung out of the top of the tree throwing me out of the A frame. As I fell to the ground the glider hooked onto a branch and my fall was arrested with my feet 12cm off the ground. I was completely uninjured. I transmitted to Ron that I was down and safe and that he should cancel any ambulance.

The only apparent damage to the glider was a broken main spar and associated sail damage approximately ⅓ in from the right wingtip. This occurred on ground impact and not in flight. My assessment was that the glider was completely undamaged until ground contact.

Discussion

As with any aviation accident there are several lessons to be learnt. Most accidents are not caused by a single event but by a combination of factors. Often an accident could have been prevented if just one of these factors, however minor it may have seemed at the time, could have been identified and stopped. I will now discuss my background, what I think may have been the contributing factors to this accident and the lessons learnt from it. This is obviously my subjective opinion and I welcome any discussion on these points that may offer a more informed insight.

Flying Experience and Background

I am a USHGA intermediate rated pilot who has been flying for three years. I did my initial training in the French Alps mountain launching and completed my training at Wallaby Ranch where I also obtained an aero tow rating. I did a further foot launching course at Lookout Mountain where I obtained cliff launch, flat slope launch and assisted windy cliff launch ratings. My flying has taken place mostly in Florida and the Alps and has always been under the supervision of more experienced pilots. I currently fly a Moyes Xtralite. One month prior to the accident I had flown under the supervision of Chris Dawes in the UK where I did some winch foot launch training and some aero towing as an early season refresher. Prior to this I had last flown the previous late summer in the Alps.

I am a current airline pilot flying Boeing 747's and a current Air Force reserve pilot on fighter type aircraft. I hold a Glider Pilot's License although I am not at present current on sailplanes. I have some experience flying paragliders although I have not yet completed my license. My total flying experience is 8000 hours.

I have mentioned the military experience as I feel it is relevant with respect to my experience in spinning three axis control aircraft. My air force background has provided me with extensive spin training. I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity of spinning a variety of aircraft, from military trainers and fighters to general aviation aircraft, aerobatic aircraft and sailplanes.

Two weeks prior to this accident I carried out a maintenance test flight on a military trainer that included several multi turn full spins and recoveries. I thus feel that I may be considered current as far as spin identification, entry and recovery on three axis aircraft is concerned. This has relevance as there has been much discussion about the advantages of doing spin training on three axis aircraft before flying rigid wing hang gliders.

ATOS Experience

I had come to Spain specifically for the opportunity of flying the ATOS. At the time of the accident I had flown 11 flights on the ATOS for a total of 5.00 flying hours. All flight had been under the supervision of Felix Ruehle and I had been extensively and professionally briefed by him on all aspects of the glider.

Although this was my first experience on a rigid wing hang glider I had felt comfortable and confident on the ATOS from the first flight. I had on the second flight in smooth evening conditions flown the glider to the stall and found the recovery to be simple. I had confidence thermalling the glider in the moderate conditions I had experienced and at no stage had any reservations about the handling of the glider. I found the control harmony particularly pleasant and aero towing simple.

(editor’s note: An inexperienced hang glider pilot, new to an ATOS, was flying it too slow in a thermal.)

Equipment

The glider was a standard ATOS. I had for most of the week prior to the accident been flying another standard ATOS. The hang point for the accident glider (as on the previous glider) had been adjusted towards the forward centre of gravity (C of G) limit, appropriate to my hook in weight. On the accident glider my hang position was slightly higher than that of the glider I had flown previously in the week and the trim speed was slightly lower. Both the hang position and the trim speed were well within safe limits. The glider was fitted with an A.I.R. horizontal stabilizer.

I was using a Woody Valley Tenax harness with the parachute mounted on the right chest. The harness was fitted with a Metamorfosi Conar 18 Gore parachute, which was just over one year old and had recently been repacked by myself. No swivel was fitted to the bridle. My weight is 72 kg making a hook in weight of 87kg.

Airspeed information was provided by a Brauniger Galileo set to indicated airspeed (IAS) mode and a mechanical pitot system fitted by Felix. I used the mechanical system for airspeed reference as I had not yet calibrated the Galileo and was not sure of the reliability of the airspeed display.

Departure from Controlled Flight

I feel that the departure from controlled flight had two distinct phases, a non divergent autorotation phase, and a divergent pitch instability phase.

Autorotation Phase

The autorotation phase I would describe as a gust induced stall in the turn followed by an autorotation and an incipient spin (the incipient stage of the spin being where the aerodynamic and gyroscopic effects of the spin are still influenced by the initial flight path of the glider - in this case a left hand turn). Although the nose down rotation of this phase was rapid it did not feel to me to be divergent. I thus do not feel that the gust had at this stage placed the wing at an AOA/hang point loading combination that had exceeded any static stability margins.

I was surprised by the limited aerodynamic stall warning and the rate of the initial nose down rotation. For these reasons I think the gust onset was significant and rapid. All my previous spinning experience in aircraft had led me to expect an initial rotation rate in roll and yaw that equaled or exceeded any initial nose down pitch rotation. As the initial nose down rotation started I had reduced the AOA aggressively. This seemed to stop any further roll or yaw rotation but had little effect on the rate of nose down pitch rotation. At no stage did the glider enter a stabilized spin.

I feel that there are several factors that could have contributed to the initial autorotation.

Firstly the glider was trimmed slightly slower than that to which I had been used to on the previous ATOS I had flown. As stated this was well within safe limits but may have caused a tendency towards slightly slower flight if I was distracted.

Secondly, I was using flap to thermal. This would move the bar position slightly back and I would, if focused primarily on bar position, have the tendency to move the bar further forward than required.

Thirdly, I had completed a turn reversal prior to the autorotation and the spoiler deflection would have caused some nose up pitching moment. If not corrected this would cause an obvious reduction in IAS and place the glider closer to the stall.

All the above factors are conducive to slower flight. However I am accustomed to flying aircraft that require accurate speed control and feel that I was very aware of the IAS while thermalling. I was also aware that the spin behavior of rigid wing gliders can be unpredictable and had no desire to explore that environment. My thermalling speed of 42-45 km/h (26 mph) felt comfortable for the conditions I was experiencing. I have since been informed that it was perhaps on the low side but not unsafe.

(editor’s note: Pilot is unaware that he is flying too slow.)

I had thermalled at similar speeds in equivalent conditions for most of the week without ever approaching any stall margins. The accuracy of the airspeed reference must also be considered. As mentioned previously my primary reference was the mechanical pitot system as I felt it was more accurate than my as yet un-calibrated electronic reference.

Some points with respect to the turn reversal technique. I normally unload the wing (thus reducing the AOA) before initiating any reversal in order to improve the roll rate. This obviously also results in an increase in IAS. Whether my technique was sufficient to counter any pitch up due to spoiler deflection may be debated. I did not notice any significant pitch up during this particular reversal. My limited experience on the ATOS could of course preclude this.

In addition I had experienced acceleration on entering the increased lift prior to the reversal. I had countered the nose up pitch that this had caused and so feel that my IAS margins on entry to the turn reversal were probably sufficient for normal conditions. I had as well been briefed on the "rule of thumb" safe range for forward and rearward bar positions and at all times flew within this range.

I thus think there must have been some significant gust effect present. Simply approaching the stall in a turn should not result in the almost immediate and rapid rotation experienced with minimal stall warning. I have described the conditions as moderate. I was experiencing an average climb of 300 fpm with maximum instantaneous readings of 1000 fpm.

However, Ron Richardson reported some strong turbulence while descending through the airspace I had been flying in, shortly after I deployed the parachute. My assessment is that a gust rapidly exceeded the critical AOA of the wing. As I was not yet fully established in a stable turn, there would have been some asymmetric loading on the wing, possibly resulting in the auto-rotation. I feel that this is supported by the fact that my rapid reduction in the AOA had no appreciable effect on the pitch rotation rate.

Pitch Instability Phase

I will now discuss what I consider to be the second phase of the departure. During the initial auto-rotation I had not experienced any reduction in g loading on my body - the hang point still felt loaded. Although the initial nose down rotation was high, I still felt that I had some control input and that the glider would recover. However, as the glider passed through about 60° nose down I experienced a reduction in g loading and felt almost weightless.

From this point I felt I no longer had control of the glider and I was unable to hold the bar in any longer. This is when the rapid rotation to the inverted position occurred and I lost my grip on the control bar. Perhaps the excessive AOA of the wing combined with the unloading of the hang point caused the static stability margins of the wing to be exceeded, causing a divergent rotation in pitch. The first auto-rotation phase initially felt controllable. The second phase of pitch instability was definitely not controllable.

Lessons Learnt

Thermalling at higher speed, steeper bank angles and higher g loadings, while not necessarily providing an increase in stall margin, will improve the damping in pitch and make a departure less likely.

It would be of value to calculate the exact stall speeds for the actual wing loading at various appropriate bank angles. With an accurate IAS reference sufficient margins could be applied to these calculated stall speeds for safer thermalling. An accurate IAS reference is obviously necessary. Of even more value would be a vane type AOA reference (Here's hoping!).

I found the ATOS easy and a pleasure to fly. However, in retrospect I feel that more time spent exploring the performance of the glider in smooth air would have been of benefit. I think in particular, the effect of flap on trim speeds and bar position, spoiler effect on pitch in turn reversals and approaches to the stall in wings level and turning flight should have been more fully explored before flying in more challenging conditions.

I think that my initial reaction to the auto-rotation phase was correct. Moving the bar in reduces the AOA and places the centre of gravity in the best possible position for dive recovery. Should this happen again I will do the same while attempting to hold on tighter. I do however feel that it was impossible to maintain grip on the control bar during the rotation to the inverted position.

Some comments on pilot experience. I was very excited to be offered the opportunity to fly the ATOS by Felix, as I consider myself a low time hang glider pilot. His briefing was comprehensive and gave me confidence in the glider while making me aware of how it differed from other gliders I had flown. I flew the glider conservatively and felt very confident with the general handling.

The afternoon following the accident I flew another standard ATOS in moderate thermic conditions for a 1 ½ hour flight. While understandably nervous at first the pleasant handling of the glider allowed me to settle down and soon regain my confidence. In summary I experienced nothing in the handling of the ATOS that should exceed the abilities of an intermediate pilot. In most respects I found the ATOS easier to fly than an intermediate flex wing hang glider.

Some discussion on three axis spin training for rigid wing pilots. I feel the main benefit of this would be spin entry recognition and reduced disorientation. The spin entry techniques and recovery procedures for a three axis aircraft are different to that of a rigid wing hang glider and themselves can vary dependant on the design of the aircraft. Practicing these procedures would I feel have limited benefit for rigid wing pilots and may even reinforce incorrect techniques. In this accident the main benefit to me of my spin training was recognition of the initial situation and orientation in the unusual attitudes experienced.

Some points on the parachute deployment. It has been suggested, considering the glider was undamaged while inverted, that I could have tried harder to right the glider before deploying the parachute. In retrospect I am glad I did not. I lost a lot of height trying to stabilize the spinning parachute/glider combination. Had I deployed the parachute any later I might have impacted before stabilizing the system. At the time I did not feel that this would have been survivable.

I have discussed this with Angelo Crapanzano from Metamorfosi. He commented that although I was experiencing high g loadings, because the centre of gravity of the pilot/glider/parachute system would have been very close to the pilot/glider combination, my rotational speed would actually have been quite low. In addition he said that my descent rate would perhaps have been even less than when I had stabilized the system. He thus feels that even when the system was not stabilized, it was survivable. The perception from the pilot's point of view remains unpleasant.

In addition it is not certain how the glider may have reacted in the attempt to right it and there is a strong possibility of pilot injury in attempting this. This may then preclude parachute deployment. I thus feel strongly that if one is fortunate to survive a loss of control situation uninjured, the priority is to get the parachute deployed immediately. Considering the instability after parachute deployment, I feel the priority should be to get ones mass as close as possible to the hang point.

Angelo Crapanzano recommends that one gets as close as possible to the nose of the glider, or at least in front of the hang point. This can however be difficult and the A frame is a familiar refuge when under stress and can provide impact protection. It would have helped if I had held onto some part of the A frame before deploying the parachute, as this might have prevented me from being flung away from the A frame as the parachute deployed and righted the glider.

Had I been able to remain closer to the A frame the spiral motion might not have developed. I also feel that some thought should be given to the option of releasing from the glider prior to parachute deployment. All my complications were due to the fact that I was still attached to the glider.

I am very pleased that I had the Conar HG18 parachute. The rate of descent once stabilized was acceptable and the opening time impressively fast. It worked as advertised.

Some discussion on communications and search and rescue procedures. I was able to transmit a Mayday to Ron Richardson seconds after deploying the parachute as I had a transmit button fixed to my thumb. Ron demonstrated professionalism and true airmanship. He acknowledged my call, was overhead my position within minutes, plotted GPS co-ordinates and arranged a rescue. He then landed in a difficult location and was at the accident site within 30 minutes.

Had I been seriously injured Ron's actions would have been potentially life saving. The lessons here are to always fly with someone, be able to communicate effectively with them, even under duress, and always be prepared to assist effectively in an emergency. I had water in my harness but no first aid kit or emergency rations. This has been rectified.

Conclusion

In summary, I suggest that this accident was a result of a gust exceeding the critical angle of attack of the wing by a large margin. This resulted in auto-rotation with a rapid nose down pitch and unloading of the hang point. The static stability margin of the wing was exceeded and the wing experienced a divergent rotation to the inverted position.

Contributory factors were the relatively low indicated airspeed while thermalling, the effect of flap on the control bar position, pilot technique in the turn reversal and the pitch up effect of spoiler deflection.

Flex Ruehle’s Comments

I have attached an email from Felix Ruehle with his comments on the report and the incident.

You report is excellent however I think it's hard to see how quickly or slowly everything happened because my experience is that reports from stress situations follow a different clock.

Since hang gliding was born turbulence can be a problem for safe flying. However different developments improved the safety. One of the latest developments is the fixed V-tail with a lifting airfoil from A-I-R. How does it work? The glider is designed to have the same pitch up moment with tail like the standard ATOS with 0° flap.

With thermal, take off and landing flap setting the pitch up moment is significantly higher with the V-tail. Additionally the V-tail increases pitch damping very significantly with all flap settings. Of course instead of a tail the sweep angle can be increased too to get the same pitch damping effect. However this didn't work out as well for the ATOS, because higher sweep in combination with wing bending would cause dynamic problems.

With the V-tail the glider flies significantly more comfortable. In opposite to the opinion of some pilots, that a positive pitch up moment only protects a glider from tumbling, this is not the case. It is a result of several flight incidents with all types of hang gliders and as well with the hang glider drop test made by the DHV a few years ago that even with a certified hang glider it is possible to tumble.

According to my opinion the main parameters are: Pitch damping which can be increased by higher speed and by the wing area distribution in flight direction. For example a higher sweep angle or a tail, increase pitch damping as well as a forward pilot position. Pitch up moment. This is the moment which must be above a certain value for certification. Small distance from aerodynamic centre to CG.

For example a short A-frame is positive. High airspeed in relation to the turbulence is positive too.

The incident

The air was not very smooth this day and there was over development with rain shortly after the incident at this spot. Ron who landed close to help Dave (thanks Ron) hit some strong turbulence too. However, the day wasn't that rough that pilots usually would stop flying.

According to my opinion the tumbling from Dave was caused due to low airspeed in relation to the turbulence. The thermal speed under this condition was already little slow. The reversal turn reduced the speed probably further. This for example is a very good practice in smooth condition, doing reversal with constant speed. Take care: If you don't pull in during the reversal the speed drops.

I flew to the same spot the next day and felt comfortable with about 55km/h (34 mph) as min. thermal speed. This day looked smoother to me as the previous day.

Does the tail improve the safety? At the online contest (olc) 2002 the ATOS is the glider which has flown the most km before any other wing (including flex wing) and the ATOS flew much more km than other rigids, too. Many pilots have flown sometimes under extremely hard conditions and have reported the good behavior under turbulent condition.

It looks to me like active flying is getting more and more important. With the fast gliders the pilots have the possibility to fly with extra speed or high bank angle without losing too much of performance and it looks too me like the ATOS with the new V-tail is a step to improve pilots safety to a very high level even with the incident of Dave.

Under strong condition the glider gets extra stability with high bank angle and higher speed. While doing a reversal you can easily lose speed and the pilot has no extra g loading. I think this can be an interesting discussion how different pilots handle turbulent air.

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The USHGA on marketing hang gliding

Sat, Apr 26 2003, 1:00:04 pm EDT

aerotow|Dan Nelson|environment|equipment|FAA|Jayne DePanfilis|magazine|Oz Report|picture|power|PPG|school|sport|Sport Pilot|students|tandem|USHGA|Wills Wing

Jayne DePanfilis <jayne@ushga.org> writes:

Thank you for the wonderful suggestions regarding marketing you made in the recent “Oz Report.” The USHGA staff thinks along the same lines as you, believe it or not. During my 12 years in the industry, before I joined the USHGA, I managed the single largest marketing budgets for hang gliding in the industry. I learned a great deal from these experiences, including the fact that we must conduct effective marketing on the regional level. Schools must be marketing in their own back yards. The marketing plan must be a long term one. We won't really have an effective national marketing medium or venue until we have a way of connecting national campaigns with schools in specific regions. We don't have a way to translate national exposure into more students and tandems at the school level or regional level. We need this mechanism.

I've also learned that there is no effective substitute for public relations. None of us have a large enough marketing budget that would enable us to wage an effective national campaign the way we are organized now. I am not disheartened, though. I don't have a gloom and doom view of these things. I've just become more realistic over time.

The strategy that I proposed to the USHGA board was to facilitate the development of more aerotow flight parks around the country. These aerotow flight parks might conduct towed hang gliding, towed paragliding, and PPG operations. Imagine what it would mean to Wills Wing or to the other manufacturers and schools if we were able to open a new school that taught and certified 100 new h2s and P2s this year. In my opinion, this is the way to grow the sport. We don't have schools strategically located throughout the country. Imagine 100 new pilots spending money in our industry and living the flying lifestyle.

I completely agree that we should be marketing our sports to these “niche” markets. Indeed, we are talking about reaching out to compatible markets and not just to the “world at large.” No doubt that no one has enough resources to reach out to the world at large.

Hang gliding and paragliding could benefit from a major motion picture like skydiving did. Our sports would benefit if a very well known personality went flying and learned. The media would have to be interested in covering the story or experience. It wasn't long ago that I watched a famous female actress talk about her hang gliding experiences in Rio on a popular late night talk show and the host didn't ask her a single question about hang gliding. He simply wasn't interested.

Dan Nelson, the USHGA's Communications Director and Editor, had meetings recently with a well-known magazine publishing company about coverage for free flight in their publications. We are going to be conducting “brand” seminars and focus groups to identify our market position and needs. We conducted the first one at the recent board meeting. We talked about our sports as lifestyle sports and we spoke of market segments. We had a great time. We plan to attend the largest outdoor retailer trade show in the country this year, Outdoor Retailer. We need to create a unified identity for our chapters. We have about 100 chapters and they could be carrying and exemplifying our message. We need a way to extend our identity through these chapters as logical extensions of the national association and our sports.

I think we should stop and consider for one moment what we would do if suddenly 500 people wanted to learn to hang glide or paraglide, where would they go to do it and how long would it take them to complete a training program? It is not “easy” to learn to hang glide or paraglide. And Paul, you are right, most of the people we know personally don't think like us. Hang gliding and paragliding are “dangerous” sports. We have found ways to significantly improve the way we teach, the equipment, the all-around pilot knowledge and skill, improved written tests and practical tests too. There has never been a better time to be in our sports than today.

The USHGA does not have a marketing budget yet I am working on a new budget now and we are hoping for $8,000 for the first year. The USHGA's budget is tight, very tight: a $4,000 initiative is 0.5 percent of our budget. I've been able to keep expenses down by significantly cutting the overhead in the office and by providing continuous diligent business management but any single line item initiative can be difficult to manage.

This year we are going to incur a significant expense for moving folks around the country to address the Sport Pilot Rule, the FAA's desire to adopt the USHGA's tandem standard as their industry standard, the development of the tandem PPG standard. The USHGA needs to seriously consider changing our articles of incorporation to facilitate our association with power, even aerotowing. Just these initiatives alone will stretch our resources within the USHGA's $950,000 operating budget. I would hate to see our cash flow position erode but it may slip just a bit this year due to the management of these important initiatives.

I agree with most of what I have read on the Oz Report about marketing our sports. Most of it is just good common sense. We have no shortage of great ideas, but we do have a shortage of folks to implement them. As I said, we have no budget for marketing at the USHGA and I hope we can change this. Dan and I are both proven marketers to the outdoor industry. I plan to continue to try to focus on marketing even in light of budgetary and manpower constraints even in light of the challenging regulatory environment we are faced with today. We really need to implement some creative strategies and I think Dan has ideas for some of these strategies. Feel free to send your thought and ideas directly to him at <Dan@ushga.org> or to me at <Jayne@ushga.org>.

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SSA executive director job

Tue, Apr 22 2003, 4:00:08 pm EDT

environment|government|job|Kris Maher|sport|travel

Kris Maher writes:

WSJ Tuesday 21 April 2003

Group Needs Chief To Take It Higher

The Soaring Society of America needs an executive director to give it a lift.

The nonprofit organization supports the sport of soaring, where pilots fly engineless gliders that are towed into the sky. The group sponsors contests in which pilots compete in categories such as distance and time aloft. Pilots typically seek out thermals or currents created by ridges to extend their flights. With favorable conditions, it isn't unusual to stay in the air for three or four hours and travel several hundred miles. The group has about 13,000 members.

One goal of the executive director will be to expand membership by 10% in each of the next three years, says Karol Hines, a regional director for the society and communications coordinator for the search committee. The hire will earn a salary in the "high-five figures," and will work at the group's headquarters in Hobbs, N.m.

What kind of candidate do you want to take the controls? "We want someone who is very good at raising funds. It's very important that they understand how to deal with government agencies. The ideal candidate would be a pilot, not necessarily a soaring pilot, someone who flies something for fun and passion and joy."

How will the hire take the group to new heights? "Advocacy is the main thing. Especially in the current environment (which has seen security-related curbs on flight areas), everyone is making new rules about where we can fly. The other thing that is extremely important is that we need to grow the sport."

Will the executive director get to fly on the job? "Absolutely. The office is right on a glider port. Every soarable day, they probably could go fly."

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Ozone hole gets dramatically smaller

Wed, Oct 16 2002, 1:00:07 pm EDT

environment

http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20020926ozonehole.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/08/science/earth/08OZON.html

Satellite observation of the hole that developed over Antarctica in the mid-1980's shows that it has split in two and has shrunk considerably since last year, making it the smallest it has been since 1988.

But federal scientists say the condition is most likely temporary and probably has nothing to do with the international ban on chemicals that deplete the ozone layer, which shields the planet from harmful solar radiation.

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