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Dust Devil Landing
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:14 pm
by Mike S
I had the pleasure of encountering a dust devil in the SM LZ yesterday. It happened as I was about 90% flared and an inch off the ground. That inch grew to become a few more inches... No injuries were sustained, but it was an exciting ride. The video shows my perspective as well as that of my Phoenix comrades on the ground.
-Mike
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Re: Dust Devil Landing
Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 8:50 pm
by jlowery
Wow! Glad you weren't hurt in that landing.
Pretty wild for a winter flying day.
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:27 pm
by John Wolfe
Wow! indeed.
Mike, it looks like you did a great job on several fronts.
1. It seems you stayed calm and worked to keep the wing open.
2. You absorbed most of the impact with your legs and not your back.
3. Once on the ground, you recognized the ride wasn't over and rapidly hauled in some lines, asymmetrically, to disable the wing.
I'm glad you're safe. Thanks very much for sharing the video.
Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:34 pm
by Lane
I have never seen a wing in a dust devil that close to the ground. Thanks for sharing that video and providing us all with a slide.