Hang Gliding - FAQ - What's needed?
Historical note: in 1977, I lived (camped) at Point of the Mountain, Utah. It became apparent that the regulars were not a problem, but the newbies and visitors could really make a mess of the "traffic pattern". The club set aside "aerobatics boxes" for those so inclined. The original problem remained.
Now you may know of the late, great science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein (Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, many more). He actually solved the problem for us, and long before we had it, in a short story called "The Menace from Earth". It's even fun to read now. This is called "foresight", I guess.
We shamelessly borrowed the solution from him in 1977, but obviously, no one color of glider could be reserved for beginners only. We adopted bright orange or red "surveyors' tape" streamers, instead. Usually this is one six-yard (six meters) long streamer from the keel, although some folks use two, one on each wingtip. Two are especially good for paragliders. These "student streamers" are very light, tough, and actually shed dirt. They make little extra noise, do not distract the pilot, and can be seen easily by other pilots.
Surveyor's tape is used normally, because it is easy to break. If it snags on anything, it will just tear loose, without affecting a launch or landing. Do not use gift-wrapping ribbon, which is amazingly strong, or anything else that does not separate easily from the glider. If you must use something that strong as a streamer, tie it to a piece of cheap kite-string, and tie the other end of the string to the glider, so the streamer can break free, if necessary. Whatever you use, make sure that the streamer can break free easily, if it snags on anything.
These streamers are not a license to ignorantly barge through traffic, but a request for some extra airspace by pilots that need it. Experienced pilots usually have some extra airspace that they can spare for a newbie. Most pilots will respect this request.
One jerk announced loudly that he was "gonna put streamers all over his glider"; he wanted all the extra room he could get. We cheered silently.
One well-experienced pilot visited from out-of-state, who had never flown in heavy traffic before. He was seriously freaked by a dozen gliders in the air, and was truly grateful for a streamer.
One irresponsible (there is no other word) pilot got a streamer clipped to his glider surreptitiously, on launch, and repeatedly. We would even roll up his streamer, so it took a few minutes in the air to deploy. Tagging him as a newbie became an informal club sport, until the guy finally stopped getting pissed off and woke up to what was being said. He lived, and we all had a good laugh together about it, later. He actually thanked us, too.
If your flying sites do not already use "student streamers" to give students and newbies some extra airspace, I would recommend this system.
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