Mark Hayman: out of race mode and back in domestic life
Saturday 4 June: Report by Mark Haymen
After nine months away from comp flying it was interesting to go back. I wrestled long and hard with my conscience about even flying a paraglider again after getting bitten on the arse by a two-line comp wing turning itself inside out but I had to see if it was still fun. The good news is that it was and I had a nice time.
Some observations…
2011 WINGS – I was hoping that the new 2011 two-line comp wings would be a revelation in performance, safety and ease of handling. Often the ‘Mark II’ wings of each generation are a leap above the first ones. This didn’t seem to be the case. Only one glider – the Ozone – looked remotely sorted and all of them seem to have an inherrently agressive recovery from major departures from flight. Some deep stall, some dive under the pilot but all look extremely fruity to handle even if they are solid as a rock before they go.
SAFETY – The safey is still not there. After more than a year of work from the Open Class Working Group and multiple suggestions to improve safety I can’t see it’s any different.
In a comp with only three short tasks in pretty normal mountain conditions we’ve had three reserve throws and a crash which should have killed the pilot in my opinion. The fact he got lucky doesn’t change the fact that he hit the ground from more than ten metres up and, according to Bruce Goldsmith’s reported comments in Craig’s blog, ‘Did everything right’.
At least one other reserve happened whilst thermalling at trim speed when a collapse turned to disaster in seconds even with a very expert pilot under the wing. It so unnerved him he put it in the bag and will never fly it again. This is wrong.
Gliders should not just stop flying nor exceed the capability of pilots to deal with departures from normal flight. All gliders will collapse in the end – they then need to look after the pilot and not make things worse. Until some rules are introduced to encourage this behaviour designers will chase performance and safety will be a very secondary sideline. Fine for the youngsters who wish to test their manhood, but no good for anybody grown up enough to realise a crash is often a life-changing event. Enough said…
FUN – I had a hoot on my U-Sport Evo. It’s an uncertified serial wing with unsheathed lines, light cloth and trimmers. The sail is the same as the certified wing, so it’s a kind of halfway house.
I can’t begin to describe how much easier it is to fly than a comp wing. It takes some getting used to and, for sure, I miss the incredible two-line performance, but I can put my hand on my heart and say I would fly this glider any day in any air without my reserve. I wouldn’t have even done an evening soar in my comp wing without a reserve in my harness.
If the comp wing was like having heavy metal music playing at maximum volume and hard drugs the U-Sport was like light classical music with a nice glass of chardonnay.
CHASING THE DRAGON – When I landed after racing myself to the ground on the last task the hunger was still there… I’d only gone 24km and watching a raft of R10’s come over half an hour after I’d landed just made me even madder! What had they been doing? Stopping en-route for a cup of coffee? Comp flying gives you so many emotions like nothing else I’ve ever done and it felt just the same once I slipped into it. I was so tempted to borrow or steal a comp wing for the next day it was untrue. How I wish I could have both the emotion of comps and the enjoyment of easier wings – nirvana indeed…
WELL DONE THE BRITS – I’ve done a lot of comps in my time and the British Champs is second-to-none. Organisation, safety and experience are all there in bucket-loads and it’s why we are always over-subscribed for our comps.
THE FUTURE? – I’m going to sit out 2011. I’m entered to the PWC in Turkey, but without a two-line glider it’s probably not worth going. You can fly around the performance disadvantage of a three-line glider in a national champs but there’s no hiding at PWC level. I’d like to go for the jolly but I shall have to think about it.
Other than that, I shall do the second leg of the Brits at St Jean de Montclar. For the coming Worlds in Piedrahita I hope against hope that it will be a safe and fun competition but I’m going to predict that there will be about two reserves per task flown. In my mind a reserve is always a potential fatality or injury as this almost always involves loss of control of a glider so that part is down to luck. Cross-fingers that the reality will prove me wrong…
Happy flying to all and good luck to the British Team in Piedrahita. I think they’re the strongest team we’ve had in a long time and I’d love to see them bring home the bacon. Go for it, lads and lasses.
Cheers, Mark
This is Mark’s last post from this event. XCMag.com thanks him hugely for his great blogging efforts. It’s sometimes hard to find the motivation at the end of a long day in the sky to sit down and write, but Mark always delivers great material. Clearly it’s the huge beer budget we send him off with 🙂 Thanks Mark!!
Bob Drury- XCMag.com
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