A PARAGLIDER remained in hospital with a broken pelvis a day after crashing 40 metres onto a rock shelf at a notorious site south of Newcastle.
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A major, multi-agency emergency response was sparked when the 39-year-old man fell from the sky at about 3.30pm on Sunday, March 3.
He had been paragliding at the Bombala Street launch site overlooking Dudley beach.
The Newcastle Herald understands the area is well-known among local pilots for a wind phenomenon which forms there known as an 'inversion bubble'.
The 39-year-old man was paragliding off a cliff edge overlooking the coast when he landed hard on a rock shelf 40 metres below.
Onlookers rushed to the man and started first aid.
NSW Police, paramedics, Fire and Rescue NSW crews and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter were tasked to the scene.
It's understood the man shattered his pelvis in the crash and a rescue operation involving specialist police was launched to safely extricate him from the rock shelf and get him to hospital.
The man was stabilised before being flown to John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
A Hunter New England Health spokesperson confirmed on Monday afternoon the man remained in hospital 24 hours later in a stable condition.
The 'Dudley inversion bubble' has been researched extensively by Newcastle Paragliding Club vice president Ian Ladyman, who created a YouTube series documenting the phenomenon.
Mr Ladyman explained the science behind the Dudley bubble in one of the videos.
When the Dudley bubble forms, it has an edge which may be very sharp, meaning the wind could be strong above that boundary layer, but calm below it, causing pilots to lose their air speed suddenly.
Mr Ladyman said in the YouTube clip that the bubble could move, including above and below the launch site.
"The situation varies all the time, each day is changeable during the day," he said.
Mr Ladyman's YouTube series covered the unusual winds, how to recognise whether the bubble was forming, and how to forecast when it might be likely.
He said at least four paragliders had ended up in the trees near the launch due to the unusual winds.
The Herald has been told local paragliding and hang gliding pilots were well aware of the phenomenon and it was important to be prepared and closely monitor conditions at the Dudley launch.
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Police and crime reporter at the Newcastle Herald. Email: afalkenmire@austcommunitymedia.com.au
