COVID-19 Operational Considerations

Hey all, I'm going to start to try to consolidate the "how" of gliding operations to help inform us all of what might become a "best practice" for operations.

Please review what I've collected to date and follow up here, or directly with additional operational considerations.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

I suggest that you add four columns to your spreadsheet:

Total glider launches

Total COVID-19 infections attributed to ongoing glider operations (including collateral cases that are traceable to people infected at glider operations)

Total COVID-19 deaths and serious debilitation attributed to ongoing glider operations and persons infected due to ongoing glider operations

To put things in perspective, track the non-COVID-19 related fatalities and debilitations that are attributable to ongoing glider operations. We already accept those costs.

On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 3:23:52 PM UTC-6, son_of_flubber wrote:
I suggest that you add four columns to your spreadsheet:

Total glider launches

Total COVID-19 infections attributed to ongoing glider operations (including collateral cases that are traceable to people infected at glider operations)

Total COVID-19 deaths and serious debilitation attributed to ongoing glider operations and persons infected due to ongoing glider operations

To put things in perspective, track the non-COVID-19 related fatalities and debilitations that are attributable to ongoing glider operations. We already accept those costs.

I don't think that's really constructive to the exercise of trying to synthesize operational considerations from organizations around the world in an effort to support others who may be trying to evaluate a path to prudent operations.

I posted this on Facebook. I thin it might have a place

I would like to share with you a story from long ago and it’s about dogs and human nature.
In 1980 I was practicing Veterinary medicine in Bend Oregon when we began to hear about a new disease that was killing dogs in Australia and might be spreading around the world. It was determined to be caused by a Parvovirus that is in a class of viruses which includes feline distemper and mink enteritis. It was new “novel� so no herd immunity existed, no vaccine existed and any treatments, by default, would be experimental.
Within a few weeks of first hearing about this new disease a black Labrador was presented to my clinic with a high fever, loss of appetite, lethargy and diarrhea. We sent blood to a lab that could test the feces for the virus “antigen� and began symptomatic treatment. The dog deteriorated and developed explosive foul bloody diarrhea and died on the third day of hospitalization. The test came back a few days later and was positive for what became to be called infectious canine parvoviral enteritis which became simplified to just Parvo.
In the weeks to follow we were deluged by inquires from frightened dog owners and began to see more dogs with a similar presentation: the following year our facility treated probably about 200 dogs with the virus and the mortality was about 50 percent. The death rate did diminish significantly as our ability to treat effectively evolved.
We also began to see newborn puppies become inexplicably painful and die in a matter of hours. This was identified as myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle) and was also caused by the Parvovirus.
At times we were overwhelmed by dogs with severe symptoms. Most had explosive diarrhea which had an unmatched vile odor and our clinic frequently smelled awful.
The two years following the arrival of Parvovirus in the U.S. were the most prosperous times for veterinarians in history. Not just from Parvovirus but many other ailments suddenly noticed by a worried population of pet owners.
It was fortuitous that the feline distemper vaccine, already in production and a close relative of canine Parvovirus, was somewhat effective in preventing Parvo and gave us a “bridge� while an canine specific vaccine was developed. Parvo has slowly faded into obscurity as herd immunity and vaccination now protect a critical mass of the canine population.
The thing is; most dogs that were exposed to Parvovirus did not show symptoms and the percentage of the dog population that actually died from the virus was much smaller still. Far more dogs were dying of heart disease or cancer or obesity than of Parvovirus but this thing was out there and you couldn’t see it It was a predator stalking your dog (and friend) with intent to kill.
Perhaps you see where I’m going with this. The corollaries are unmistakable. I will be entering my eighth decade In a few weeks and when I hear things like “your more likely to die of heart disease� or it’s no worse than the seasonal flu� I feel dismissed and disrespected while, at the same time, recognizing that some of those accusations might be true.
The mortality rate of any given event does not equate with the degree of menace that we humans feel. Jack the Ripper killed somewhere between 5 and 11 women and terrorized a nation. As many people died in two days in New York last week from Covid19 as died in the 9/11 World Trade Center incident.
Our fear of the unknown or unseen menace is brain stem level stuff and an evolutionary adaptation.
I think the American people want to be warriors in the fight against this contagion. They just need empathetic intelligent leadership . So please take care of yourself, wear a face mask in public and keep off my lawn.



Sent from my iPad

Regardless of what you believe as to the hazards of wuhan flu there is no way to protect yourself while flying gliders in a club. All the improper and incorrectly used PPE doesn't provide protection and is a distraction that will eventually kill somebody.
I'm not saying don't fly, I'm saying you have to choose. If you are a believer stay home, if not go fly as normal human beings.
How do you sanitize the end of the rope? Wingtips? Is the first guy that touches the golf cart the golf cart bitch for the whole day?
Be funny seeing a bunch of pilots refusing to touch stuff but expecting other people to help touch their stuff. Oh wait that is what normally happens.. At least they have an excuse now.

Please review what I've collected to date and follow up here, or directly with additional operational considerations.



A plan for landout seems missing?

The half-life of Covid19 in sunlight is 2 minutes or less according to an NBACC White House presentation:

https://3n30av2dln0g4fmlc03hpv0p-wpe...us-testing.png

Then there's the fact that outdoors, aerosols are instantly dispersed by the lightest breeze.

So outdoors at glider fields is pretty safe right now without PPE.

That doesn't make me comfortable sharing a 2-seater with another person without PPE, but good masks and isopropyl alcohol wipe down of contact surfaces along with disposable gloves could change my mind. The current problem is the scarcity of good masks, especially when health care workers don't have enough.

Until appropriate masks are available to the general public, rigging and derigging that require people in close proximity (most 2-seaters) will have to wait. Most single seaters offer 7m separation.

Prevalence of infection in the club catchment area is another consideration.. The likelihood of contacting an asymptomatic carrier increases in high density metropolitan areas with infections.

On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 6:00:40 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Please review what I've collected to date and follow up here, or directly with additional operational considerations.



A plan for landout seems missing?

Best suggestion so far: Crew tows pilot's trailer with crew's car. Pilot rides back in glider, in trailer :-).

Seriously... a mask, gloves, wipes would do it for me (as in: I would drive your car).

We're not flying because of this https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/...ily-Update.pdf

The cumulative total is -6- Covid-19 cases in the county our airport is located in (20.7 per 100K population). And similar low numbers in surrounding counties. Some of our membership lives in areas with higher numbers. In my community (~5000), there has been one married couple tested positive (travel related), that's it.

VT Governor's house arrest order aside, the chief risk identified by our board was "looking like jerks" by recreating "during the emergency".

T8

On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 8:26:45 PM UTC-4, Tango Eight wrote:
On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 6:00:40 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Please review what I've collected to date and follow up here, or directly with additional operational considerations.



A plan for landout seems missing?

Best suggestion so far: Crew tows pilot's trailer with crew's car. Pilot rides back in glider, in trailer :-).

Seriously... a mask, gloves, wipes would do it for me (as in: I would drive your car).

We're not flying because of this https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/...ily-Update.pdf

The cumulative total is -6- Covid-19 cases in the county our airport is located in (20.7 per 100K population). And similar low numbers in surrounding counties. Some of our membership lives in areas with higher numbers. In my community (~5000), there has been one married couple tested positive (travel related), that's it.

VT Governor's house arrest order aside, the chief risk identified by our board was "looking like jerks" by recreating "during the emergency".

T8

The Green Mountain Boys looked like jerks to a whole bunch of people, now they are heroes.

On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 10:49:47 PM UTC-5, wrote:
On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 8:26:45 PM UTC-4, Tango Eight wrote:
On Sunday, April 26, 2020 at 6:00:40 PM UTC-4, wrote:
Please review what I've collected to date and follow up here, or directly with additional operational considerations.



A plan for landout seems missing?

Best suggestion so far: Crew tows pilot's trailer with crew's car. Pilot rides back in glider, in trailer :-).

Seriously... a mask, gloves, wipes would do it for me (as in: I would drive your car).

We're not flying because of this https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/...ily-Update.pdf

The cumulative total is -6- Covid-19 cases in the county our airport is located in (20.7 per 100K population). And similar low numbers in surrounding counties. Some of our membership lives in areas with higher numbers. In my community (~5000), there has been one married couple tested positive (travel related), that's it.

VT Governor's house arrest order aside, the chief risk identified by our board was "looking like jerks" by recreating "during the emergency".

T8

The Green Mountain Boys looked like jerks to a whole bunch of people, now they are heroes.

Don't candy coat it, Greg.

Tell 'em how you REALLY feel....lol