Parachuting after a mid-air collision
Most glider pilots wear a parachute. A recent collision between two gliders resulted in one pilot successfully using a parachute and another landing safely with a damaged tail-plane. There are a number of points that all glider pilots may want to consider.
1. The decision to get out
 If the glider is uncontrollable, it is likely the decision will have been made for you!  If the glider has been hit in the tail, you may decide to get out even if the glider remains
controllable in the immediate aftermath of the collision; the aerodynamic loads may cause a damaged tail to detach  Wing main spars are very strong; if your wing is damaged and the glider remains controllable you may decide to stay with the glider and land 2. Getting out
 Not easy from a stationary glider on the ground. It will be much more difficult if the broken glider is generating increased G.
 Do you know how to get out in this particular glider? Where is the canopy jettison control? Which way does it move? Should you operate the normal canopy release at the same time as the emergency release, or in a particular sequence?
 Are you mentally prepared for taking the correct actions after a collision, on every flight?  Have you ever practised getting out in an emergency, on the ground? If not, please practice.
You need helpers to look after the canopy, and a mattress alongside the cockpit. How long did it take? Have one of your helpers time you with a stopwatch. Practice again, and do it faster. Note that in a real situation, you may need to push the canopy clear.  Why might practice save your life? Statistics demonstrate that a similar number of pilots are killed in glider mid-air collisions as survive through use of a parachute. Preparation is likely to increase your chance of survival. 3. Parachuting
 Guidance for glider pilots has been published online, for example at http://www.dgflugzeugbau.de/fallschirm-vorbereitet-e.html
BGA Safety Committee
May 2014