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Question for Chris Wolf

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rp3420(at)freescale.com
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Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:52 pm Post subject: Question for Chris Wolf

Chris,



You mentioned that you have not seen a picture of Dave.  We have not

seen a picture of your best friend Mike.  Can I talk you into posting

one on the list?



Regards,

Tim Gherkins

FSII

www.milows.com

--

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cwolf41(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:35 pm Post subject: Question for Chris Wolf

On Tue, 9 Jan 2007 13:52:13 -0700, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  



Chris,



You mentioned that you have not seen a picture of Dave.  We have not

seen a picture of your best friend Mike.  Can I talk you into posting

one on the list?



Regards,

Tim Gherkins

FSII

www.milows.com


	


Can do.  Excellent idea.  Photo is attached.



Mike loved to fly more than anyone I've ever known.



After all the rough weather and rougher terrain he and I successfully

navigated over the last 36 years, I can't believe he died while doing touch

and goes in a plane equipped with a ballistic parachute under perfect

weather conditions at a local airport.



It's like hearing that Chuck Yeager slipped on a banana peel and was

killed.



Chris Wolf

cwolf41(at)comcast.net

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jimhefner

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 91
Location: Tucson, AZ

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:27 am Post subject: Re: Question for Chris Wolf

Chris,



Sorry about your loss!  Thanks for posting the photo of Mike.  Yes, it is very hard to understand how this accident happened under perfect conditions with 2 very experienced pilots.  We may never know exactly what happened.  I think this should be a lesson to all of us to always be on our guard, even in the most perfect conditions.  The ballistic parachute probably could not have been deployed from such a low altitude since they were likely trying to fly the plane.  There is a delayed reaction to realizing you need to pull the handle and they didn't have much time.



Here is a picture of Dave since you said you had not seen a picture of him.

Best of luck to you!

Jim

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Jim Hefner
Tucson, AZ
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John Hauck

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 4639
Location: Titus, Alabama (hauck's holler)

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 8:57 am Post subject: Question for Chris Wolf

The ballistic parachute probably could not have been deployed from 

such a low altitude since they were likely trying to fly the plane. 

There is a delayed reaction to realizing you need to pull the handle 

and they didn't have much time.

|

 | Jim

Jim:



The ballistic parachute handle can be pulled at any time prior to 

impact.  Never give up until you are finished crashing.



I have one save at 250 feet AGL and another at 500 feet AGL with a Jim 

Handbury hand deployed parachute.  The BRS deploys much faster than my 

hand tossed model did.



john h

mkIII



PS:  One of my favorite photos of Arizona Dave.  Thanks.

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John Hauck
MKIII/912ULS
hauck's holler
Titus, Alabama

cwolf41(at)comcast.net
Guest

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject: Question for Chris Wolf

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 08:27:55 -0800, you wrote:



 	  Quote: 	
		  



Chris,



Sorry about your loss!  Thanks for posting the photo of Mike.  Yes, it is

very hard to understand how this accident happened under perfect

conditions with 2 very experienced pilots.  We may never know exactly what

happened.  I think this should be a lesson to all of us to always be on

our guard, even in the most perfect conditions.  The ballistic parachute

probably could not have been deployed from such a low altitude since they

were likely trying to fly the plane.  There is a delayed reaction to

realizing you need to pull the handle and they didn't have much time.


	


I think you're probably right.  Apparently the accident happened only a few

hundred feet up.  By the time they realized they were in real trouble, they

were probably striking the ground.  The only way to hope to save yourself

in such a situation is to pull the handle the moment the plane even

threatens to go out of control, and that's not really practical under

normal piloting conditions.  You'd be pulling the handle every time you hit

turbulence, or a thermal.



Mike and I flew a powered parachute (PPC) for six years before deciding to

get a Kolb.  As an old skydiver whose life was saved twice by my reserve

parachute, I'm a firm believer in backup parachutes.  When we got our PPC,

I insisted on putting a ballistic parachute on it.  I think it was the only

PPC in the world equipped with a ballistic parachute.  Most PPC pilots

think they don't need a ballistic parachute, since they already have a

parachute wing over their heads.  Which is something I completely disagree

with.  Any flying machine can fall out of the sky, and can benefit from a

backup parachute.



Whenever Mike and I flew our PPC, the guy on the ground would watch the

PPC's wing from the moment of takeoff, until the machine reached an

altitude of one thousand feet.  That way, if anything went seriously wrong,

the guy on the ground would see it before the pilot, and could radio a

warning to the pilot to immediately fire the ballistic parachute.  We never

even came close to using the ballistic parachute, but both Mike and I were

always ready to use it at a moment's notice.  When Mike called me from

Arizona, on Sunday night, to tell me that Dave's plane was equipped with a

ballistic parachute, I was delighted. 



I've often wondered if I had been there, on Monday morning, while Mike and

Dave were flying, and had been watching the plane take off, if I might have

had time to radio a warning to them if I saw the plane going out of

control, in time for them to fire the rocket.



Probably not.  By the time of the accident they would have been flying for

several hours, and I probably would have been off somewhere, getting myself

a cup of coffee.  And even if I was there, watching them take off, by the

time I realized they were definitely in trouble, it probably would have

been too late for the ballistic parachute to do any good.



Still, I'll always wonder.  Was I not there for my buddy when he needed me?

Would my presence have made a difference?  These are the questions that

still haunt me.



 	  Quote: 	
		  Here is a picture of Dave since you said you had not seen a picture of him.

Best of luck to you!


	


Thanks very much, Jim.



Chris Wolf

cwolf41(at)comcast.net

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jimhefner

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 91
Location: Tucson, AZ

Posted: Wed Jan 10, 2007 10:37 pm Post subject: Re: Question for Chris Wolf

John, I agree BRS's and other chutes can and have saved lives at very low altitudes.  I also suspect that when there is one person on-board, like in your situations, the decision making is more clear and immediate than when there are two on-board... therefore at low altitude I suspect it is less likely a chute will be deployed in time due to continued attempts to right the situation, confusion, panic, etc.  Just a theory... could be wrong.  Everyone flying with chutes should make sure they remove the safety pin before going up since that is not something you want to try to do when in an emergency situation.

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Jim Hefner
Tucson, AZ
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