My scariest hang gliding flight
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- Опубликовано: 23 авг 2024
- In 2019, I broke my arm landing my hang glider during my first visit to Monroe, Utah. Four years later, I returned to Monroe to face my fears and try again during my second ever hang gliding competition.
To get a head start on any debate ;) I believe letting go of the hang glider control frame during a high energy crash is inadvisable as it opens pilots to potential head/neck injuries from hitting the keel. Based on my current knowledge, hugging the high side of the control frame is a better strategy in general if you're about to crash.
And, yes paragliders are easier to land, no that doesn't automatically make them safer compared to hang gliders. Unfortunately there's no good data to support either argument on the safety question.
Music: Patrick Patrikios, RUclips Audio Library
If we care, we share. Stories like this could save other pilots from injury or worse. Thanks for sharing and congratulations for overcoming...
Thank you!
I haven't thought of hangliding in years. I bought a used Wills wing from a small manufacturer in Eugene, Oregon when I was an undergrad @ UO. That was '75. I had just moved to a small place in West Eugene & was riding my bike around the neighborhoo, exploring, when I saw a small shop w/ the door wide open& 2 guys working on a kite.
Intrigued, I stopped to get a closer look & my life changed from that point forward. I don't recall how long it was before I saved up enough to buy the Wills, but I was hooked from the moment I met Mike Moore, a pioneer in hanggliding, and Steve, his partner in the biz.
Thanks for bringing great memories back to mind.
GeoD
There are 2 types of HG pilots: Those that broke an arm, and those that will still break one. Welcome to the club and thanks for sharing! 😃
😂😅 thank you!!
I know a bunch of old pilots who never broke anything...
I've been flying 53 years and not broke anything 🙃
@@thomasthompson405 nice, keep it up! I had that record for 10 years but ah well
Great video, Erika! Way to overcome fear after an accident. I've been there too and I know how scary it can be, but it feels sooo good to overcome it and keep at it.
Thanks Ephi!
Hi Erika! I just watched your “My scariest hg flight”.
I checked out your channels videos. SHOCK!!! I am a former instructor with Windsports!!!! However, it was near the time when Windsports wasn’t named Windsports. It was originally “Southern California School of Hang Gliding”. Owned by Rich Grigsby and Joe Greblo.
The original name changed when the company started teaching wind surfing using “Bic”, yes the Bic pen company made wind surfing boards. Rich told me, well, we are expanding and are no longer only teaching hang gliding.
I watched your spot landing video. It brought back memories! I flew in the first and only, First Annual “Kagle Fly In”.
There were three events, cross country, bomb drop and spot landing. The cross country was a huge event. All the top pilots were there. I don’t like flying in gaggles as it’s too dangerous for me. I signed up for the bomb drop and spot landing events.
The cross country pilots took off and they all sank like rocks. No winners. Later in the day, I launched, flew out dropped my “bomb”…baggie of flour and hit the target dead on. I was low but was able to fly back using an aircraft approach and nailed the landing.
My name was mentioned in Hang Gliding magazine but only as an aside. The article raved about all these great pilots who attended but all I got was…The bomb drop , spot landing were both won by Kurt Schmidt. LOL!!! That was my claim to fame back in the day.
Like I said that was the first and only annual fly in at Kagle. I do have a cool pic of me coming in on the final right before I landed on the bulls eye with Joe Greblo running after me cheering me on.
Fun days!!!
Back in the day as our friends were getting ready to launch we would yell to them, “Sky Out Jim!!!!” Or other name inserted.
I have a few pamphlets from Southern California school of hang gliding and other cool things from back in the day. I also have ALL of my Hang Gliding magazines.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi! Fly safe ( know you do).
Sky Out Erika!!!!
Way to get back out there and stay positive. And congrats on placing top 10 :)
Thank you!!
Grear for you..this video has it all from healing to getting out there all over again... God bless you
I agree a broken bone definitely gets your attention. I broke my leg in 2011 and it has definitely had an effect on my landings. Looks like your working though it. Nice landing! 😊
Thanks! Hopefully it just makes our landings better after 😊
Amazing! If you never mentioned the fear, no one would ever know it was there. Im new to your vids but they all look amazing. So glad you post them as this is one thing I love but will never do so I imagine it through your vids. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe.
It takes courage to come back after an accident. Took me three years after my accident before I had my confidence back. 5 years later, I still get a little nervous before I launch. But that's ok because a little fear is healthy. It's what keeps you humble and cautious.
I completely agree! A little fear and a lot of respect for what we do are good for all of us I think
woo hoo...Have been watching your dune videos for two years. So glad I stumbled upon this video. I have over ten years flying an Ultralight trike without a mishap, but I was a very cautious pilot. Good on ya, and happy landings. Merlin
Thank you!
Oh my God, what a coincidence. In this very moment I recovering after I have broken my left hand of course because a little high hang glider landing. I had in the last moment up draft and I didn't let the glider to bleed out the energy accordingly. I have my arm fixed for six weeks, but I am worried about how will be able to start to fly again and when? God luck to you and I hope your incident will pass away without any inconvenience and hopefully will learn from this. 😊
Thank you Erika! Stoked for you for having stuck the landing and for sharing and encouraging others to share their mistakes!
Thanks Daniel!!
Sorry you went through that, but delighted you are bravely recovering.
Just did my first lesson with Windsports on Dockweiler Beach a couple weeks ago. Loved it!!!
That was a fun comp. Hope they do it again. Id love to go back & not repeat the same mistakes that brought me up short every time.
For “Currency” the FAA requirement is 3 take offs and landings every 90 days as a minimum. Most accidents occur on takeoff or landing. Fear is wasted energy, but practicing your take offs and landings as much as possible is the best insurance you can buy. Says the 70 something with no broken bones. (Yet). Thanks for posting
All true! I do this, but crap happens sometimes. (In fact I was the most current of any time in my flying career to that point when I broke my arm.) And I don’t totally agree about fear being a waste, I think it can help keep pilots safe and reduce complacency. Of course too much fear is a negative so it’s all a balance 🙂
In 30 years of Hang-gliding I always enjoyed the exchange of pilot story's , flying sites , misshapes , achievement's or any flying related news . In the heydays of free flight we used to be about 40 club members , believe me , fear was noting to be ashamed of , to many pilots last their young life . I like to call it RESPECT , actually there is not much to fear then fear it self , I suffered from a light landing phobia at times my self LOL ( nice Video , thanks and happy landing )
Very glad that you got back into hanggliding after breaking the arm. I also broke my arm on one of the first training flights back in 2013 and got myself a nice metal plate in my arm too. Took me 7 years later to finish my training and start flying. But my scariest flight was first time high altitude with a glider that wasn’t really suitable for me. Twenty minutes of struggle against the wind and worrying not to crash into the mountain.
Great story and video Erika. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your journey in flying! You’re so right, many pilots refuse to talk about their mistakes publicly and we can’t learn from each other if we’re too busy protecting our egos. Flying is amazing, scary, it can be dangerous, but we love it and still try to take the least amount of risk based on our skills and knowledge. I get nervous about big days and new sites as well. It’s nice to see someone else not pretending to be fearless. Healthy levels of fears keep us alive.
I agree! I want to be positive but at the same time, a) it can be hard and b) I feel like being overly positive sometimes ignores the fear and danger that can help keep us safe. It’s a tough balance. Appreciate the honesty from you too 😊
Great Video Erika!!! i can relate. this reminded me of when my rock climbing partner dropped me while being lowered :) took me one year to trust anyone to belay me again !!
Thanks! Yess I bet!!
Really glad you're back at it! I was wondering what happened to you back in 2019. Didn't realize it was such a bad fracture needing plates. Ouch! Some big gnarly air out in central Utah! Hell yea! I'm hoping to come out this year, not to fly but to help drive (don't want to break my own arm too after not flying for years). ~ Scary Paul
Yeahh seems like most of those breaks need a plate 😢 Have fun! Maybe don’t top land this time hahaha but I’m sure you’ll be good 😊
Johnny Carr broke his forearm in a take-off mishap, last October in the U.K., but yesterday he completed a 54.5 mile competition task in the French open, on his seventy-fifth birthday!
Happy you're having a good time flying... it's fun seeing you having fun at the beach or in the mountains. Broke a fibula, while windsurfing a few decades ago... no big deal.
I was self-taught. Up and down small hills. My landing was aced long before I ever actually soared a ridge. I see a lot of people who fly coastal sites only for years and always think about how complacent they get not knowing what turbulence really is. Flatland soaring is really where it's at IMO but as you have noticed, it comes with a whole new list of demands.
Floating on ridge lift is fun but limits a pilot IMO.
It’s all different, but I agree, pilots who only fly coastal sites often don’t know how to land well inland. Then again, mountain pilots don’t automatically know how to fly dunes. They’re all different skills
@@erikajklein Learning about compression, where to be when and the basics of turbulence is all there when ridge soaring on the coast but the real knowledge can not be learned and that is the unpredictable nature of inland thermals. If you fly nothing but ridges your knowledge will be limited.
@@banalpedant41 I already agreed with you haha..and I’ve been flying inland mountain sites since I started hang gliding 🤷🏻♀️ but like I said, anyone who flies only one of any type of site will lack knowledge to fly other kinds of sites
Great video, nicely paced and a great story. Thanks!
Thank you!
Well told Erika, ignoring the bravado pilots try to have. The truth is that everyone is at least a little scared on launch. And if they aren't, they ought to be! I hope you continue to fly for decades to come. BTW, I enjoyed your article in the magazine. Push out,/jd
I love this story! Always learn from your mistakes.
Thank you!
Once you break your arm it's illegal to fly in Utah. This is the law of the Mormons. Questioning it is a felony.
😂😂 they’re gonna have to catch me I guess hahaha
What a stupid law, bones get stronger after breaking
Bones don't get stronger after the breaking. @@BilalOz2012
LMAO
I’m Mormon… am I sinner if I look the other way 😂 jkjk
Awesome video! Great job overcoming your fear.
Thanks Cory!
Great video and narration, thanks!
Great job! Thanks for sharing! Congrats on conquering your fear! 🙌
Thank you!
Hi from Brasil! Watching your videos we see tha you have total control of the wing. A great pilot.
Thanks very much!
I wish you always success in every competition, take all possible precautions to keep yourself safe Don't want you to get hurt❤❤❤❤
Great video to watch, thank you. Have fun in the sky!
Thank you!
Hi Erika, David Maule here from New Zealand. Thankyou for your video ❤ I broke my right arm a month ago landing and watching this has helped me think that I can fly again. I feel in a funny position with people thinking I shouldn't fly but I do love it, it makes me feel alive. I wonder how long it will take before I can fly again. Can I ask how long it took for you? So thankyou again for your inspiration. Safe flying and landings Dave 😊
Hi David! I totally get it 💙 I broke my arm in September 2019, had surgery in October, and was cleared to fly by January. Then the pandemic started so I didn’t fly a lot, but I was flying in that time period. Of course it’ll be different for everyone. Best wishes with your recovery!
@@erikajklein Thankyou for that , Watching your video and you completing a task! , that feels awesome. Two years ago i flew 30km in our national competition, sport class and got to goal. Very happy! Thanks for your reply, safe flying . Take care 😊
Nice success story, congrats on overcoming that situation!
Thanks!
Great job..and thanks for sharing!
You got heart.
Id be nervous without a parachute
Thanks! We do carry parachutes in case of emergencies 🙂
Recently I've broke my arm bcz of mistakes while tailwind counterslope landing((
If I had wheels it could be armsaver ^^
Thx for sharing, it cheered me up ☺
Nailed that landing, and great psychology
Revisted the accident site like a veteran going back to Normandy Beach lmao
Drama
Inspirational video, thank you
0:30 why are you looking past the camera and not into it? lol
it's kind of adorable, but I'm curious as to why...
Reading my notes 😂 I was going to try for a better take overall but ran out of time and needed to just publish this video haha
😅😅😅
i like to learn how to fly glider, keep safe always erika😍
Olá Erika, parabéns, aqui no Brasil temos uma forma de expressar sua história, dizendo *"que você deu uma volta por cima..."* , não sei como isso fica no tradutor para você, então escrevo em português, mas, literalmente você voou muito alto e venceu.
Desde que acompanho seu canal vejo um grande controle de vôo e excelentes aproximações e a parada com 3 pontos ou poucos passos.
Sucesso e divirta-se no céu...
Thanks so much for the kind words ☺️
Good video, I can see why they wanted you to run their social media
Thanks very much!
nice landings 👍 that´s right with the comparison HG/PG but the accessibility (start/landing on small spots) with PG is much easier
Yep, Pg’s are also more convenient, and widely regarded to be better in every way except in the flying and, I would say, in safety
@@erikajklein Sure it's just ripstop material and you can fold it on the ground also it can fold in midair too- and so the speed in headwind at ~40+km/h its over to fly foreward(in calm air)
Hey Erika, if you're the pilot floating over Dockweiler Beach with the large trainer and big fat tires, does that mean you live in that area? I'm asking because I was a hardcore mountain pilot for 30 of my 49 years in the sport. Mountain flying can be extremely demanding, even chaotic at times. If it's something that is somewhat new to you be extremely careful...
Thanks for your concern! Mountain flying is definitely more dangerous. I’ve been hang gliding, including flying the SoCal mountains and other sites around the world, for 15+ years but I always try to keep the risks in mind and mitigate them as much as possible ☺️
Good job mate ❤
Thank you!!
Keep on girl! I like your approach. You are analytic and able to hyperfocus. You experienced a problem while landing, you made that to one of your special interests. Great! You seem to learn from accidents, and that is also my way. I am "addicted" to accident analysis. Regarding "fear", i was the only one in competitions with wheels and a proper motorcycle helmet, 😂😂I am an MD and would recommend to remove the plate, the bones elasticity is compromized by the plate, and you should forget the broken bone. Btw, i have the feeling you may be neurodivergent like myself. There are tests out there and its fun to learn about.
Thanks! We’re all on the spectrum haha. I would love to have the plate removed but I was told it’s risky because of the potential for nerve damage. What are your thoughts on that?
@@erikajklein i dont know the details, and i am in germany. Is it the humerus? How many screws, do the screws penetrate into muscle, is it titanium? Titanium would be ok to stay. But best would be to see for a recommendation of a surgeon (usually i ask other MD friends: where would you do that if thats your arm?") and get a second opinion of him/her.
Hey that was good video! And I think we all get scared at some point. Last year in October I had my scariest flight to date. I got sucked into mountain wave at 5K, punched through cloud base at 2500 feet per minute and climb rate didn’t slow down until 7.8K which came in less than a minute. I thought the glider would break apart mid air! The ride and ride down/out of a wave is like a tumble weed.
Thanks! That sounds terrifying 😬 Was it hard to fly again after that, or okay because it sounds like a unique event?
@@erikajklein it was an experience for sure. I was 4K over the LZ when I decided to hang around a little longer because the lift was so smooth better than glass off until it started cooking. I made an interesting observation though the clouds which form at top of the wave peak they are stationary even in +45 mph winds. I only fly on the weekends so I was back the next weekend. I saw a few of your videos with landings after this video and I have said before you have such nimble control don’t know why landings scare you. If I could do speed runs and landings all day I’d do them. I land with Half VG. The glider does such a crisp stall, don’t know why it hasn’t caught on.
@@BariFPV that’s insane. Not sure that’s an observation you want to make again 😅😆
And thanks, the fear inspired the practice that helped give me that control haha. Now I’m just mainly scared because if I do mess up and/or am unlucky, the plate in my arm means it would break at my elbow or shoulder which would be very painful and difficult to recover from. But taking the plate out is a major surgery with its own risks so…just trying to fly as safely as I can
@@erikajklein haha I’d like to validate my observation. I already scoped a day when there was a chance of mountain wave forming but it was too high and I couldn’t get in it. Risk keeps things in check, if we don’t think about it then we would surely have a lapse of judgment but at the same time shouldn’t let it get in the way. Like my last flight where I got in a rotor from Lee side and sank so fast I couldn’t make it to the LZ from above the power lines but went right under them lol
Thak u for sharing
I guess the way you take off, you can't do tandem rides ?
Thank you for sharing
All subscribed. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks 😊
Good video (content and edit 👍), Erika.
Thanks Alex!
Epic!
Oh my God .. amazing 😍
What should be done if it falls into the sea while flying?
Why not using skydiving parachute bag
Very beautiful
Nice video and explanation. I have a similar story but I didn't break my arm as severe as yours broke my radius at the wrist Early in the game with my third flight on my brand new glider back in the ' late '70s. I don't think it affected me much though because it was early in the game. I flew quite a bit and I was probably not a great pilot but I was better at crashing and wasted a couple control bars and deflectors and even bent heart bolt without even getting hurt. That's all I could say. That was an excellent crasher. Good luck in the future. You're a great pilot.
That makes sense. Always better to break the frame than yourself if possible 😅 Thanks for sharing your story!
Erika is a Dream
awesome 🤙 👌 👏
Where else can we follow you?
Instagram mainly, also TikTok, all the same username ☺️ thank you!
Nice 👍
❤ 👌 🤗
I want you to win every competition and be successful. Take special care of climate change and health❤❤❤
Please stop breaking your sh… bones thank you and praise the lord
Can I enjoy it
Hi
🐥
Nicz1
Nice🎁🎁🌺
“Pilot” shut up you ain’t no pilot
What should we call ourselves then 🤔 we’re not “hang gliders,” that’s the aircraft 😉
Hi Erika! I just watched your “My scariest hg flight”.
I checked out your channels videos. SHOCK!!! I am a former instructor with Windsports!!!! However, it was near the time when Windsports wasn’t named Windsports. It was originally “Southern California School of Hang Gliding”. Owned by Rich Grigsby and Joe Greblo.
The original name changed when the company started teaching wind surfing using “Bic”, yes the Bic pen company made wind surfing boards. Rich told me, well, we are expanding and are no longer only teaching hang gliding.
I watched your spot landing video. It brought back memories! I flew in the first and only, First Annual “Kagle Fly In”.
There were three events, cross country, bomb drop and spot landing. The cross country was a huge event. All the top pilots were there. I don’t like flying in gaggles as it’s too dangerous for me. I signed up for the bomb drop and spot landing events.
The cross country pilots took off and they all sank like rocks. No winners. Later in the day, I launched, flew out dropped my “bomb”…baggie of flour and hit the target dead on. I was low but was able to fly back using an aircraft approach and nailed the landing.
My name was mentioned in Hang Gliding magazine but only as an aside. The article raved about all these great pilots who attended but all I got was…The bomb drop , spot landing were both won by Kurt Schmidt. LOL!!! That was my claim to fame back in the day.
Like I said that was the first and only annual fly in at Kagle. I do have a cool pic of me coming in on the final right before I landed on the bulls eye with Joe Greblo running after me cheering me on.
Fun days!!!
Back in the day as our friends were getting ready to launch we would yell to them, “Sky Out Jim!!!!” Or other name inserted.
I have a few pamphlets from Southern California school of hang gliding and other cool things from back in the day. I also have ALL of my Hang Gliding magazines.
Anyway, just wanted to say hi! Fly safe ( know you do).
Sky Out Erika!!!!
Hey thanks so much! So many good memories! I learned with Joe too 😊 He sold Windsports but still teaches our tandem students occasionally. Come fly the beach with us sometime!
@@erikajklein Back in the day pilots were awesome people. Very giving, very friendly. Joe, his wife Krissy, you couldn’t meet nicer people. What a fantastic community!!
I’m happy you are addicted to, I think, one of the most exciting sport there is.
I have so many funny stories from back in the day but I won’t go on. Sky Out Erika!! Keep the dream alive!!