waynepjh wrote:
...
Why say his reserve parachute is worthless?
UAH -- it "Wasn't" worthless !!
Fact is : most of his flight , he was WELL ABOVE the minimum acceptable
altitude required, for a reserve deployment ; it's the guys that are flying within
100 -200ft from the ground, that should consider a reserve as being Useless.
A broken HG or PG, will NOT reach terminal velocity, because of the drag
from the broken machine.
I once broke a HG and had to Chucked-Laundry at about 450ft at Torry-Pines Ca.
The chute didn't open and i had time to pull it all the way back in, and re-deploy.
It opened at 10ft . Yes Very Lucky that time for me ; that happened in the late 80's.
SO -- Now Ya know WHY i advise against flying on equipment that can't take
at least 3-4G's in turbulence; which a water-kite can-NOT.
This flight i made last month from a mountain in Nv, on a borrowed Rogallo wing,
had to be the most mellow flight i made in the last 10 years. The fastest
i ever went up in a thermal during the entire 40min in the air, was probably
50 - 100ft/min. I Still encountered turbulence strong enough to make my
suspension lines go slack hard enough to pull part of my breakfast out
of my stomach ; a water kite woulda Broke, and most of the flight i was within
50 - 200ft from the ground, ((below reserve altitude)). This HG was made to
take such abuse in the air, is Your wing ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWGWOv3_ipA
Bille