From: Jeffrey Hillman
To: apco@apcoaviation.com through Carlos Rafael
Sent: Tuesday , Nov 18, 2006 15:52
Subject: Reserve deployment
Hi Carlos, Just to let you know that my purchase of a Mayday 18 earlier
this year turned out to be a good idea. I flew into a dusty at the De
Aar fun comp at about 70m and suffered two major assymetrics; the second
one being on the side that I had weight shifted to in order to counter
the first collapse and so the glider (Aspen2)then went into a very
strong spiral dive. I realised in a somewhat detached fashion that I did
not have the height to recover so I threw my rag. I was amazed at how
quickly I felt the reassuring "jerk" and even more so at how soon I
landed afterwards, fortunately out of my harness and in a good PLF
position. I suffered no injury in spite of landing on the side of a road
embankment and having no time to collapse the glider. Witnesses on
launch about 400m away reckon that the chute deployed sideways (because
of the g force that I was experiencing) and that as it swung above me, I
landed! Height of deployment was less than 50m so there is always a last
chance! Do I now get a low save T-Shirt!!!!
Kind regards, Jeff
Professor Jeffrey C Hillman
School of Mechanical, Industrial & Aeronautical Engineering University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
From: Matthew Key
To: apco@netvision.net.il
Sent: Tuesday , July 27, 2006 8:34 AM
Subject: mayday
Dear Sirs
Your Mayday reserve is a beautiful piece of equipment. It did everything as
advertised and saved my life this weekend - THANKS!!!!!
Matthew Key
From: Carlos Fernandez
To: apco@netvision.net.il
Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 11:59 PM
Subject: mayday
Dear Sirs
I would like to report you the use of a Mayday emergency parachute Serie 424787. It happend on
June 1st. 2004 during a flight from the top of the Pichincha mountain in Quito Ecuador. The
altitude was 3.800 m at 11h15 in the morning. An irregular wind was blowing from South
creating a rotor of which I was aware. However I never realised its strenght and after
twenty seconds in the air I started to suffer a great turbulence which provoked my wing
to go out of control. I tried to recover it but the air conditions were so bad that every
effort I made was useless. At that moment I had 30 meters of altitude above the ground and
I made use of the emergency system. It opened quite fast and I had a few seconds left to
recognise the situation and act accordingly. I landed on my back and putting aside a little
neck pain I am OK and despite I am an 11 years experienced pilot I am grateful that I always
use an emergency parachute.
Carlos Fernández
From: Justin Kyllo
To: apco@netvision.net.il
Sent: 01 October, 2000 07:56
Subject: Reserve deployment
I just wanted to thank APCO aviation for the excellent design of the mayday reserve. This summer while
flying in Golden BC Canada, I had gotten into a situation where my glider went into a spin after I
flew low over some cliffs near the top of Mt.7. There was no time to sort out the glider, so I threw
my reserve for the first time in a real life situation. I did not land in any trees but in a clearing.
I landed completley unscathed with not even a scratch. The APCO mayday saved my life! It took 3and a
half hours to hike down to get help, but I was soon with my wife and three children at our campground.
I know that they are thankful for the performance of the mayday. I could see the tears on my wifes
cheeks when she saw me after the incident( she watched it happen from a distance ).
I would reccommend an APCO reserve to anyone looking to get a new one or getting into the sport.
I bought mine from my instuctor Jim Reich of Fly BC airsports of Vancouver BC Canada. As I
am just getting into tandem instruction I will definitley try to find a tandem reserve made by APCO.
Thank you for a great product! It saved my life.
Regards, Justin Kyllo
North Vancouver BC Canada
Dear APCO,
I pulled my 9 year old Mayday 16 in anger last month over Lake Annecy France, in a spin aboard Advance Sigma4.
I've never deployed before, but it did the business perfectly.
Many Thanks,
Dan Ashworth
Mayday rescue
May 19, 2003 - sunny, cool Canadian Spring day. Nice flying conditions
We are used to receiving many reports of life-saving Mayday deployments in emergency situations,
\as there are quite a few Maydays in pilots harnesses by now.
However having Mayday 18 safely bringing down 2 pilots is a rare occurance and we felt
the need to share it with you and your readers.
Dear Anatoly,
I write you because I recently suffered an emergency in flight with my paraglider and had to
throw my emergency parachute. It's an Apco Mayday 16 I think, which I bought about 7 years ago from my
instructor and friend Jens Tannen, in Chile. Everything went fine, the chute opened and I'm ok here
writing this email (I'm glad that the chutes really work!).
About the incident, I can tell you it was a massive collapse that made the glider disappeared behind me.
I was hanging from the open side so I couldn't use my weight to compensate, and the glider started a turn,
the turn became a spin, the glider was actually spinning around me and I started sinking at a very high rate.
I had no control over it anymore so I decided to deploy the parachute.
For some seconds I felt like a puppet, being thrown in all directions at high speed. It was so
violent that I couldn't even move. At one moment I saw the parachute lines on my side and a
moment later there was a soft pull on my shoulders and the world stopped spinning...
The chute was open over my head and it took me safely down to the ground. It was windy and I fell on a
slope, so I hit the ground with the upper part of my back, and hurt my neck. Nothing serious,
I'm really happy that I'm ok and that the chute worked as it was supposed to. It was my first ride on a parachute.
I guess it would have opened faster should I had thrown it immediately as we are supposed
to do once we have decided to deploy it, but when I saw the glider open I thought that it
might recover normal flight... But no, it was worse than anything I've been through in 10
years of paragliding! I think my decission to throw the chute was right on the first place, only
I should have done it faster. A lesson for the next time, if there's ever a next time...
Before the incident, I was thinking that maybe my chute was already too old but it was very relieving to see
it fully inflated above my head when everything happened. Thanks for that!
Thanks for all and best regards,
Claudia Riquelme
From: Robert Shannon, Ireland
Date: January 5, 2005
I was in Turkey on SIV course last year and I had to emergency deploy my Mayday,
I was in a very dangerous situation and when the Mayday opened up above me it was like the hand of
god right there sent to save me, so a big thank you to all of you there and for producing such a
wonderful reserve, its a real life saver.
thanks again,
Robert.
From: GERARDO RODRIGUEZ, Argentina
Date: January 3, 2005
Harness: APCO Contour
Protections: Yes
Helmet: Yes
Parachute: Yes (APCO May Day 18)
Boots: Yes
Glasses: Yes
Gloves: Yes
INCIDENT Or ACCIDENT:
Date:12/11/2004
Hour: 13 hs
Place and time of takeoff: Merlo 12.30 hs
Place : Merlo
Province : San Luis
Wind: N 10 Km
Number of flights at this place: 20
Description of the incident/accident:
The wing loose the pressure and asymmetric collapse (I don't remember percent) (right side).
The wing accelerated and entered into a spiral dive ,the wing was vertical and the G force don't
let me move. All this in a second. With a big force I move my arm upon the handle. I throw the
Mayday in one movement. Because de spin force the opening was very fast (like an explosion), but the
Mayday deployed perfectly. I fell over a big tree . I hang over the floor about 2 or 3 meters. I get
down and I copy my GPS position with de radio. I was Ok, unharmed and the rescue teem spent about two hours
to reach my position. I was in the middle of the wall of a deep gorge. The floor was about 45°. I could
recover all my equipment and will have the Mayday repacked in no time to be ready again in case of need.
Origin of the incident: probably rotor produced because the NE wind. (wind of the other side of the mountain)
I now appreciate the necessity of good Mayday rescue chute more than ever before and would
recommend for everyone to never fly without a Mayday.
From: Lev Manouvakhov
To: Apco Aviation
Sent: Sunday, October 09, 2005 6:51 AM
Subject: Mayday Save
Hi Anatoly.
Everything is fine.
But I've forgotten to thank you for the excellent design of the APCO's reserve - the MayDay .
The 12 years old MayDay-16 saved my friend's life ( he has 4 kids...).
The accident happened in Pemberton ( BC , Canada) on August 18, 2005:
Height - 2800 m (400 m over the peak).
Hook up weight - 100 kG.
After 2-3 collapses the wing (size 28, produced in 2002 ) twisted twice around the lines ( 720 deg )
and the glider went into very wild spiral dive.
Having descent 14 m/sec (vario showed later) the pilot did throw his reserve and landed on the very
steep and very rocky side of the mountain.
The result is the following: the pilot had minor injuries, but he is alive!!!
Thank you again.
With best wishes, Leon
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