I feel really uncomfortable seeing that image. Nothing worn as protective clothing, no helmet,.. An accident waiting to happen if you ask me!
Ah yes, so wearing a helmet and padded overalls makes flying this aircraft safer. Good to know that. I would suggest gloves, a builder’s hardhat, bright orange jacket, safety shoes, a back-up whistle (handy for landing in high crops), a gasmask and a rotating/flashing light on top of the A-frame too. Just to be sure. :rolleyes:
Seriously: what you DO need is goggles. The mindboggling speed of the Grasshopper makes your eyes tear. We also modified the seat cushion for extra stuff padding (hard landing are a problem with these things: you need to dive a bit to gain the speed to flare properly, especially with heavy pilots). Apart from that, we only bungee with cables that are properly certified and new (old ones have a habit of breaking unannounced, serious chances of injury or death there!). Car launches, aerotows and winch launches we only do with people who are not only properly licensed, but also have a history of sanity and fine judgement. Which does wonders for the safe operation of the airplane.
PS: you’re not the only one feeling really uncomfortable. But then again, some really uncomfortable people have flown the aircraft since 😀
PS2: I know nobody who flies any glider wearing a helmet (as this is restricting vision in tight cockpits) or protective clothing (no fire hazard there)
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