Paragliders let people fly freely in the air and enjoy the feeling of flying, but in recent years, landing accidents have occurred frequently, which has caused people to pay attention to its safety.
Last week, the person in charge of the farm in Sha Kok Mei, Sai Kung shared a video on the Internet, complaining that many paragliders have landed near his farm recently, damaging the farm facilities and crops. He is worried about the danger to the personal safety and property of nearby villagers. The Civil Aviation Department expressed its views.
It is known that the paragliders mainly wanted to land on a lawn to the east of the farm. They entered the farm by mistake because of technical problems, and there were many dangerous scenes of rushing and landing.
The Civil Aviation Department replied that it had requested the relevant police districts to step up patrols in relation to the farm incident, and urged relevant organisations to remind paraglider flight activists to abide by Hong Kong laws and safety guidelines.
Mr. Zhu, the head of the farm, said in an interview that paragliders had circled and landed near the farm a few years ago.
And there is a lawn dozens of meters east of the farm (near Shajiaowei Village). Someone planted a flag on the lawn before, which was suspected to be used to identify the landing point.
He believed that some paragliders stumbled into their farms due to their lack of skill. Because the paragliders landed with momentum, they would damage the farm facilities and crops. The farm staff complained to the Civil Aviation Department a few years ago, and the situation was improved.
However, in the past year, paragliders have "returned to their old ways" and landed at the farm again. Zhu has shot related videos many times.
Last week, he uploaded a clip of the paraglider pilot's "air raid" on the farm. He pointed out that the man destroyed crops and melon sheds when he landed.
Zhu said that the farm mainly rents out checkered fields for holiday farmers to cultivate. He bluntly said that farmers spend several months cultivating crops. If they are damaged by paragliders, they will inevitably be dissatisfied. Moreover, once the melon sheds and fences and other facilities are damaged, it often costs a lot of money. $100 repair and rebuild.
Chu described that when the weather and wind are good, more than a dozen paragliders can be seen flying in the sky in Sai Kung a day. If the paraglider pilots are skilled and can control freely, it is not a problem. However, he found that some pilots are inexperienced. , worried that it would pose a danger to the safety and property of the nearby villagers, so consider reporting their opinions to the authorities.
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Micky von Wachter pointed out that paraglider pilots take off in Ngong Ping and will also land in Ngong Ping.
(Photo by Weng Yuhui)
The reporter visited Ngong Ping, Ma'an Shan for two consecutive days last Monday, and found that there are many paragliders in Ngong Ping with paragliders and other safety equipment, ready to take off in Ngong Ping.
Among them, Micky von Wachter, who has 30 years of experience in paragliding, said in an interview that the average player takes off in Ngong Ping and will also land in Ngong Ping.
He admitted that he had not seen the clip of the paraglider pilot landing on the farm by mistake, so he could not comment.
However, Micky explained that if the pilot is affected by the weather and wind, or even encounters an accident, he can also choose to make an emergency landing in other places, but if he causes property damage to nearby people during the landing, the pilot should be held responsible.
During the inspection of the lawn of Sha Kok Mei Village in Sai Kung mentioned by Mr. Chu, the reporter saw a paraglider hovering over the lawn and slowly landing on the lawn. However, he checked the information on the website of the "Hong Kong Paraglider Association" and found the relevant information. The Ma On Shan site guide clearly states that the area around Sha Kok Mei is not within the paragliding area designated by the Civil Aviation Department, and requires paraglider pilots not to land outside the paragliding area.
Zhao Haonan, safety director of the Hong Kong Paragliding Association, pointed out in an interview that if a paraglider pilot takes off in Ngong Ping, Ma On Shan, he must land at Ngong Ping according to regulations, and the farm and the lawn to the east are not part of the permitted flight area delineated by the Civil Aviation Department. It should not be possible to land here.
However, Zhao added that sometimes due to the worsening weather, weaker air flow, or too many hikers, the landing spots will be reduced and the landing on the spot will be hindered. It is not ruled out that some pilots chose to make an emergency landing here in order to avoid the crowd.
However, he also heard that paraglider pilots landed in Sai Kung because they lived in Sai Kung or had a car to return home from Sai Kung. Zhao described this behavior as selfish.
Zhao Haonan mentioned that pilots flying in Ma'anshan Ang Ping need to have a third-level qualification, and flying under the guidance of an instructor must also reach the second-level qualification.
Zhao said the paraglider flies at about 35 kilometers per hour in the sky and slows down to 20 kilometers per hour when it lands.
He continued that a pilot with a third-level qualification has the ability to land accurately within a radius of 25 meters without deviating too much.
And he agrees that pilots should be held responsible if they damage other people's property during landing.
Zhao Haonan reminded the public that if they want to learn paragliding, they should find a qualified instructor.
In addition, he suggested that the public can browse the flight information and venue guide on the website of the Hong Kong Paraglider Association, and go to the website of the Civil Aviation Department to learn about the "Safety Guidelines for Paragliding Activities". Aviation (Hong Kong) Order".
Civil Aviation Department to follow up the incident: Relevant police districts have been requested to step up patrols
In response to the "Hong Kong 01" enquiry, the Civil Aviation Department pointed out that regarding the incident at the Sai Kung farm, the Civil Aviation Department has asked the relevant police districts to step up patrols, and has once again urged the Hong Kong Paraglider Association and the Hong Kong Paraglider Federation to remind paraglider flight activists to abide by the rules of Hong Kong. Relevant legislation and safety guidelines.
The CAD will take appropriate follow-up actions based on the information obtained.
During the same period, no one was prosecuted for operating a paraglider contrary to section 48 of the Air Navigation (Hong Kong) Order 1995 (Chapter 448C of the Laws of Hong Kong).
According to records, in the past two years (i.e. 2020 to 2021), the CAD has received 8 incidents and has followed up.
Dripping down the road, crashing into a mountain, and falling into the sea, paraglider accidents frequently occur. The Complaints Department has investigated the regulation of the Civil Aviation Department. The paraglider fell into the sea and the fireboat arrived at the scene for search and rescue. The paraglider "air attack" the farm in Saigon.