On Flying Dinghies and Philippe Cousteau
May 30 - Lisbon, Portugal
"I was sorry to see that 'Lectronic
Latitude reported speculation that Philippe Cousteau was
killed in a flying dinghy," writes Eric Artman of Tiburon.
"Actually, he was killed attempting to land a PBY-6A Catalina
flying boat in the vicinity of Lisbon, Portugal, in 1979. A gyrocopter
crash also caused a Cousteau family injury, but neither of these
was a flying dinghy. While amphibious flight has risks, so too
do all sports, and it's unfair to tag flying dinghies or ultralights
with this tragedy. Ultralights, including their amphibious versions,
are indeed specialized craft that require inspection and attention,
but so does a J/105 headed out the Gate. Basically, when headed
up in an ultralight of any type, you want to be as sure of your
hardware as you would be when going up the mast. In either case,
if a fitting, cable or other structural part gives way (or comes
loose) you could be killed. You also want to be sure of the weather
for your flight - but since flights are relatively short, it's
not like trying to forecast days in the future. Sailors take
risks, and the responsibility for those risks, every time they
go out on the water. I'm surprised that some readers of your
magazine would so stridently try to slam another sport that also
has some risks."
We received a tremendous amount of mail
about flying dinghies and such, and how many of them are around
in Northern and Southern California. The most common sentiment
expressed - even by someone with 20 years experience in ultralights
and paragliding - is that we not get involved, as accidents happen,
and such an accident might affect the future of Latitude.
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