[Whaler]

Hello All

yes good discussion and not a quick and easy solution

Before I had finshed reading Niles post I had to think of the poor bloke who was just killed 2 weekends ago at our airport.
He had been flying gliders for 8 years and was the pres of the local soaring assn. He had just bought himself a single place glider and was trying it out on a Sat morning.

Had been up flying after a towplane released him. Came in for his landing and had gotten screwed up somehow, either too fast, too low or too high, anyhow the instructor who was there also waived him off and told him to go around. Somehow without further radio contact he decided to crank it around and try something only he will ever be able to explain.
Unfortunately he ended up dragging a wingtip, then doing a cartwheel onto his nose on the tarmac.
Died instantly of major trauma to the head. 11:30 on a nice Saturday morning

Later the autopsy this week explained no medical conditions were found attributing to the accident ( some thought so as he was not responding to radio direction). *Not the first thing on my mind either, when the shi* hits the fan!......
The aircraft had a full harness restraint system meant to keep him in his seat.
Turns out he cracked his skull open on the bounce back off the airframe right behind his head.

So I relate that story and as Steve R relates....what about that Rollbar behind us??

The fact that many of us have the lowback buckets leaves us vulnerable to all kinds of neck and head trama, let alone spinal compression in some impacts.

Didn't we read about two guys last year out for their sunday drive losing their lives on a road collision last year. One or two of them had broken necks.

Headgear and collars next?

Anyhow we can only do our best when building these cars and I guess drive them as defensively and responsibly as we can.

Tim