Two die in Glider mid-air

Witnesses indicate two sailplanes in the same thermal.

Anyone have pilot names or are these Alberta Soaring Council people?
Some of them were just here with their new winch, visiting us in the
Southwest US.


http://WWW.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...der-crash.html

Karen

I have no other details but do know they were both Invermere locals.

Hard to think of anything other than pilot error for a mid air. Even with my relative lack of experience, I have had a close call or three. Thus far the best advice I have been given is that if I don't like how someone is flying in a thermal, go find another thermal.

Walt

On Sep 5, 7:20*am, Walt Connelly Walt.Connelly.
wrote:
Hard to think of anything other than pilot error for a mid air. *Even
with my relative lack of experience, I have had a close call or three.
Thus far the best advice I have been given is that if I don't like how
someone is flying in a thermal, go find another thermal. *

Walt

--
Walt Connelly

perhaps we can combine this tragic accident with the recent thread
about the "joy of soaring" book and have a discussion about how to
avoid these accidents by having better reading/instructional material
available.

Brad

On Sep 5, 8:20*am, Walt Connelly Walt.Connelly.
wrote:
Hard to think of anything other than pilot error for a mid air. *Even
with my relative lack of experience, I have had a close call or three.
Thus far the best advice I have been given is that if I don't like how
someone is flying in a thermal, go find another thermal. *

Walt

--
Walt Connelly

Wave at them. If they don't wave back........

Walt Connelly wrote:
Hard to think of anything other than pilot error for a mid air.

Yes an no. Fact is, it's impossible for a human to see every threat in
time. Yes, we have to try, but at the same time we must admit that no
matter how hard we work at it, we will never be able to reach that goal.
That's the reason why FLARM has been developed.

Originally Posted by John Smith

Walt Connelly wrote:
Hard to think of anything other than pilot error for a mid air.

Yes an no. Fact is, it's impossible for a human to see every threat in
time. Yes, we have to try, but at the same time we must admit that no
matter how hard we work at it, we will never be able to reach that goal.
That's the reason why FLARM has been developed.

I agree but at the same time I would ask if they were doing what I have been told is important when thermaling with another airplane. If they were 180 degrees apart in the turn and turning in the same direction it would seem almost impossible to do a mid air.

I feel it is important to identify the real causes of these accidents and learn from them. The loss of a life is terrible, failure to learn from such a loss is inexcusable.

JMHO

Walt

There appears to be some disagreement with the comments that this collision occurred in a thermal. Found the following comments online regarding this accident.

From Fun Junkie:

This was a tragic ACCIDENT, nothing more. Having reviewed the gps logs of each gliders flight path and the video of the collision, there are two things that need to be cleared up.

First, neither glider was in a thermal so the discussions about that are pointless.

Second, neither glider was "show boating" or doing anything unsafe at the time of the collision, or prior to it.

They were simply flying in an area they knew very well and have flown hundreds of times before. On this particular flight they happened to be flying in the same geographical area but approaching from opposite directions. Both gliders were in essentially level flight and at the same altitude. For whatever reason... they simply did not see each other in sufficient time to avoid a collision. Gliders approaching each other at the same altitude are very difficult to see and close on each other very quickly. As a friend and fellow pilot of both Keith and Ray, I will miss them dearly and offer my sincerest condolences to their families and friends. This was simply a very tragic accident between two pilots who took flying safety very seriously.

End of comments

Amazing how often the facts of the case take a long time to become clear. The idea that they were not in a thermal makes more sense to me.

Walt

On Sep 5, 2:43*am, Hagbard Celine wrote:
I have no other details but do know they were both Invermere locals.

Both flew out of Invermere, but one lived in Calgary, the other in
Kelowna, B.C.
Few details are known at this time.
The names of the pilots have not been released pending notification of
next of kin.
Condolences to their families and friends is about all we can say at
the moment.

On Sep 5, 2:43*am, Hagbard Celine wrote:
I have no other details but do know they were both Invermere locals.

http://www.calgarysun.com/2011/09/05...liders-mourned

"Friends within a tight-knit flying club are still coming to terms
with the loss of two of their own, victims of a deadly mid-air crash
near Windermere, B.C. The men have been identified as Calgary
resident Keith Watson, 50, and Kelowna’s Ray Perino, 59, longtime
sailplane enthusiasts who had become friends through the Canadian
Rockies Soaring Club."