Paragliding and Deafness

I have a fairly severe hearing loss, and recently started paragliding.

I think I have overcome most of the problems associated with early learning and deafness. For example, I found it difficult to check my canopy during forward launches while the instructor was in front of me, because of the strong instinct to keep looking at her face for lipreading purposes. Also my normal hearing aid doesn't fit under a safety helmet.

My one remaining worry is that I cannot *hear* the wind, so would not be able to judge windspeed in this way. I have read that this is an important part of advanced paragliding. To what extent is this likely to impede my progress if and when I get past these introductory sessions. If you were to block your ears next time you took to the skies, to what extent would this impact on your ability to fly?

Lyndon,

I have flown and taught since '73 on both hang and paragliders. I'm convinced that the belief that one must hear the 'wind' (airspeed) is a complete myth. Stall appreciation and avoidance is accomplished through our tactile awareness of control pressures and response and the FEELING of the 'wind' on our skin. In fact probably the only disadvantage of a hearing impairment associated with foot-launched flight is the inability to hear shouted warnings from other pilots or the sound of approaching aircraft. In the case of the former you can compensate through looking around more and maintaining greater clearance and with regard to the latter by the time you (I/we) can hear an approaching aircraft it's too late to do anything anyway. There is one other disadvantage. While you are flying you can't listen to loud music on a CD player the way I do which is how I know that you don't need to hear the 'wind'!

Actually I think you have a HUGE advantage. When you are standing on launch you will be oblivious to those comments from the psuedo instructors that shout things like 'good cycle!' or 'run hard!' or 'your canopy looks good!' all of which are distracting and can often encourage an unsure or tentative pilot to launch when it's not appropriate. I actually enjoy announcing to those around me, 'I'm turning on my CD player so please understand if I don't respond to you!' (Sometimes I say it even BEFORE I turn it on!)

I expect to soon teach a deaf student and intend to communicate through the use of some sort of tactile buzzer that will allow me to transmit my in-flight instruction by way of a simple series of one, two or three pulses. This will follow extensive ground training and ground practise sessions to ensure that I will be able to 'radio control' my hearing impaired student in the same manner as I do with my hearing students.

Lip reading has obvious limitations both in terms of distance and the ability to concentrate on a three inch square in the midst of sensory (visual) overload. It's hard enough to get a student to watch directional paddles. As well, any methodology using visual signals requires the instructor to teach from below (in front of the student) requiring either lots of unnecessary launch practice prior to first flights or an assistant to insure a safe launch.

Don't worry too much about doing your visual inspection of your canopy. It's a bit overemphasized to the detriment of solid launching techniques. First, if you do a good layout your chances are excellent that any condition that the glider is in that actually launches you is almost certainly flyable. Also your instructor need not impose the need for visual check on you in the beginning as she can simply have you stop if there is a problem. You will learn soon enough to do a visual inspection. I routinely introduce the visual check on the second or third day. Second, you CAN feel exactly where your glider is and what it is doing. Don't deny it and you will discover that it's true!

I had amazing success with a blind student. Two radios on the student and two radios in my hands to provide some backup, my student flew identically to my sighted students. That is, after one hour of discussion, he launched without any physical assistance from me, from our two hundred foot training hill and looked exactly like the 1200 or so people that made their first flights in the same way before him!

Having said all that I encourage you to listen to your instructor. I'm sure you carefully selected an outstanding and knowledgeable Master. Nothing I have said should in any way preempt guidance from your own chosen guide. I am not there and I don't know the local conditions or protocol.

Good luck in your quest!

Ken de Russy

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

Its called a 'deep stall' in Engish

Roger Savery

..and I assume that even if you don't hear anything, you can smell something at that point?

Hey, thanks to all of you who have taken the trouble to reply. It's great to get such practical advice from you all. I guess the general conclusion is that the main problem area is likely to be not hearing shouted warnings from other people, so will have to learn to be more aware of what is going on around me.

Problems such as not hearing the instructors are familiar ones that I have developed coping strategies for. Part of my coping strategy however is to try to anticipate difficulties, and find solutions before they become critical. Conversations such as:

'Flare NOW' 'Pardon?' are best avoided, don't you agree?