MANAGEMENT PLAN WARRIEWOOD HANG-GLIDING NORTHERN BEACHES HANG-GLIDING CLUB 18 th NOVEMBER 2015. Page 1 of 11
WARRIEWOOD HANG-GLIDING PROFILE Level of Risk Matrix 1 = Extreme risk: Immediate action required. Catastrophic Kill or permanent injury Major Long term illness or serious injury Moderate Medical attention required Minor First Aid required Very Likely (VL) Likely (L) Unlikely (U) Very Unlikely (VU) 1 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 2 3 4 5 3 4 5 6 2 and 3 = High Risk: Action required. 4 and 5 = Moderate risk: Some action required. 6 = Low Risk: Action may not be required. Page 2 of 11
Risk Profile OF Atmospheric Hazards *Light wind on launching. public and/or pilot *If the wind is below 12 knots and the Hang Glider Pilot is unable soar he can easily reach the south end of the beach. However if crowding is a problem it may be hard avoid a collision with members of the public on the beach MAJOR [U] HIGH. The grass Launch at Turimetta fly Warriewood is Rated for Advanced Pilots only and they are assess beach crowding and declare no flying if there is any risk of a collision with the Public on the beach. Page 3 of 11
OF *Squalls or Srms Ground loop on landing injury Public or Pilot. * Unexpected wind changes. A planned upwind landing on the beach may result in a downwind landing, increasing the ground-speed and shifting the landing spot. Both may be dangerous if there is a person or obstacle in the way. MAJOR [U] HIGH. An HGFA certified Pilot will have been trained on assessing local weather Real time update of wind and weather info on all Smartphones. Squalls can be dangerous but can be recognized and action taken before they become effective. *Light soarable winds and Glider numbers flying simultane ously. pilots. public. Mid-air collisions caused by crowding of hang gliders in the air. Pilots are trained be watchful in the air. Senior pilot or SO on site decides on the maximum number of gliders simultaneously flying. Senior Pilots in the air land implement this strategy. Page 4 of 11
OF *Meteorol ogical changes. Pilot injury. Damag e equipm ent. public. Weather changes affect winds in strength, variability and direction. Pilot training in local weather developments. Pilots inform themselves of weather forecasts. All Flying is only under taken in conjunction with strict weather observations.at all times. Tidal Hazards and Meandering People on beach *High / Low tides and people on beach *High tides main concern. High tides take away a small percentage of space on beach land on. MOD. [U] MOD. Beach crowding and high tides affecting landing spaces are both facrs for all pilots assess before launching and monir while flying prior setting up for landing. Page 5 of 11
OF *Meander ing people on beach. Public. Pilot Equipm ent damag e. Public walk anywhere on the beach, gliders may collide with people. Pilots are trained be observant before setting up a landing space avoid any conflict being near people. Lack of Pilot Skills Hazard *Restric ted Pilots. Lack of experien ce. Could cause injury public or self. Restricted hang glider pilots not rated fly Warriewood. Safety officers and senior pilots see this restriction is obeyed. Page 6 of 11
OF Equipment - Hazards *Poor maintenan ce. *Parked Gliders. Serious pilot injury. Public injury. Structural failure of the hang-glider in the air. Parked glider ground looping. Follow maintenance schedule (section 9.4 of Operations Manual). Carry out pre-flight check. Do not leave gliders unattended. Page 7 of 11
OF External Hazards *Rogue or visiting pilots. public. pilot Equip ment damag e. Damag e infrastruc ture. Unlicensed pilots or out-of- wn pilots without a proper briefing are unfamiliar with the site and procedures. Pilots / Safety officers watch out for pilots they do not recognize and ask for HGFA membership and pilot ratings. If in order, give briefing on site procedures. Erect plaque or signs with information about procedures and contact information. *Dogs distracting pilots. *Pilot and public injury. *Equipm ent damage. *Dog injury. Some dogs get excited and give chase a hang glider coming in land. Pilot asks dog owner restrain the dog. Non flying pilot chases roaming dog away. Signs direct owners control dogs or be on a leash. Page 8 of 11
OF Structural Hazards. *Physical obstacles. Power Lines near entranc e road Beach. Dune fences. Colliding with or clipping power lines. Coming in contact with any fencing on landing approaches. Deep south end of Warriewood beach rarely used for landing approaches otherwise hang gliders are well clear above. North end of beach mainly used for landing well clear of fencing. Tall Pines rear of beach. *Collision with tall pines. Pilots limit overcrowding which reduces maneuverability. Page 9 of 11
Other Safety Considerations Like other aircraft in the Australian airspace, hang-gliding is controlled by the Civil Air Safety Authority (CASA). It has delegated its powers the Hang-Gliding Federation of Australia (HGFA). Every legitimate hang-gliding pilot must be a member of the HGFA that tests, licenses and carries 3 rd Party liability insurance for any injuries the Public or damage property. In keeping with the Operations Manual issued by the Hang-Gliding Federation of Australia, the Northern Beaches Hang Gliding Club has appointed Safety Officers the site at Warriewood, who have a supervisory function. Examples of their duties are the training of and advice pilots, restricting the number of hang-gliders in the air, if necessary, and liaising with other users of the location. The flying at Warriewood is on a small scale therefore the pilots know or introduce each other. At Stanwell Park, which has an international reputation as a hang-gliding site that attracts large numbers of pilots from all over the continent and the world, communication problems are more likely occur there. Page 10 of 11
TURIMETTA HANG GLIDER LAUNCH SITE FOR FLYING WARRIEWOOD. This launch site rated for Advanced Hang Glider Pilots, Care be taken if light wind conditions prevail [ under 12 Knots] as failure soar Results in a glide Warriewood beach and Pilots are assess beach crowding before launching. Giving way any pedestrians on the walking path is carried out before moving Glider over low fence the front of hill launch. Safety Officers and senior Plots present will give assistance as required. Page 11 of 11