I had been(just seconds before) standing at launch, ready to fly a glider that was about to fall apart. It had just been demonstrated to me that I was wrong about this. There was no conceivable way that the nut could unscrew without rotating one of the fittings. I had believed since the TRX days that the control bar apex bolt was secure (once installed properly), since the top DT fittings were designed to “cage” the head of the bolt and the nut. How could this be? I looked and confirmed visually that indeed the top DT fitting had come off the control bar apex bolt and was pushing up against the sail! It felt as though the left downtube had popped off the keel. When it was about 45 degrees to the wind, I felt a pop and set the glider down. I backed off launch and started rotating the glider left so it wouldn’t blow over while I got the camera out of my car. I hesitated at launch because I was ready to go and if I delayed, it might blow down (a not-uncommon occurrence at this launch site). I was hooked into the “Trapezoid Predator” and standing at launch when I remembered that I had intended to put my pocket camera in the holster on my harness. After Shawn launched and got up 1000 over, I was alone at launch. On Thursday my student Shawn and I set up at the E. John thinks in 2020 there are “less than 100” UP Predators still flying The official Guinness world record holder for consecutive loops (52) from 1988 to 1998 and four-time world aerobatic hang gliding champion, last week he issued this safety note for his favourite wing. The legendary hang glider acro pilot John Heiney has been flying – and looping – his UP International Predator for 21 years.
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