SAFA Skysailor Magazine

SKY SAILOR 33 March | April 2020 Human Factors Air (the environment) - Man (I’m safe) - Ship (the aircraft) I’M SAFE I llness? Do I have an illness or any symptoms of an illness or disorder? M edication and other drugs? Have I been taking or mixing prescription, over-the-counter or recreational drugs? S tress? Am I under psychological pressure from my job or personal circumstances? Am I worried about financial matters, health problems or family matter? A lcohol? Have I been consuming alcohol within the previous eight hours? Is my blood alcohol level less than 0.02? Would my average alcohol consumption be greater than ‘very low risk’? F atigue? Am I tired or inadequately rested? E ating and Drinking? Am I adequately nourished and hydrated? Safety: PG lines Paragliding line ‘Enemy #1’ are saltwater and sea air. by Bruce Goldsmith, courtesy XC Mag I once had a PhD student do a study on the effects of saltwater on paraglider lines. The study found a 20% reduction in strength for Kevlar paraglider lines that got wet in saltwater and then dried out again. On Dyneema lines the result was much worse: a 50% reduction in strength! After detailed investigation, the reason for this was that when the lines dried, microscopic salt crystals form inside the core of each line. These simply cut into the line, reducing the break- ing strength. Pilots who fly near the sea or get salt air and/ or water on their lines, need to get these checked twice as frequently as normally advised. It is also important to note that rinsing lines in freshwater is unlikely to remove all the salt crystals from inside the line cores. From: Icaristic by Bruce Goldsmith, XC Mag, April 2019, submitted by John Chapman Photo: Mike Long Photo: Darren O’Sullivan Photo: Sylvie Hlavaty