Lots of uprights lost here

[colin keightley]

Here's one for gary sten

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-2hJAI8ZpQ&NR=1#

Just to add this is what happens with no training and using all levels of glider

[Sergey]

Hee hee the Russians!

Part of the clip is how training goes in a club. Note the Soviet era gliders: white single surface UT gliders with NO aspect ratio whatsoever, and a sort of Magic-4 double surface Sport-5.

Round uprights are surprizingly strong, and these gliders have them of softer alloy that bends but doesn't break easily - so you can straighten them back if you have really tried and bent one!

The UT training gliders are an early 80-s design, and are prone to spin, but they parachute quite well when stalled in straight flight. Also they handle very different compared to modern machines. I had over a 100 flights on them in the 1990-s including a few 600ft winch tows!

You can see the guys performing those self-preservation techniques that they are taught before their first hops:
- letting go of control frame a split-second before impact
- grabbing one upright with both hands to slow yourself down
shame the most spectacular third trick wasn't filmed:
- jumping both feet through control frame when you nose-in big time (I can't do it!)