Hang Gliding!

[MasterBlaster]

Haha, no shit! I remember that shot!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Cool. Is it significantly dangerous?

If the accent is on significantly, it doesn't appear to be. The number of fatalities seems quite low, reading about it. 1 per 1000? On second thought, is that low?

 

[treetx]

As far as dangerous, I guess that is all relative.

Just like tree climbing, it is relative to decision making, each participant's mileage will vary.

For most Americans, yes, it is dangerous. But nowadays, go to a party and just saying you flew in a 4 seater cessna is enough to generate gasps. Someone will ask "with a propeller?" and when you say "yes," they look at you as if you just blurted out that you are a woman trapped in a man's body. Say "hang gliding" and people's faces start to crinkle.

There used to be a time in America when aviation was an acceptable activity. Not anymore.

There are lots of guys flying HG's that have been flying them for 30+ yrs. Fatalities now are around 1-2 per year. Compare that to 1978 when 59 people died in the US flying hang gliders. Equipment is safer but it also helps there are training programs and established sites now.

 

[stig]

I find it funny that some people are afraid of flying, but the drive to the airport doesn't bother them at all.
Statistically that is the most dangerous part of any flight.

 

[Cobleskill]

I find it interesting to look around on take off at all the people who have a white knuckle grip on their arm rests. Lots of really tense people.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Sounds safer than serious kayaking or mountain biking.

 

[treetx]

It is truly the adventure of living a dream. Jumping from cloud to cloud, watching the world go by. It is larger than life.

I've been doing it since 2007. I will likely quit. Mainly the appetite gets bigger and bigger until a day of getting to 8000ft and ONLY flying 10 miles seems like a bummer. I start getting so goal oriented about the technical details that it starts killing the beauty and zen of the activity. That is what happened to me with tree climbing.

BUT you have to be that way to really exceed. It is like NASCAR, you don't make advancements by hammering it down a straight away, it is more about shaving a fraction of a second off every lap.

Leaving tomorrow to compete in the National Competition. Wish me luck!!

 

[MasterBlaster]

Good luck!!!

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Best of luck!!

 

[treetx]

Day one of the comp. I was stoked when I realized I had the 80 mile goal on glide...

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[Old Monkey]

Hi Nick. Looks like you're doing good. How is the family coming along?

 

[treetx]

Nate

They are great. My girl is already 5.5 yrs old! Starting kindergarten in a few weeks.

My boy is already 3.5 yrs old. He is in a full leg walking cast from being, well, a boy.

I can honestly say that compared to traveling the world climbing trees or flying hundreds of miles jumping cloud to cloud, parenthood is the biggest adventure.

Life the last few years has been peaks and valleys. Low/no employment for large parts of 2013. I am finally starting to hit a stride again.

 

[Old Monkey]

Ah crap, Nate. I knew that, honestly I did. I get the highs and lows thing, life is a roller coaster. Haley will be eleven in November and when she was last measured she was 5'8". She wants to jump on me and wrestle all the time but has a dangerous lack of control over her adult sized body and usually hurts me. Parenthood is definitely awesome. If I remember correctly you were in medical machinery before. What are you doing now? My business was, before yesterday, moving along at full speed. My dump truck has broken down in a more serious fashion and I'm out looking at all the crappy dump trucks in town, trying to get something going on.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Nice! Why do the helmets stick out so far at the bottom?

 

[treetx]

Made a run for the border! The fence below is Mexico/USA. That is Juarez to my left.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Nice! Why do the helmets stick out so far at the bottom?

Derp?

 

[treetx]

Derp? Dunno, they do a good job at protecting your face!

 

[MasterBlaster]

So, there's no reason the helmets stick out so far at the bottom? Is it an optical illusion?

 

[woodworkingboy]

Juarez doesn't look like a very nice place to live, unless maybe you were into dune buggies.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

So, there's no reason the helmets stick out so far at the bottom? Is it an optical illusion?

To Protect Your Pretty Face in the event of a crash.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Unusual design.

 

[treetx]

Juarez doesn't look like a very nice place to live, unless maybe you were into dune buggies.

Dune buggies, drug dealing, and kidnapping are probably great hobbies there. Tree work, not so much.



Nothing too unusual about full face helmets.

The chin guard is no longer than on a motocross helmet. It is more open above the eyes than a motocross helmet and that may be what is giving you optical delusions.

http://finsterwalder-charly.de/en/helmets.html

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[treetx]

Still at it!

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[MasterBlaster]

That is the coolest thing!

 

[treetx]

It is definitely an activity I approach with an attitude of responsible irresponsibility. Basically, an attitude of, "I am going to do something that isn't very smart but I'm going to do it as smart as I possibly can."