GIN EXPLORER - ESCAPING CLOUDSUCK AND STORM FRONT

GIN EXPLORER - ESCAPING CLOUDSUCK AND STORM FRONT - PARAGLIDING

Рет қаралды 18,137

3 жыл бұрын

Went up to Birg to do an afternoon XC flight, the plan was to head up the Schilthorn to gain some height before heading across towards Interlaken.
Main launch had tailwind when I arrived, this should have been my first clue but I knew a North wind was passing through and assumed this was the cause.. headed down to the lake where it was more sheltered and launched from there. Unfortunately the lower launch hid the approaching storm cell from view. I expected to use some cloud suck over Schilthorn to get up and away quickly, however lift felt strange, way stronger than expected and everywhere. After reaching Kleine Schilthorn, I noticed the storm cell moving south from the valley entrance and so thought it best to head for a landing. The overdevelopment and storm movement happened way quicker than expected and soon the sky was clouded in and it took a lot of effort to lose altitude and reach the valley.
It got pretty gusty so I had to test out different descent techniques for stability and forward penetration with the increasing windspeeds. A combination of big ears and full bar, spiral dives and wingovers seemed to work. If it had been less gusty and weaker lift, a landing above the valley may have been a better option, to get on the ground sooner and avoid the venturi in the valley.
Sometimes nature can sneak up and surprise you, and it's important to constantly learn from your experiences so as to keep an edge in the game. I'm glad for the experience and although I wouldn't choose to be in this situation again, it was great to get a better understanding of descent and forward movement techniques when the weather gets aggressive.
Wing: Gin Explorer
AUW: 95kg
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Пікірлер: 79

@CoIoneIPanic Жыл бұрын

Did you not see how overdeveloped it was before you took off? The most Basic of pilot skills is to not Launch when conditions are obviously unsafe. Subscribed.

@dawudmc 2 ай бұрын

"Sometimes nature can sneak up and surprise you" With Clouds that deep & dark, is see no surprise here especially in mountainous regions, like here in the Alps, weather can change in an instant for me, i would have passed on a sky that shady, then again you´re certainly more brave :D

@cataraxis-jn9fu 2 ай бұрын

dude hasn’t seemed to learn from the experience

@sandrainthesky1011 Жыл бұрын

I think the expletive at the end pretty much described that flight! We\ve all been in it at one time or other but I wouldn't have wanted to be on that one, you did very well, hats off!

@RolloWi 2 ай бұрын

Wow, it was already raining nearby. Really very dangerous. Again: Well done after the wrong decision to start. Flying means lerning...

@0202myles 3 жыл бұрын

Your comment at end says it all. Great video,

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Hahahah, yeah.. it was an interesting flight!

@stemcleeds 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the thorough explanation. I'm a novice so appreciated your efforts to share.

@ElSusurradorDeTermicas 2 жыл бұрын

It was not the day to flight.. But you controlled good the situation. Thanks for sharing. Now. I notice you describe all the situation in the description. I readed it. Your technique to go down worked good. Thanks again.

@johnwagenhals881 3 жыл бұрын

Dream place .. nice flying

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks John!

@resqman186 3 жыл бұрын

I would not have launched at these edgy conditions near unflyable. The sky and cloud formations don't look inviting at all... This could easily have been your last happy flight. Gladly nothing bad happened

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, everyone has to choose which risks they are willing to take for themselves. I have flown in a lot of different conditions in the mountains here and skies like these don‘t necessarily equal unflyable conditions, the storm cell can be a valley over and you are still fine to fly due to the protection from the mountains. In this case, the storm cell was hidden from view and I got unlucky, sometimes nature can catch us out

@glyngin 3 жыл бұрын

Super flying to get down

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Glyngin, I had to pull some tricks out of the bag for sure!

@peterphil9686 3 жыл бұрын

Good work... I’ve done the same in Tolmin.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Peter, glad you made it out ok! Safe flights!

@horaciorivara1240 Жыл бұрын

Wonderfull

@Lonelycoyote07 3 жыл бұрын

My humble opinion is that this are one of those videos that show a situation that could be avoided, but (my point) more important was that once you realize that you were in “complex” situation you maintain the control of the wing until landing safe... your expression when you land say all...

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

We can say that all flight situations can be avoided really. We don‘t need to fly. Choosing to fly ultimately comes down to experience and risk assessment, sometimes that assessment is wrong or the information to make a correct assessment is unavailable to you. My experience in these mountains gave me a bit more margin to fly in uncertain conditions so i was more willing to take that risk but being unable to see how quickly the storm cell had moved in meant I got caught out, but thats part of the game we play with nature :)

@ototekenofficial2460 Жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum pretty much 💯

@jimbobhoova6237 2 жыл бұрын

I noticed when you took off, the 1st thing you did was to fly most of the time under or towards the darkest area of the building storm over development, why did you consider this direction and not turn left towards the more clearer section. yes it would have given you a different landing option to consider, but would have been much safer. very interesting flight, actually i was surprised you didn't have a much stronger valley wind, It also looks like there was a Foehn wind situation to contend with too, heading towards your LZ. From your reaction on landing you were very pleased to be down, a situation of I wished i was on the ground looking up. I know its very easy for us to watch from the comfort of our screens then comment, thanks for sharing though. I think most people viewing were pleased to see the landing. hope you are still enjoying flying, an interesting but scary experience for you. I look forward to your reply.

@cabanford 3 жыл бұрын

That looked like hard work.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Haha, yeah it took a lot of work to keep on top of it all, luckily it all turned out ok. About 30mins before I launched, the area looked very different and as a snapshot would have seemed like the perfect XC day, It‘s a good reminder that nature can still catch you out!

@cabanford 3 жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum took a collapse with small cravat, just leaving the edge of a nice, big, fat cumulus in Colombia a few years ago at a comp (wasn't a CB, but headed that way) - by the time I'd cleared the cravat, I'd done maybe two circles and was super sucked into the cloud... 15 endless minutes later it spat me right out the top. Was raining and then snowing (at the equator!) on me. The cloud was twice as big as any other in the sky. The view was stunning, but the ride in the cloud terrifying! Won't be putting that back on my to do list 😋🤔🙈

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

No way, thats insane, must have bee a really special view from above the clouds! I've heard about people getting sucked up and having their wings come out covered in ice haha. I've been stuck in a cloud once and its so disorientating, glad you managed to make it out ok! Safe flights man!

@cabanford 3 жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum yeah, me too! I was shaking for then next 12 hours.

@stemcleeds 2 жыл бұрын

A big ask, but would you consider another edit with a voice over of your thoughts and actions? As I'm a novice of learn a lot. Cheers, loving the videos.

@rideyouradventure8349 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. To topland at beginning was not a oppurtunitiy? Storm outflows in a small valley like in the end of there you land is a higher risk. Thanks for sharing.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Hey Dani, I considered the topland for that reason but that area is actually in the rotor of the winds and hidden far from civilisation. If I had risked the toplanding and it went wrong in that turbulence it could have put me in a much worse position. I assessed that it was better I made it to the valley, because the wind was at least cleaner due to no rotor and if I crashed I was within easy reach of help and always visible to people. Safe flights!

@justamotoride1395 3 жыл бұрын

Did the same thing, also with my explorer (M) at 100kg. scary stuff!

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

I love the explorer but in active air it can get pretty lively, definitely made the flight down interesting!

@CanalEdusteppenwolf 3 жыл бұрын

Cooool man!!!!! Fiuuuu

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Edu!

@terryrose843 3 жыл бұрын

I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Difficult to say the least. Great control.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Terry! Yeah it took a bit of time to weigh up my options but luckily it all came out good!

@calvacoca 3 жыл бұрын

That's what I dislike the most in paragliding. Not being able to avoid being sucked by clouds. Scary. I remember in glider, sometime oblige to fly at 150kmh with air brakes full open to avoid climbing into the clouds. No problem at all in that case, but under a paraglider, you don't have such easy and secure defensive possibilities.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

For sure! You are definitely exposed to the elements on a paraglider but thats part of what makes the experience so special!

@davidwashington4282 3 жыл бұрын

Newbie question, would it have been possible to just land on the mountain at around 1:57 ? and avoid all this ?

@groundhendl8113 3 жыл бұрын

At that point I think the pilot still thought it is safe to fly as you can see him thermalling (going in circles in rising air) instead of trying to descend. You are right though, he could have landed higher up and he also states in the description that this would have been the better option because the valley winds were fierce.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

You're right, I was still feeling comfortable at that point and was using the cloud suck for a boost before going on glide, but I underestimated how quick the conditions would develop. A landing higher up would have been better but by that point the options for a toplanding were in rotor traps far from civilisation and so I took the risk of the stronger valley winds to ensure that I would at least land in view of people and out of too much turbulence.

@NotRelevant1 3 жыл бұрын

This is a great example of why i need to practice spiral dives! Man SIV courses are expensive...

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Definitely worth doing to get an idea of what to expect in a safer environment but an SIV is just a taster, to build the confidence to use these manoeuvres its worth dedicating some time just doing laps to get them really dialled in, a second reserve can be useful ;)

@VilleValpuri 3 ай бұрын

Newbie question. What exactly makes spiral dives so difficult?

@groundhendl8113 3 жыл бұрын

Hard to watch, that must have been a total shitty feeling. I would be in big trouble because my spiralling technique isn't that advanced. By the way, do you think a less skilled pilot like my could have gotten away with big ears + small wingovers? I'm glad you mastered this situation and thanks for sharing so we can all learn from the comfort of our homes. Happy landings!

@conradobuhrer7916 3 жыл бұрын

I think the big ears and small wingovers are a good move it you have no other option. I personally would have gone full wingovers all the way down, no big ears... Big ears are a big problem on rain, though it seems that the rain wasn't that bad here. It is much better to speed your wing up somehow. Full nose down spirals are probably the best as they will give you maximum speed. Wing collapses with a wet wing are really awful as the fabric will be clingy. I had this happen to me once. It can be quite scary. Best also to try to run away from the rain if you can. Picking the first spot, even if you have to walk far is probably the safest option

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, it got pretty interesting but luckily it came good in the end! Ears and wingovers would work to an extent but I'm not a big fan of big ears when it comes to descent techniques in turbulent conditions. If you need to gain a lot of horizontal distance without getting sucked up too quickly it can help but you sacrifice a lot of feeling and control in strong/gusty air. For me the angled wingovers were the best compromise, you keep full contact with the wing, keep it well pressurised and can move forward whilst descending, albeit not as much as ears and bar. As Conrado said, if you have enough space for wind drift not to matter, spiral dives are a great option but can G you out, if you aren't practiced. If you plan to fly big air, it's worth taking the time to practice different techniques so you know what to expect from them. The more tools in your 'Toolbox' the better your ability to choose a technique that is best for the specific situation.

@fransknops5686 3 жыл бұрын

Scary flight. I’ve done a SIV last year with my Explorer, based on this my thoughts. Spirals: definitely. Easy to get in, easy to hold, easy to get out and they’ll give you a good decent. Ears with wing overs: the ears have a tendency to stay in. You have to pump them out. You can see this happening halfway in your movie. I’m not sure how much worse this gets with a wet wing. Gentle wingovers are ok, but I had problems with wingtip collapses at full wingovers. You really have to put a lot of break pressure on the outside to keep the tips from collapsing. Better practice first in a SIV before you do them, these are very nasty cravats. Another option is the use of big big ears. Push half speed and grab the two outermost A’s on each side above the risers and tuck them in. No need to pull far, just a twist of the wrist is enough. Just make sure you grab the right ones: you want to leave the innermost A line (on the red riser) alone. :-) Once tucked in go full blast on the speed. The gives you a very good decent rate and you can still steer by weight shift. Again: better practice first in a SIV. But having said this: I’m not sure if I would be willing to do this with a wet wing. Anyway: happy flying, safe landings and a good choice of a wing.

@DomesticDave 25 күн бұрын

I think we've all said the exact same thing on landing at some point 🤣

@Marianoenparapente Жыл бұрын

Ahora. A subir denuevo al despegue! 😂

@j0urneymann 3 жыл бұрын

you should use the G-Chute next time to stay dry)

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Hahah it would act like the perfect umbrella during a spiral dive!

@uberdenwolken4564 3 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂

@theacrochick9263 3 жыл бұрын

Was pretty relieved when you finally landed 😅 damn! I tried this once in Taiwan, too. Definitely way more scary and nerve wrecking than Acro gone wrong😅

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Haha, yeah, it got pretty rough and a bit wet in the air but luckily everything worked out fine! Hope you're doing well Signe, when you coming back to the valley?

@hannesaltenfelder4302 3 жыл бұрын

Dude that was dangerous... and awesome. Is there anything you would do differently if you ever were in a situation like this again? And is it possible to spiral down with flapped ears? I always dreamed of a paraglider with auto-correction, so the size would differ depending on the wind/thermals.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Haha thanks! It‘s hard to say, the wind was a little funky at the launch site but the forecast for the winds that day coincided with what i felt so I assumed it was just that, rather than an approaching storm. So maybe listen to your gut when on launch and take the extra time to do a last minute weather check to see if something unexpected has come up if you have any suspicion that things aren‘t right. As for spirals with ears, i‘ve explained in another comment but I prefer full contact with the wing in rough conditions so I can be in control instantly if anything goes wrong. As for the size changing wings, hanggliders have a system for changing aspect ratio and doing just that! Ears is a way of doing that on a paraglider I guess but that doesn‘t change line length proportionately and makes brake inputs impossible. We can dream!

@mcbrite 3 жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum Hey man, nice vid and good flying! I also fly the Explorer! (M Size) 1 more descent technique: Use big ears with 50%+ accelerator for more sink and more forgiving angle of attack (=safer!) and then add in a little side to side oscillation with your body to make glide even more ineffective, adding to the sink! You can do that for a very long time and pretty safely if you've practiced it a couple of times. Spiral is likely a little faster to get down, but weighing 3 times your normal weight get's exhausting pretty quickly and many people will get light headed and some could even go unconscious from the Gs. With the ears technique you're still going the right direction quickly (=away from danger/lee/cloud suck!), loosing tons of height consistently, have the wing in a safe, collapse resistant state and can study where you wanna set her down as you're flying towards it.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

@@mcbrite Thanks McBrite, the technique you describe is actually one of the methods I used in this video. However, I think it's more suitable for less turbulent/gusty conditions as it gives up a lot of feedback and control. Adding bar definitely helps keep the wing away from a stall in that configuration but it doesn't stop a collapse or stall happening completely and in gusty conditions I would prefer to be in full control of the angle of attack so that I could react quickly and keep the glider open.

@mobileamin4828 3 жыл бұрын

😀😀👍👍

@catherinespark 2 жыл бұрын

Do you think it would be possible, after canvassing for updrafts and really getting a feel for the lee of the land, to make your bleeper play a tune by dint of careful steering? Like 'Old MacDonald Had a Farm' or 'Jingle Bells' or something? Or failing that, to take the bleeps from a flight and harmonise them?

@TheStarlitfuse 9 ай бұрын

Death from below and death from above...

@dwightbernheimer331 3 жыл бұрын

Obviously you didn't have a weather radio...

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

I don’t know anyone that does.. we go off the forecasts and then observation, but my view was somewhat blocked

@roberthemming2416 3 жыл бұрын

I’m so glad I watched to the end. Well flown. I would also have pooped myself. When it storms in the Alps, they come quick and hard

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Robert! Yeah, it turned from manageable cloud suck to gusts and rain pretty fast haha, we live and learn and even then we can get thrown a curveball every now and then!

@RolloWi 2 ай бұрын

The weather situation in the mountains looks dangerous from the beginning on. I love cumulus clouds. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hLWRfqaDm7bMgJ8.html But black big clouds means danger. The right decision would have been not to start. It's harder to say NO, than yes i'll try. But, well done. 👍 Fly high and save 🤙

@arisparamaniac 3 жыл бұрын

next time hold an umbrella 🙃

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Haha, i‘ll come down like Mary Poppins!

@ThibaultROHMER 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. I had a similar event but overdevelopment was predicted. At one point it got too easy despite facing wind and accelerated. It was raining heavily nearby and some other congestus started to get big, and i was at cloudbase ~2900m. Adrenaline on. Thus i had to apply quick descent maneuvers and land quickly. See my video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/i99xqdiLm6qvnKM.html An instructor told me (weeks before) this great technic to have 1 ear and do 360 on other side : it's effective and you're not as centrifuged as with strong 360. You can see on my video it's easy to keep doing it (i was high so i knew it was best to keep spliraling without G, rather than do extreme 360 and be exhausted/pass out). On your video, you manage to get to official landing, but you are coming downwind. Gust front could dramatically increase winds in the valley, especially one narrow valley like that. So be very carreful about that if a cell is raining nearby : you might end up in strong wind and not able to reach landing zone.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment Thibault! Initially I had planned to topland on the mountain ridge above the valley near the start of the video to avoid the downwash from the strorm cell but with so much cloudsuck and turbulence, I thought it safer to not waste time trying to do a dangerous toplanding. The winds in the valley were stronger but cleaner and so I used angled wingovers to lose height and move forward into wind and away from terrain towards the more open fields in the bottom of the valley, by good fortune, I made the official landing field but was prepared to land in any field I could find. Using the 1 ear 360 technique would not have helped in this situation as you are affected by wind drift as you descend, and as you said the wind in the valley was much stronger so would have quickly drifted me into the cliffs behind me or an area with no safe landing options. Big ears and speedbar are quite effective for ensuring forward speed and a good descent rate but I feel I give up too much control of the wing and so prefer to do these angled wingovers when possible to ensure I have good contact with the wing the whole time. Safe flights!

@cabanford 3 жыл бұрын

And spiraling with an ear in can overstress the wing.

@aparapentor333 3 жыл бұрын

Préparer la météo de ses vols en amont c'est bien mais rien ne remplace l'observation arrivé sur place. Le minimum aurait été d'attendre au moins un petit quart d'heure pour déterminer l'évolution, tu as pris beaucoup de risque pour finalement peu de plaisir en vol. J'ai eu peur pendant toute la vidéo, je déteste ce genre de situation, le parapente c'est vraiment géniale pourtant ça peut très vite devenir l'enfer.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

Observation is very important, and I often start way before I have reached the launch site, in fact the sky where the storm came from was clear only 30mins before. However, it’s worth reading the description, as one point I made was that the mountains blocked my view of the approaching storm cell from launch and the forecast for the day meant the wind direction and cloud development was not unusual either, so the fact a storm came through during the short time the valley was blocked from view was a bit unlucky. Obviously, if there is a lot of cloud development there is always a chance of storms and rain, and it is up to you whether you are willing to take that risk, but based on my experience of this area I felt comfortable with that, sometimes it doesn’t work out but that is nature and it is full of surprises!

@aparapentor333 3 жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum Tout est une question de choix personnel bien sur. Avec le temps j'ai appris à renoncer je veux absolument que mes vols soient un plaisir et des souvenirs magnifiques ce qui ne m'empêche pas d'en faire de très jolis. Bons prochains vols, le coin à l'air magnifique en tout cas.

@PotisSum 3 жыл бұрын

I completely respect that! Ultimately, if the flights scare you more than you enjoy them, you‘re flying for the wrong reason! Happy flights to you too!

@aparapentor333 3 жыл бұрын

@@PotisSum Tout à fait exacte