Paraglider lifted above 30,000 feet in Thunderstorm

[TheSoccerMom]

I imagine most of you have seen this, but I was amazed to read of the woman paraglider in Australia who was "sucked up" by the updrafts between two thunderstorm cells, and was lifted above 30,000 feet!  She passed out, descended after a while, and came to...  suffering only frostbite, I think. 

I thought it was strange, too, that I heard that several times, but on the same day, a man was also caught in the updrafts, but was killed.  I found it a bit strange that the headlines didn't hardly mention his death! 

And, it does make me wonder, will we have to worry about running into someone who is being tossed around, unconscious, due to convective weather?  I hate the thought of cruising along at altitude, and RUNNING INTO a PERSON -- GOOD GRIEF!!  When you think about what a birdstrike can do....   

[TheSoccerMom]

Hola DonYan,

They said the updraft was so powerful that she had no control, or time to think -- she did say she "heard the lightning all around" and then "it got dark" and by then she passed out from lack of oxygen.

Yes!!!!!!!!!!  So very lucky that she is alive!!!!!!!!   

Boy would I be partying!!!!!!!!!   

[happylanding]

I read it in the nespaper today. if I remember well, it was written that in happened in nepal and there is a group of paraglider there, getting ready for the world championship. she really has had a lot a lot of luck. plus that there wasn't a napkin around her....but a napkin!

[TheSoccerMom]

Hi Happy!!!!!!

I saw it written as "woman goes higher than Everest", which caught my eye,  but when I read it, it sounded as if they were loosely comparing her ALTITUDE to the height of Everest....  and I thought they were based in Canberra, Australia -- but, like I said, it all seemed strange, because in the middle of THAT article, they mentioned a man being killed by the same clouds -- but without much explanation!!!!   

I know -- I need MORE CAFFEINE!!!!!!!!!   

P.S.   When do you think we should schedule that manicure?!?!   There are only 10.5 months left in 2007, after all..................   

[Baradium]

I first heard about the guy duying and then about the woman.

They don't know how high he went etc, but they all had GPS tracking devices on them and they are going to try to use those to find out his trajectory.   


There was some conjecture that he might have been trying to go in between two storms...

[digits]

i don't really understand why they can't do anything about it. i alway taught you could manoeuver with those things? like 'spinning' down etc. or is that not possible at all ?

[TheSoccerMom]

As far as I have been able to learn from years of reading, and help me if I am off base here, the updrafts and downdrafts inside thunderstorm cells have been clocked in the 6,000 - 8,000 FPM (feet per minute) range....  just think about the POWER of those numbers...  The severe turbulence resulting from these side-by-side columns, some screaming upward, right next to some screaming downward, is the reason that even airliners avoid thunderstorms!  It has nothing to do with lightning or rain, the traits most groud persons associate with big storms.

I have had full power (and I do mean FULL) on airplanes from DC-3s to Twin Otters to King Airs and been sucked toward the ground at terrifying speeds [Report to the guys in back: "You ain't gonna like THIS"], and also the converse is true -- I have had the power completely OFF, and been hurtling upward at rates over 3,000 FPM [Report to the guys in back: "WHEEE, UP Elevator!"].  And, this was off to the SIDES of some pretty benign-looking cells.  In these cases, we can leave the fire and come back later, or move off to the sides of the cells, wait a while (fuel permitting), and then try again to get the jumpers out safely.

Nothing impresses me more than the power of weather...  nothing.  So, the other day, when I read about these folks out there, going ANYWHERE NEAR building cumulous clouds with only the barest bones of propulsion, well, it scared the living daylights out of me.  "No, thank you."   Just call me a true Chicken.   

[Baradium]

Someone got stuck on Mount Hood again?   They lost 3 hikers a month or so ago there....


Stupid people...     



As far as not being able to spiral, like Soccermom explained about descending, if the spiral gives youa  3,000 ft/min descent and you get into a 5,000 ft/min updraft, you are going to be climbing at 2,000 ft/min.     I seem to remember that the lady that survived reported that doing a spiral was still giving her an extremely fast climb.

[tundra_flier]

Had a guy here in Fairbanks that very nearly had the same thing happen in a Kasper Wing ultralight about 8 years ago.  In a full dive he was still being sucked up at over 1,000 fpm.  Fortunately the K-wings have an emergency decent mode.  Crow the rudders and force it into a deep stall and they come almost straight down pretty darn quick.  And Fairbanks get's pretty pathetic thunderstorms.

Soccermom, if you're flying through a thunderstorm full of hail, running into a paraglider is probably the least of your worries! 

Phil 

[TheSoccerMom]

HA HA HA, YOU GOT THAT RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

Besides, even if I ever did run into something in that situation, I would never see it anyway, because I WOULD HAVE MY EYES CLOSED!!!!!!!!!!!   

[YawningMan]

Hehe, I remember my parents being upset about me being in the U.S. Marines a few years back.  They were especially annoyed with me when I started talking about going back because things were heating up just AFTER I got out.

I was tempted to compare my chances of dying as an Airwinger in the Marines to my chances of dying in an aviation accident. 
Then I realised it would be better not to make the comparison at all. 

[TheSoccerMom]

Ho man, that sure sounds familiar.  Yeah..  sometimes it's not worth trying to make those points.   

I have a close friend who is a terrified flyer -- she is petrified of every single aspect of flying --  and I have tried every possible angle to get her to think of it as a reliable, SAFE, uneventful, basic means of transportation.  No emotion, no fear, no stress.....  BORING, even!!   

Well, of all the people on the planet, she was on one of those flights many years ago where the airplane suddenly and unexpectedly lost several thousand feet of altitude, the flight attendants hit the ceiling and were injured, everyone was screaming, OH MAN, does she think I am the world's biggest moron!!   

Fortunately, that isn't much of a stretch from my usual role in life, so we are still good friends, but I have NEVER again tried to tell her how wonderful flying is since then.  She thinks it's insane, and I don't say Boo.      

[Zaffex]

When Skydiving, or Ultralight fliying, safety is allways first. It´s a pleasure for me, not a suicide attemt. If one has to prove something, go to the Boxing arena.  Same thing applies to every vehicle: bicicles, motos, cars, trucks, boats, catamarans(I love them!), tractors...all machinery has to be "piloted" forget about "driving". One is the Captain of the vesel you hold the controls: responsable for every one along, inside or outside. Operator is the term used with heavy machinery.

People in general are not trained for "driving" automobiles:  they are by far the most dangerous tpe of vehicles to operate, pilot or "drive"...

DonYan 

No kidding man!
Hey tundra_flier, what's "Crow the rudders" mean?

[tundra_flier]

Hey tundra_flier, what's "Crow the rudders" mean?

Means locking them in opposite directions.  The K-wings are a flying wing design with rudders on both tips and weight shift for pitch.  Both rudders can be turned to the outside at once resulting in lots of drag.  I understand some gliders can use flaps and ailerons in crow, ie flaps down, ailerons up, to act as speed brakes.

Phil

[gibbo_335]

Hey guys,

Thought I'd let you all know.....in the paper here this morning they announced the findings of the autopsy on the Chinese guy who was sucked up as well, offical COD was lightning strike!!!!! YIKES!!!