Ken Dawber wrote:
NZ Accident from the NZ Herald Sat Jan 15th
*"Pilot dies in glider crash*
13.01.05 10.45am
Snip > ------------------------------------
It is believed to be the sixth death in glider accidents in New Zealand since 1997. "
Ken speculates:
Interesting how NZ has recently had a higher number of glider fatalities than Australia.
Has this always been the case?
Ken Dawber
A Kiwi now living in Melbourne Australia
It would be hard to make a valid comparison Ken - figures and comparisons of this kind are always somewhat subjective.
I'd have to admit after my third trip to NZ last year, that for this flat earth pilot the overall gliding scene in NZ presents many more challenges than those we have on this side of the ditch. The paddocks are smaller and have more complications in and around them, the hills are a bit higher, and the weather is infinitely more complex and changeable. One could assume that the overall standard of flying and situation awareness would need to be perhaps a little higher than we take for granted here.
To keep this matter in perspective however, it should be observed that in the NZ Herald home page earlier in the week where I first read this report, it was also reported in an almost routine manner that three climbers had perished in the Mt. Aspiring area in the past week alone.
Perhaps gliding is safer than we think.
Regards Terry
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