http://www.manilla2007.com/

The day started with moderate winds and a layer of mid level cloud
blocking the sun. It looked bad to the untrained observer but there was hope
that a gap in the clouds shown on the late morning satellite photo would arrive
from the west. Luckily it did and the winds dropped enough for a straight line
task to Baan Baa 60kms to the west.

Results:
http://www.manilla2007.com/Default.aspx?tabid=170


Bruce Goldsmith is now in the lead after Petra falls down early. You might
remember him of the funny harness here:
http://ozreport.com/11.039#1


Two mid airs over launch and it was raining girls.


http://canadianparaglidingteam.blogspot.com/


http://gravsports.blogspot.com/

While waiting for things to mellow out I watched one solid mid-air
that resulted in a stellar bit of piloting to solve a bad cluster of lines on
one glider and a reserve ride for the other pilot. I continued to sit and chill
out in the shade then got right onto launch and off when things settled down a
bit.


It was all going well, with a nice if weak climb about launch level when two
gliders about 50M below me flew straight at and then into each other with a
really bad sound. One pilot was a meter below the leading edge of the other
glider so she was pretty wrapped in the lines of the lower glider. Both pilots
weren't all that high, and both seemed to be looking up at their wings (good
idea) and not the ground (bad idea) so I started yelling, "RESERVE! SECURITY!,"
two common terms for reserve parachutes in English and French. I doubt either
pilot heard me, but I had to try.


Neither wing was flying and the ground was coming up fast. Eventually both
pilots got their reserves out and went into the trees together. I was still
thermalling directly overhead, and unfortunately could hear the yells of pain
from one pilot. They were directly off the road to launch and there was an
ambulance five minutes or less away on top that was already in motion down the
hill so I didn't try to land (no safe place to land anyhow).