HGFA Skysailor Magazine

28 SKY SAILOR March | April 2018 T hat’s until you hear that a head cam can be a recipe for trouble. This refers to the horrible Aunty Jack situation where a partially deflated wing, wraps lines around that sexy mounting system and threatens to ‘pull your bloody head off’. Of course, a more likely end of that scenario is that the camera, or its mount, will be damaged or lost – not nice at all! Several approaches lend themselves to solve this problem. Maybe the GoPro is not ideal for paragliding. Sure it has status, but it also has form. There are several lower profile systems to choose from. Some with similar image quality but less accident prone mounts. Similar quality may not be the same quality, but let’s be serious: IMAX is not going to show your video clips. Check other aero-videography alternatives on the market, there are lots to choose from and at good prices. Wouldn’t it also be good if the device caused less drag? You bet! What if it weighed less? Sounds good too – less load on your neck and shoulders. “But hold on,” you say, “it’s the bloody lines that are the problem!” Sure, yet you probably heard that the no-risers, no-lines wing is just around the corner…, but will it be soon enough and within your budget? Here are three workarounds I suggest: 1. Is it fair to say you only have a problem with the lines when doing a reverse launch? Solution: Brush up on your forward launch technique and see how the risk to your GoPro is reduced. Go on, test it, I’m sure you will find I’m right. 2. But forward launches are for Alpine meadows, and we are true blue Ocker rockers. We invented the reverse launch. (Shortly after we pioneered the nose down hang glider harness. There was a breakthrough!) So you want to keep the GoPro, and you want to stick with the reverse launch? (It does have merit in our outdoors.) Solution: Maybe, and I say this in the nicest possible way, you can upgrade your launch technique. I know that can be a painful thought and if it causes too much pain, I do have one last piece of common sense to share. 3. You could put a protective celluloid strip across the top of the camera and attach it with velcro to the helmet, at ear level. For those with no celluloid to spare and no shame; a good launch can always be improved. Forward launching solves the line tangle threat because it does not require the pilot to turn around. You can get the same effect with a pause in the reverse launch. After raising the wing, promptly stabilise it with feet, Cs and/or brakes, and hold it vertically above you. Do not turn until the wing is more pumped than you are and the harness is muttering to your tender bits. This might delay you by as much as 10 seconds, but when you turn into wind, the lines will miss the camera by about 200mm on both sides. It’s well worth the effort. Here are two pictures to illustrate: In both cases the camera is well clear. In the first you can see the bow in the lines. That picture also reveals that the left wing tip is lower (not horizontal) which hints at the lack of line tension. The wing is not really lifting. Slack lines may also happen if you start your launch too far back from the launch ramp. The wing is more likely to be in the compression zone, with less vertical airflow to help it ‘float’ and tension the lines. In the second image, the lines are drum tight and the centre mark is vertically above. My two tips (both tested): 1. Start your launch closer to the ramp, or 2. Try tracking into the wind with your back to the ramp. You will find that your ankles and knees work better this way, and your weight mass is now forward of the carabiners. At the other end of the flight you might face the same problem. Same solution: Land on your feet with a small amount of forward momentum. Keep the wing flying, grab the Cs, pull down hard on them, turn instantly and step toward the falling wing. How easy is that? It may just save you the cost of a new camera! A Light-Hearted Look At: Helmet Cams Wherever you look these days, you see the evidence of our affluence: In our pocket is a smartphone, on our head is a GoPro… Australia is such a Lucky Country! by Birdman Pete The celluloid solution Looser pirouette Half way pirouette