A matter of urgency

[Tailspin]

I can tell you that open cockpit aircraft will now also be thrown in the mix.
We are opening a can of worms where the energy can be used for something much more useful like the all up weight or the NTCA motor debacle.

p.s. I allways wear a helmut when i fly and i think my face would look very different if i did not have a helmut on.

[Tower]

Here is my 2cents worth.

When I crashed into trees a branch as thick as my forearm first broke the profile tube, then smacked me full on the visor. The blow was hard enough that the little edge at the bottom of the visor hit my chin and cut right through my lip. I had an 8mm hole through which I could see teeth! Today all I have left is a little scar that chicks dig! Now, had I not wore a helmet almost guaranteed that I would have had serious facial injuries at best, and I don’t care to speculate what the worst case would have been!

Whether it should be compulsory, I am not sure, as pilot in command I think it should be your choice, however, I do believe it should be made compulsory for all passengers, after all they entrust us with their lives and deserve all the protection we can easily afford them.

[John Boucher]

I did not oppose the idea neither did the respondents!

Being an avid motorcyclist I never had a problem with helmets... on the contrary - have never ridden without one - even when I go for a simple cruise on my Bombardier. I recognise the dangers of head injuries and have seen many on bicycles and if wasn't for a helmet the guys would be veggies...

The human head only has to travel at 13km/h and strike a solid surface to sustain serious or fatal injuries. If I flew a TRIKE or OPEN COCKPIT type aircraft I would definitely have worn HEAD PROTECTIVE gear but that would be personal preferance. I sincerely think it would be pushing a point if all of a sudden we all had to wear helmets - even as a motorist! Once again, I think it should be a case of preference...

Something more important we should be focussing on -

NO RADIO - NO FLY
OVER STRESSED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED
POORLY MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED
HASTY OR NEGLIGENT PRE & POST FLIGHT CHECKS - NO FLY IF HASTY & IF YOU CAME BACK YOU'RE LUCKY!
HAVE A FRIEND DO A PILOT FRIEND DO A PRE FLIGHT ON YOUR AIRCRAFT ONCE IN A WHILE - YOU MIGHT BE PERSISTENTLY OVERLOOKING A PROBLEM!
CHECK RIDES WITH AN EXPERIENCED PILOT OR INSTRUCTOR MORE OFTEN (SAY EVERY 6 MONTHS)THAN JUST YOUR RENEWAL WHEN DUE!

As Safety Officer at John Weston, I have been compiling SAFETY RULES for the airfield and it is quite impossible to try and plan for every eventuality or pending incident...

[Slabfish]

[and it is quite impossible to try and plan for every eventuality or pending incident...]
I agree with you on that one Bad Nav, There are to many variables to be able to plan for every possible danger hazard. There is one danger hazard you can plan for though , that is the one of preventing getting your brains splattered all over the accident scene by been forced to wear a helmet. If I had a training school , I am sure most schools do already , not one of my instructors or students will ever strap in without a helmet. It is up to us ,instructors and experienced pilots, to promote this kind of safety-thinking to the up and coming future pilots ,who will in future not even think twice before he puts his helmet on ,like you do when you go biking. I think it is only a matter of time and this will be enforced, CAA and MISASA are getting letters from me to suggest the enforcement of wearing helmets , I am just looking into the accident history of microlighting to get some stats.
Nothing personal towards anybody on this fred , but you must by now see how I feel about this issue.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

I did not wear the bone dome in Martha as I could not get the headset to work. I got lucky. 7 stitches later courtesy of the GPS. I think if the GPS was not there I would have got serious head damage (Some say it would have been improvement) as the suction cup mount that it was mounted on gave way and so did the GPS. Head crushed the screen. The edge of the cockpit was covered in leather, but was far harder and sharper....

I wear a helmet when I fly open cockpit without shoulder strap. I have one for the RV as well, but it gets very hot and heavy on long Xcountries so I tend not to wear it, but for buggering around I do, but I think a parachute or BRS would be of more value although low down I don't know. Seems if folks flew higher there would be less incidents. Not any case in point, but these cables, poles, pivots are not that high? I like to fly low as well, but it a risk and especially 2 up maybe not worth that risk? I do it so I am not saying don't but know the risks involved.... Like landing on roads where we know there are telephone lines, power lines, trees, sign posts etc. Often for something as silly as a piss. Me I piss in my pant before I make a dodge landing? Just me....

I think wearing them is a good idea, but I would not enforce them... my 2c...

Something more important we should be focussing on -

NO RADIO - NO FLY
OVER STRESSED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED
POORLY MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED
HASTY OR NEGLIGENT PRE & POST FLIGHT CHECKS - NO FLY IF HASTY & IF YOU CAME BACK YOU'RE LUCKY!
HAVE A FRIEND DO A PILOT FRIEND DO A PRE FLIGHT ON YOUR AIRCRAFT ONCE IN A WHILE - YOU MIGHT BE PERSISTENTLY OVERLOOKING A PROBLEM!
CHECK RIDES WITH AN EXPERIENCED PILOT OR INSTRUCTOR MORE OFTEN (SAY EVERY 6 MONTHS)THAN JUST YOUR RENEWAL WHEN DUE!

As Safety Officer at John Weston, I have been compiling SAFETY RULES for the airfield and it is quite impossible to try and plan for every eventuality or pending incident...

I don't however agree with some of the above issues and maybe some more debate would help me understand....
NO RADIO - NO FLY WHY?
OVER STRESSED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED How do you know it been stressed and how do you control a death wish as surely only someone with DW will continue to fly over stressed aerie?
POORLY MAINTAINED AIRCRAFT - NO FLY UNTIL RECTIFIED What is a poorly maintained aircraft? I often find that if you ask for 10 opinions on condition of aerie you get 10 responses? Maybe more on educating about what poor maintenance can lead to, but the risks must be accepted by the pilot/owner
HASTY OR NEGLIGENT PRE & POST FLIGHT CHECKS - NO FLY IF HASTY & IF YOU CAME BACK YOU'RE LUCKY! Again too subjected. I have done some pre flights in less than 3 mins and others have taken 15 on same aerie. Depends on various factors, for me especially where I am the only one flying the aerie weekly...
HAVE A FRIEND DO A PILOT FRIEND DO A PRE FLIGHT ON YOUR AIRCRAFT ONCE IN A WHILE - YOU MIGHT BE PERSISTENTLY OVERLOOKING A PROBLEM! Maybe but again subjected. I have seen some moerse fights between 2 alpha males and they were both trying to help, but refusing to back down.. Also many will take it as critisizm and it has huge consequences.
CHECK RIDES WITH AN EXPERIENCED PILOT OR INSTRUCTOR MORE OFTEN (SAY EVERY 6 MONTHS)THAN JUST YOUR RENEWAL WHEN DUE! This I agree with 100%, especially if you fly plenty maybe even more so....

Hypothetically speaking. If you flew into power lines and when you saw it was gonna hit the fan or just after impact you pulled the BRS what would be the result? Would the BRS bull the trike apart assuming it was entangled in wires? Would it have enough time to get out there or will it simply drag you once you hit the ground?
Has anyone on the forum fired a BRS? What was it like and would you recommend it? Does it stress the trike/airframe wing and is there are rebuild/tear down required?
Just some thoughts.... Comments appreciated...

[Grumpy]

Has anyone on the forum fired a BRS? What was it like and would you recommend it? Does it stress the trike/airframe wing and is there are rebuild/tear down required?
Just some thoughts.... Comments appreciated...

Good Question !!! Can we not request a 'movie clip' or some questions answered by the agents or manufacturers. Maybe this should be posted as a new subject??

[MILO]

I'm not in favour of over regulation, but thats where things start before behaviour changes. There are guys perceived as anal around safety as well as the mavericks. Its all perception. I am in favour of helmuts although for more than 45 minutes they are unconfortable. There is a profile tube on the trikes as well as the risk of getting a head butt from behind by your PAX, and bug (I seem to remeber a locust story some time back) & bird stikes.
Re the radio issue that should be law, I've had 2 near misses with guys flying GPS between two airfields and much prefer telling people where I am (generally every 10 minutes), guys arrive & leave our airspace at a high rate of knots & you can pick up on any WX changes. Besides there is a lady flying a helicopter here abouts and I would like to meet her, preferably on the ground.
I note the guys trained here stay with how they are taught - so won't fly without their bone domes or radios. Maybe thats where it starts.

[GregH]

From a foreign perspective I am flying/training on a trike and we wear helmets (Peltor rally) but come to think of it I'm not sure if it is compulsory or not. I've never thought of NOT wearing one. All the trikers wear helmets, the guys in the 3 axis Eurostars do not.

Still I don't think it should be compulsory, just a matter of choice. Although I think not wearing one in a trike is not a great idea.

[Wargames]

(Bad Nav, I am not trying to be competition )

What about this scenario: Lets have a look at motorsport(bikes, cars). Everyone is wearing helmets, whether open cockpit(F1) or closed cockpit(Rally). Why should there be a distinction between open and closed cockpits?? A crash is a crash, and safety is safety. If that is the case, then we can start to say that everyone on the road must wear a helmet, even if you are riding to work and back in your luxury saloon! I have seen nasty head injuries in road accidents with motor vehicles.

Lets rather promote safe flying and safe flying habits, than to let all mavericks fly as they like own the sky.

My 2c

[Morph]

What about this scenario: Lets have a look at motorsport(bikes, cars). Everyone is wearing helmets, whether open cockpit(F1) or closed cockpit(Rally). Why should there be a distinction between open and closed cockpits??

Motorsport is an extreme sport, with an extremely high possiblilities of crashing. So is Air Racing, and aerobatics. These sports, even though they are technically closed cockpit, there is usually a presense of roll cages to protect the driver. Unfortuately these cages are also within close proximity to the heads of the driver and navigator, hence the absolute neccessity to wear a helmet. In a modern car, or GA aircraft, with sufficient restraints, i.e. seat belts, and no possibility of a head trauma, (except of course in the case where you impact the graound straight down at 200mph when nothing will save you) then you do not need it.

My BB crash, where I lost a front wheel and ended up inverted in a runway somewhere, I had no chance of hurting my head, left right, backwards or forwards.

Don't regulate for the sake of regulation

[Wargames]

Morph,

Good point made. Its is for this reason that I would prefer the safety belt system on trikes changed to keep your body safe and still. I'm thinking of a system for my trike. I share ideas with you at next meeting. For me, the most danger in a trike crash for the pilot is pilon support tube. to eliminate that threat, is not a helmet, but a safety belt!! The GT450's have a nice system!

regards,

[cobra]

If you ask me microlights is not far from an extreme sport = speed + protection. Hitting an object at 40 mph has an impact force = 30g at a body weight of 70kgs with an impact force of 4 TONS If you don`t call that extreme Unfortunately we do not have the luxury of Stretching Seatbelt and Airbags

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HB ... r.html#cc1

We may argue many scenarios, doing the perfect force landing which in most cases are not possible etc, etc but there is no debate that by wearing a helmet will at least give protection to the most important part of your body, your brains, so lets use it an do the right thing get yourself a helmet and wear it! it may just safe your live.

Unfortunately legislation is normally necessary to save lives

[walla]

Microlights are not an extreme sport and that is exactly the probelm...
we have a huge amount of accidents every year here and also alot of deaths, is not wearing a helmut the cause ? or something else ? do we need to spend all this effort on making something law instead of focusing on the safety of our trike manufacturers or our training ? or our policing of this sport ? and where i fly i see guys that have not been to the airfield for 3 months go and put a helmut on and the go and buzz the club house low level over their friends and other people around , but at least they have a helmut so no problem ?
i think it is our atitude towards microlights which is the problem.
look at the skydiving community, mess up there and you will face the commitee and possible not jump again in south africa, how many of us can say that they went and spoke to someone the saw flying not safe, too low, showing off ? i like the idea of shoulder harnesses and ballistic chutes but i also like the idea of 4 stroke engines..
we need to govern ourselfs more instead of giving the caa more reason to over regulate us .

[Wargames]

Microlights are not an extreme sport and that is exactly the probelm...
we have a huge amount of accidents every year here and also alot of deaths, is not wearing a helmut the cause ? or something else ? do we need to spend all this effort on making something law instead of focusing on the safety of our trike manufacturers or our training ? or our policing of this sport ? and where i fly i see guys that have not been to the airfield for 3 months go and put a helmut on and the go and buzz the club house low level over their friends and other people around , but at least they have a helmut so no problem ?
i think it is our atitude towards microlights which is the problem.
look at the skydiving community, mess up there and you will face the commitee and possible not jump again in south africa, how many of us can say that they went and spoke to someone the saw flying not safe, too low, showing off ? i like the idea of shoulder harnesses and ballistic chutes but i also like the idea of 4 stroke engines..
we need to govern ourselfs more instead of giving the caa more reason to over regulate us .

Well said.

[GR8-DAD]

Can we please have a vote on this one? I propose 2 Q:

a. As a current trike pilot, do you wear a helmet, Y/N?
b. Do you think it should be compulsory?

Morph or someone who knows how to do this?