Powered Parachute Crash

[leroydb 0]

There is rumor of self teaching... I am not sure if it was the case here, but come on people, just because you're a skydiver with 9,000 jumps does not mean you should teach yourself to fly a powered paragider. Get the proper instruction! You might just get a discount if you are a skydiver.

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=255196

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Ultralight crash traps pilot in tree


By Sarah A. Reid
Staff writer
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Staff photo by Stephanie Bruce
An ultralight aircraft is lodged in a tree Monday on N.C. 24/27 west of Cameron.
CAMERON — A retired Golden Knight who completed more than 9,000 parachute jumps without injury crashed an ultralight aircraft into a tree Monday, witnesses said.

Justin Schilling, 58, of Vass, was flown to UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill for treatment, witnesses said. His left leg was broken in several places.

He was not listed in the hospital directory Monday night.

“His wife said he never even hurt his finger jumping,” said a witness to the crash, Tommy Loving.

Schilling, who owns a tree trimming business, was taking his first flight in the powered parachute, witnesses said. They did not know whether Schilling was a licensed pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration does not require a license to operate ultralight aircraft, including powered parachutes.

Schilling hit the tree in a hay and soybean field about two miles west of Cameron, near the intersection of N.C. 24/N.C. 27 and Cranes Creek Road. The body of Schilling’s aircraft lodged between two branches of a sweetgum tree, about 50 feet up.

Loving saw Schilling take off from the north side of N.C. 24/N.C. 27, across from his 114-acre field about noon.

“I rode over here just to watch,” he said.

The wind was gusting, but Loving said Schilling’s takeoff was smooth until he neared the tree — the only obstacle in the field.

“I kept hoping it would turn, but it didn’t,” Loving said about the powered parachute.

Loving called 911 after the aircraft smashed into the tree. A utility worker who was passing by reached the tree with a bucket truck and tied the aircraft to branches before rescue crews arrived, Loving said.

Rescue workers from Cameron and Southern Pines fire departments worked for about two hours to free Schilling from the aircraft’s go-cart-like cockpit, witnesses said.

Pilot Don Bennett came to the farm when he heard about the crash. He lands his Cessna in the field. Others fly radio-controlled airplanes there.

“He made a mistake,” Bennett said while the black and red parachute billowed in the gum tree. “The wind caught him or he had some kind of mechanical steering problem.”

He paused and smiled.

“That won’t stop us from flying,” he said.

Staff writer Sarah A. Reid can be reached at reids@fayobserver.com, or 323-4848, ext. 280.

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[airtwardo 7]

I wouldn't say it's the ONLY tree in the area!

~see attached pic:

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There is rumor of self teaching... I am not sure if it was the case here, but come on people, just because you're a skydiver with 9,000 jumps does not mean you should teach yourself to fly a powered paragider.

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I'm willing to bet it was a mechanical problem, first flight and all.

As to teaching yourself...it's not Rocket Surgery, I'm self taught with 1/3 the jumps he has!

Granted I'm also a fixed wing Pile-it...but without a doubt the canopy experience from skydiving is of greater value / more applicable to safe operation of these flyin mousetraps.

Going through an actual training class is a good idea if you are a complete neophyte, but it's a pretty basic thing to fly...

More noise = go up, less noise = go down, NO noise= go down faster...kick left turn left, kick right turn right, cut power and flare to land in no wind, fly it on if it's breezy...end of lesson!






After landing following my self taught flight at the local
PPC zoo, a bunch of the 'old hands' were asking ME for advise!

Understanding the winds, canopy dynamics, ground effect, obstacle turbulence etc. ...that is ingrained and natural for a skydiver, seems to be the hardest hill on the learning curve for most of the Woofo nylon drivers to get past.

Well...that and having a freaking CHAINSAW stuck in your ear makes it a bit hard to concentrate I guess!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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[BlueSBDeath 2]

Have sum respect, you young wimper snatcher!!!

We old f**ks learn mo-slower den U

BSBD...........Its all about Respect,

USPA#-7062, FB-2197, Outlaw 499

[leroydb 0]

Bows out... Not all of have the pure unadulterated skill and natural prowes that a mere one airtwardo has in only his pinky.

Skydiving is simple in that aspect to....

get in plane, fall out, pull ripcord, land... easy eh... toss in some freeflying and its all goody in the hoody...

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[squirrel 0]

"Get the proper instruction! "

while I totally and fully agree that you should get the proper instruction, it may depend on the type of rig he was flying. I fly a 2 seater weight shift trike, my instructor sat in the back to give lessons, and could fully control flight from the rear seat, i have dual throttle controls and trainer bars. however, many many ultralights are single seat, so the first time you fly, your up by yourself...after ground school. incidently, you can only legally fly with a passenger/instructor if one person has either a BFI (basic flight instructor) or sport pilot rating or higher.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[jdthomas 0]

I taught myself to fly one of these when i worked in the PPC industry.. I had several thousand skydives and a private pilot.. i felt pretty secure in my abilities and it worked out.. not sure I reccomend my method but it worked for me.
joe

www.greenboxphotography.com

[airtwardo 7]

Not all of have the pure unadulterated skill and natural prowes that a mere one airtwardo has in only his pinky.

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But to clarify...I do have a pretty big pinkie!

I guess I can't deny my near God-like... 'pure unadulterated skill and natural prowess' ...'cause I ain't never bean ta skool fer my snowmobile or dirt bike either!!!!

I'm just inputting my personal experience, I bought one....read the manual.....took it out and flew it.

If you have had personal experience with one that illustrates the necessity and or advantages of of some 'organized' training program then tell us.

If you haven't flown one... then are you just making an uninformed broad condemning statement suggesting a fix for a 'problem' that doesnt exist?

As a skydiver you know better than that!



I mean come on, it's flying a big slow parachute with a noisy fan on yer ass...not Chuck Yeager in the X-1.

Orville & Wilbur figured it out, and they had to twist the wing to turn...Bet they would have killed for a Rotax though!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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[leroydb 0]

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Skydiving is simple in that aspect to....

get in plane, fall out, pull ripcord, land... easy eh... toss in some freeflying and its all goody in the hoody...leroydb

So you are telling me that you would skydive without instruction for a non-emergency?

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...

[billeisele 130]

how did the boys in jail like that big pinkie?

Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws.

[airtwardo 7]

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Skydiving is simple in that aspect to....

get in plane, fall out, pull ripcord, land... easy eh... toss in some freeflying and its all goody in the hoody...leroydb

So you are telling me that you would skydive without instruction for a non-emergency?

You OBVIOUSLY haven't seen me SKYDIVE...or you'd know the answer!




That's an apples & oranges comparison for a couple reasons.

One point:

ANY amount of skydiving training won't prevent the ever possible 'mind fart' we read about constantly.

In fact, as the recent trends show, jumpers with considerable experience and training are shit-hammering themselves into the planet at an ever increasing and alarming rate!

When I learned to skydive in 1976, I got 4 hours of ground instruction and 6 static-line exits...A one or two minute critique after each.

Today an AFF student gets considerably more than that prior to entering the plane for the first time.

31 years, almost 3500 jumps (1200+ paid demos) later, I'm still kickin' even WITHOUT any formal additional training since 1976!

Am I 'better or smarter' than the 'unfortunate femur fellas'???

No...I'm more conservative and use 'better' judgement.
(sure ain't my skills)




You can not train judgement.





~ example, I already know how to fly a parachute, and after 31 years of 'mostly' flying big, slow, square canopies...it's really not that great of a leap transitioning to a 'powered' big, slow, square canopy.

In fact, IMHO it's considerably safer because things happen slower and I have the option of a missed approach if I don't like the way things look. And Hell, it's already OPEN before I leave the ground!

Again, as I said earlier I'm a fixed wing private pile-it so I understand general aircraft procedures...as do most reasonably intelligent skydivers that have spent any amount of time in and around airplanes.

~pretty basic, as with all 'machines'...check the fuel, oil & air...

Controls should operate freely, and observe the time honored rule of 'six inches-bottle to throttle'..or is it hours?

So although I don't have PPC sport specific training, I have, over time gathered enough 'over-lap' training in other closely related areas to feel it's plausibly safe for me to in effect take a step backward in the required basic skill set needed to operate a PPC....

And since ya don't even need a license to operate one, I guess the Feds feel that way too.

It would be like saying that although I raced motocross for years and own a Harley...I for god sake better get some official, supervised and documentated training prior to taking my kids mo-ped around the block.

The guy in the incident sparking this discussion was / is a professional with a ram air canopy, in from what I gather from the story, a safe area to fly.
He took off, climbed a bit, descended a bit, made NO TURNS and balled it up in a tree....that smacks of a mechanical in the steering mechanism.

Could he have handled it differently...sure, just like the guy that hammers in hooking to low.

Would 'training' possibly caught the problem during a preflight?
Again, maybe-maybe not.


To reiterate my point here~

You still haven't said whether or not you own and fly these things, I'm guessing not because if you did you would realize that as I said above, it ain't Rocket Surgery.

And if in-fact that's the case, and please understand I'm not trying to bash you personally, your intentions are obviously well meaning. But as the old saying goes, if ya don't play the game don't make the rules.

How would YOU feel if someone that had no background in skydiving told you that they'd seen a guy crunch in on TV under a blue parachute, and they now know that everyone that wants to jump a blue parachute needs special training.

Let's not do to others what the knee jerk media does to US!


...Drop by, I'll take ya up...YOU can fly!

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[cocheese 0]

Good answer. Man, you da man.