Soaring already DOA for the season???

Airsailing in NV has closed down, and now Willliams in CA is closed. will contests be cancelled next? Does SSA have a position on this? Are there things we can do to mitigate exposure so we can fly? Inquiring pilots want to know...

There may be a lull in infections in the May-June time frame and perhaps an easing of controls until the second wave hits September-October.

Some research is showing that temperature 17C and/or absolute humidity 9g / m³ inhibits transmission.

We'll know more as the Summer proceeds.

There's a bunch of Canadian snowbirds rushing back from California through Florida a month or two prematurely when they may have been smarter to stay put.

This Fall may be a good time for us older folk to decamp to warmer and sultry climes provided you can find a flight, health insurance coverage and accommodating border officials.

Another thing to keep in mind is that all medical personnel will be busy dealing with sick people, so any accidents we may have while having fun will be adding unnecessary stress on the system. So unnecessary driving and any other potentially dangerous activities should be kept to a minimum.

Lots of collateral effects with this pandemic.

5Z

I'd think 200' of tow rope would be enough social distancing.

On Monday, March 23, 2020 at 10:16:22 AM UTC-4, Glidergeek wrote:
I'd think 200' of tow rope would be enough social distancing.

We have lengthened our tow ropes to 206'

Weirsdale Glider Club

I'd think 200' of tow rope would be enough social distancing.
...
We have lengthened our tow ropes to 206'
Weirsdale Glider Club

Aw c'mon! The ship spoiled for a ha'p'orth of tar: a further 6.74 ins
required to get the 2 metres!

This is from a friend who is a physician, passed on with permission.Â* I
chose to keep his identity private.

Of course you can share!
It's all info from reputable sources: WHO, Reuters, CDC.


On Monday, March 23, 2020, 10:30:01 AM MDT, Dan Marotta
wrote:


Excellent analysis, thanks!

And, as we just discussed on the phone, I am doing all of the
recommended things, not out of fear but out of a sense of personal
preservation.Â* I understand that there are people who, out of a sense of
bravado will do stupid, even destructive things.

May I share what you've written to me?Â* I'll keep your identity private.

Dan

On 3/23/2020 9:54 AM, *** wrote:
We have a vaccine for the flu. The mortality for the flu is 0.1%
We don't have a vaccine for this. It's mortality is 2-4%.
The Chinese shut down a city of 11 million people...
The Italians are rationing care....
You need scary data? Check out Reuters Global covid tracker. Check out
the curves on the number of cases per country. check out the overall
mortality.
People have good reason to be scared and the fear is good. Fear makes
people isolate themselves and decrease the speed of spread.
The opposite, people that carry on like nothing is happening, will
overwhelm your healthcare system. If that happens, we won't have enough
ventilators, enough personal protection equipment, or enough providers.
People will then start dying of routine conditions (in addition to the
coronavirus) that they easily survived before (with appropriate care).
For example if all our ICU's are packed with people on ventilators
because of coronavirus and you have a heart attack there is no ICU for
you....If there are no hospital beds available because of the virus,
someone with a bowel obstruction (treated with IVF's in 98% of cases)
will perish because of lack of services. If your surgeon is sick and you
have appendicitis, you'll die from another routine condition...
In all honesty, I think we lost control of the situation a few weeks ago
(ie new york), I would expect complete chaos in the next 3 months. This
will include curfews, strict enforcement of quarantines, and overall
disregard for our civil rights.At this late stage, even this is not
going to prevent the massive loss of life. Unless the virus changes or
there are some seasonal effects expect 1-2 million american deaths in
the next 12 months.
Hope I'm wrong...



On 3/22/2020 9:35 PM, 5Z wrote:
Another thing to keep in mind is that all medical personnel will be busy dealing with sick people, so any accidents we may have while having fun will be adding unnecessary stress on the system. So unnecessary driving and any other potentially dangerous activities should be kept to a minimum.

Lots of collateral effects with this pandemic.

5Z

--
Dan, 5J

On Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 10:29:27 PM UTC-4, George Haeh wrote:
There may be a lull in infections in the May-June time frame...

I assume you're talking about USA here. If so,probably not, as we a
1) still extremely testing limited
2) not doing wide testing, tracking, or mandatory quarantine of anyone exposed
Those measures are why China has controlled this but we can't.

Two really good write-ups if you are interested in the epidemiology:



These do not address two other important reasons USA is having difficulty:
- CDC and FDA testing screw-ups
- Closure of USA CDC's China pandemic office before this happened
Each of these likely wasted precious time for recognition and containment.

Unfortunately, this will likely get worse for a while.
Hope that helps for those of you scientifically inclined,
Best Regards, Dave

On Sunday, March 22, 2020 at 5:42:56 PM UTC-7, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
Airsailing in NV has closed down, and now Willliams in CA is closed. will contests be cancelled next? Does SSA have a position on this? Are there things we can do to mitigate exposure so we can fly? Inquiring pilots want to know...

As a group, we are for the most part, experts at coming up with procedures and checklists that improve safety. Perhaps we can put methods in place for assembly, launch, retrieval, etc. that reduce the chances of spreading the virus, even after restrictions may be lifted.

For example, hold the wing a little farther from the tip when handing it off to an assistant during assembly. Don't approach someone's cockpit (occupied, or not) without verbal OK. keep the cockpit window shut as you are hooked up for launch. gloves for ground crews? Pay your tow bill by mail rather than in the office.

I am sure this talented group can come up with lots of practical ideas to protect ourselves. As a group we tend to skew older and male, both higher risk groups for Covid-19 infection. Perhaps we can still enjoy what we do without adding any more risk to the sport.

Matt

As a group, we are for the most part, experts at coming up with procedures and checklists that improve safety. Perhaps we can put methods in place for assembly, launch, retrieval, etc. that reduce the chances of spreading the virus, even after restrictions may be lifted.

For example, hold the wing a little farther from the tip when handing it off to an assistant during assembly. Don't approach someone's cockpit (occupied, or not) without verbal OK. keep the cockpit window shut as you are hooked up for launch. gloves for ground crews? Pay your tow bill by mail rather than in the office.

I am sure this talented group can come up with lots of practical ideas to protect ourselves. As a group we tend to skew older and male, both higher risk groups for Covid-19 infection. Perhaps we can still enjoy what we do without adding any more risk to the sport.

Matt

If the glider is being used by multiple pilots/passengers, i.e. a club trainer, the controls, belt-buckles, canopy lock, microphone, etc. could/should be wiped down with a disinfecting wipe. Takes a minute to do and will add a layer of protection.

Uli
'AS'