RC Slope Soaring in Hong Kong

After the paraglider collision incident two weeks ago, we have communicated with HKPA to discuss ways to improve safety. Basically, we will arrange a meeting with the paraglider pilots possibly in a good windy day up in Ma On Shan in order to exchange our views and discuss any proposed procedures or rules to improve safety and avoid repeating accident as such.

On our side, we had a HKRCSS meeting last Sunday to discuss and lay down some suggestions. I will list them here and explain the reason behind:

1. To organize a meeting with HKPA to explain our view and also listen to their view on all practices and concerns we have when flying in Ma On Shan. Ideas will be exchanged and proposals, if any, to be drawn up and mutually ratified by the two parties for the ultimate goal of improving safety among us.

Because the resource (airspace and slope) is rather limited, we can share them by only two practical means: space separation and time separation. So, we drew out a proposal which will be tabled to HKPA for discussion.

Space Separation
a) Swap the paraglider site with our r/c glider site. Two possibilities here; one is to swap permanently and the other to swap only when the lift condition is marginally weak. After the swap, they should not fly over to our airspace unless it is in emergency. In reverse, we do the same to respect their airspace. To swap permanently will solve most of the problems because the two parties are spatially separated. However, there is a concern raised by the paraglider pilots that it is very difficult if not possible for launching/landing during strong wind condition if they use our current glider site (because there is no large flat top landing area), so they don’t prefer the swap during strong wind condition. I believe if the swap is wind-condition dependent, the logistic will be very complicated and confusing enough to render its usefulness. Anyway, let’s see what will come out in the meeting.

Time Separation
b) We recommend the paraglider association to put up a roster in Ma On Shan to limit the number of paragliders simultaneously flying there, particularly, in weak lift condition, for which they tend to fly closer to the ridge. For example, only 3 paragliders are allowed to fly in wind speed below 3m/s, 5 paragliders for 3 to 5m/s, 10 paragliders for 5 to 10m/s and unlimited above 10m/s. Perhaps, they can have a roster with half-an-hour time slots to let paraglider pilots to fill in and queue for the up time in turn. This is very important because they share only a fixed section of ridge to provide lift, this section of ridge would not be able to support a large number of paragliders flying simultaneously there. This practice of time-sharing has long been applied among our r/c glider pilots because we flew a maximum of 3 or 4 gliders at the same time during marginally condition in Ma On Shan. In fact, our F3F racing is already a time-sharing practice in which we fly in turn one-by-one! I truly believe that the paraglider pilots should learn the way to share the limited resource like what we do!

2. Even if space and time separation are successfully applied, we still need to define some guidelines within our group to minimize the risk of future collision during our F3F contest. Therefore, we have drawn up some internal guidelines after a fruitful discussion last Sunday.

CD will assign a watch person during the contest, usually he is the associate CD or via versa during CD’s own run. This watch person will watch over the airspace during a pilot’s run to detect any possible intrusion of paraglider into our airspace. He can warn (小心有傘) the contesting pilots for a possible intrusion, and if the intrusion is getting affirmative, he should raise an abort instruction (ABORT!) to the contesting pilot. Upon receiving the abort instruction, the pilot must abort immediately. If he chooses not to comply, he will get a DNF instead of re-fly.

In situation where, if the contest-piloting himself feels very uncomfortable for an approaching paraglider during his run while there is no indication from the watch person, he can raise a request for abort. If the abort is not granted, he should continue flying. However, for the ultimate safety, he has the sole right to decide to abort himself in emergency situation even though an abort instruction hasn’t been issued (possibly due to watch person’s error or different safety standard between pilot and watch person). If the pilot aborts by himself, he will get a DNF unless an appeal is made and the abort is judged to be reasonable, then he can get a re-fly instead.

It is very important that other pilots on site should keep quiet during a pilot’s run particularly they should not arbitrary judge and verbally issue an abort message directly to the pilot because this will create confusion to the contesting pilot. Of course, they are welcome to help watching and make suggestion to the watch person, but the decision to abort must be issued by the watch person only.


Please let me know if the guidelines I wrote down here faithfully describe what we have discussed last Sunday in HKRCSS committee meeting. We welcome any comment from the fellow pilots and other person concerned.

Hi Stanley,

Yes, we have to do something. Safety shall be the ulmost concern of both parties.

Just my 2 cents:

We have to give some thought on non-race day arrangement.

Secondly, unlike HKPA (99% of paragliding flyer are their members), some RC flyers is not our club member. We have to persuade the other RC flyers to follow our agreed guidelines. Especially on non-race day.

Regards,

Pong Pong

For non-race day arrangement, if we have swapped sites permanently, then we better issue a notice to all r/c glider pilots to recommend them to fly in the new area.
If no swapping agreed, then it is really up to individual flyer, however, I would say the chance of collision is slim for free flying gliders during non-race days because our model gliders can be easily manupulated to avoid paragliders.

Most paragliders should know what we’ll do in the racing track. It is in a fixed pattern and limited almost in an area between Point A & B during the racing window. Will it be useful to let the paragliders better know what our gliders will do and go before entering, in and existing the track? And to highlight the air time will just be 1 to 2 minutes for each plane. This can let the paragliders decide which level they should fly, making turns before entering into our A & B point, and whether they can get enough time to cut across the track if there’s the need when a glider has been launched into the track.
Besides, when air condition at Ma On will force the paragliders to pass through our racing track to get thermo or for landing, could we consider a 2-minute window to be allowed to a glider and a paraglider alternatively in turn? If no one from the other party is on the queue, the party using the track can continue to use the track area till the other party raises the track entering request. ( To glider – Show the request by holding the glider high in launching ready position and wait till the track is clear. To paragliders – whistle sound made and wait till the track is clear before heading into the track area especially entering from Point A and B, )
Mak has explained something about paraglider’s flying and the flying routes they have to go on some air conditions. I hope each party can understand more about the others for safety and happy flying.

Hi BigYeung,

We plan to have a meeting with HKPA. We hope that the agenda will include items that we can present our glider flying principles, F3F contest rules to them so that they can have a clearer view of our flying styles and requirement. In reverse, of course, we would also like to listen to them on their flying styles and requirement under various conditions.
That will be beneficial to both parties in understanding each other.