>>Foam is not going to protect you in any way when you impact the earth due to personal incompetence.
The BGA article I read from S&G was by a British spinal doctor (nothing to do with NASA) and the research was on drop tests of a K13 glider fuse using a G meter or something to measure spinal loads. He/they concluded that if a visco elastic cushion was not used, a drop similar to that from a PIO bad landing could cause spinal damage while if the cushion was used, the damage was less or none. >>Though you may be a certified pilot best you not continue unless you learn to fly. You'll no doubt be relieved to know that the above article included instructors in training gliders. No doubt one would not be worried about the students. I know of several competent pilots who have had back injuries from various events such as undercarriage collapses and hitting hidden ruts in a field landing. I have a confor seat pad for insurance just as I carry a parachute. I also have some between my parachute harness and sheepskin lining but that's purely for comfort. There's enough evidence around that the stuff works and even if it does not, it works better than the simple foam used on most seat cushions. Why not us it? D _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list [email protected] http://lists.base64.com.au/listinfo/aus-soaring
