As you consider these ideas, remember that hook-in failures are not 1-in-100, or even 1-in-1000, events; they are extremely rare events. So all "solutions" proposed here are attempting to make an extremely rare event even rarer, which is a very difficult task.

At the risk of editorializing, here are the points that I felt were the most uniformly agreed-upon during our discussion:

1. Hang-glider pilots, like all pilots involved in any other form of aviation, should run a checklist prior to every launch. A hang-check is clearly the centerpiece of any such checklist.

2. The CHGPA should provide a sample checklist to its membership, in order to promote the practice of running a checklist.

   [Of course, many of our members have been using such checklists (both mental and printed) for years. The consensus of the meeting was that both the CHGPA BOD and the membership should take a more active role in promoting the use of a checklist with those pilots who do not. As more pilots participate, the checklist becomes standard procedure, and hopefully the risk of hook-in failure decreases.]

3. Wirecrew members should expect a pilot-initiated checklist to be performed prior to every launch. If this does not occur, the crew should prompt the pilot to perform a checklist.

Mark Cavanaugh
cavanaug@lagrange.nlm.nih.gov
March, 1998

Did you forget to bolt a basetube/downtube junction? Perhaps you're struggling to tension the sail and cannot because a lower wire got wrapped around the control frame somehow? Did you just climb into your harness without putting on your jacket, so now you have to struggle back out and start all over? Maybe all three of these things just happened to you?

If you find yourself forgetting things during your setup procedures, this can be a vital clue that you are not as mentally sharp as usual. Pay attention to such lapses and step away from what you are doing in order to regain your focus. If you then find that things still aren't clicking the way they should, perhaps you shouldn't be flying today, eh?

Be cognizant of your mental state!

The One-Track Mind

Some pilots can be so intent on flying that they seem to forget the fact that years of flying and miles of thermal gains still lie in their future. You know the type: absolutely GOTTA fly, so focussed on conditions/other pilots/whatever that they don't even pay any attention to their wirecrew.

Being focussed is great, but if overdone it might result in important procedures being skipped (ie, the hang-check), and then this mind-set becomes a risk factor.

So try adopting a more laid-back attitude. If you don't get to fly today, well, so what? Fly tomorrow! The sun and the thermals aren't going anywhere...

Distractions, Distractions

We all have preferred methods of pre-flighting, approaching launch, running a checklist, and then taking to the air. With time, these methods become second-nature, and require almost no conscious thought.

But suppose something breaks your customary routine: a batten might be discovered to be loose after you've hooked-in; or your radio doesn't work and you have to climb out of your harness to fix it; or you back off of launch because conditions are rowdy, unhook, then forget to hook-in as you rush back to launch during a mellow cycle. The list of potential distractions is as varied as the conditions we fly in and the gear that we carry.

Many pilots agree that the most frequent cause of hook-in failures are distractions like these. So when they occur, try to BE AWARE THAT YOU HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED! Take a moment to acknowledge "hey, I'm breaking my routine and I don't like this! I've got to be doubly careful not to screw something up now...".

Deliberately cultivate those niggling feelings of unease that arise when your routine has been compromised; they give you an additional edge.

• Pilots should always run a launch checklist at, or immediately adjacent to, the launch area, preferably under the observation of a wirecrew.

  The core item of all checklists is, of course, the hang-check. Different pilots will probably have different items on their lists, and their own preferred order. But the important thing is having such a checklist and performing it prior to every launch. If the practice of running a checklist becomes ingrained, then hook-in failure risk will be reduced.

• All members of a wirecrew should expect to hear a pilot-initiated launch checklist. Silence as a pilot stands at launch should translate into a feeling that something is wrong. Your action at that point is to remind the pilot that a checklist must be run.

  Some pilots have mentioned reluctance to prompt a "sky-god" to run a checklist, especially if they are relatively inexperienced. Please don't let the difference in your experience levels be the cause of a skipped checklist, it benefits both of you! If a pilot gets irritated about your assistance, well hey, explain that a checklist is the protocol around here, that's just the way it is.

• Consider adopting the practice of hooking your harness to your glider during set-up, and then climbing into your harness before moving to the launch area.

  Provided that your harness design and the conditions of your launch site permit, this practice can go a long way toward reducing the risk of hook-in failure.

  [Ed. note: Hooking my harness to my glider has completely changed the way that I view preparing for flight: I don't "hook-in" at all, I "climb into my glider". Climbing into a harness that's unattached to a glider feels really weird to me now.]

• Special attention should be placed on emphasizing the use of a checklist with new Hang-IIs. The practice will eventually become universal if new pilots are introduced to it prior to their first high flight. Instructors and Observers take note!

• Avoid "trickle-up" wirecrews!

  If you will need a wirecrew in order to launch, try to assemble all members of your crew before moving to the launch area. With everyone in one place at one time, it becomes less likely that a member of the crew will simply assume that a hang-check was performed before his or her arrival.

• In addition to a hang-check, consider adding a hookin-check to your launch protocol, perhaps just before your launch.

  A hookin-check is simply another confirmation that you are indeed attached to your glider. It can be performed by lifting the glider slightly until you feel a tug on your harness mains, by squatting down until you feel a tug, or by looking over your shoulder and visually confirming that your carabiner is attached to the hang strap.

• Since nearly all launches require the involvement of at least one other person as wire crew, a member of your wire crew could be considered the "Launch Director" of your flight. This person would have the responsibility of performing a final verification that you really are hooked-in, either visually or by asking you one more time. At sites like High Rock and The Pulpit, where 3-person crews are the norm, the person on the nose would probably be a good choice for "Launch Director"; the final verification could occur after the pilot clears him or her from the glider's nose.

• As a member of a wire crew, never assume that a checklist has been run without having seen it yourself. If you're replacing someone on a wire, or running up to help because a wing is getting gusted, ask the pilot if s/he has run a checklist.

• Create a cover for your vario with a "Hook-In!" reminder printed on it. Remove this cover only after you have run your checklist.

• Never say the words "hooked in" without visual confirmation that you really are. Do not undermine the power of this phrase by rote statement.

• One pilot described his decision to fly on any given day as the point at which he enters "get serious" mode. And that by the time he's in his harness and hooked to the glider, he's in "really serious" mode. No more joking around with friends, no distractions allowed, it's time to fly and flying is a serious business. By the time he launches, he has confirmed that he is hooked-in about four different ways.

  Overkill? Some might think so. But I think an attitude like this tips the odds against the possibility of hook-in failure significantly.

In all likelihood, maybe ten years from now, after the recent incident has faded from everyone's memory and procedures like running launch checklists are so familiar they've become a part of the background, someone will become distracted and fail to hook-in once again.

You may be able to avoid being that someone by adopting several of the techniques described here, by flying with watchful friends, and by paying attention to your mental state as you prepare to fly.

Educational Resources for Hang Gliding