trees release me
A glider pilot was stuck in trees 100ft in the air after crashing in freezing temperatures
Rescuers tied the aircraft's 18ft wings to branches to prevent it from falling, before winching the man in his 50s into a chopper
A freezing pilot spent more than four hours dangling face-down 100ft in tree tops when he crashed his glider.
The flyer was left shivering in his cockpit while emergency services performed a delicate rescue operation.
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He was eventually lifted out and lowered down through canopy branches into the arms of his anxious wife.
One onlooker quipped: "By the end of the day he could have done with a different kind of thermals.
"It was Arctic conditions and he couldn't even rub his hands for fear of dislodging the plane."
The pilot in his 50s took off from Southdown Gliding Club in Pulborough, West Sussex, on Friday lunch time as the coldest night of the year loomed.
He came to grief seven miles away in Chanctonbury Ring in the £100,000 HPH 304 MS Shark when its 18ft wingspan hit tree tops.
Police, a Coastguard helicopter, an ambulance crew and firemen joined the rescue.
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The witness explained: "The glider was stopped from falling by its tail, it was very precarious and had to be secured.
"The helicopter lowered a cable through the branches to a winch man on the ground, who was lifted up to the cockpit.
"A harness was placed on the pilot and he was slowly lowered. His wife appeared extremely relieved as they gave each other a big hug.
"It all looked a bit Cirque du Soleil but it was all extremely professional."
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First-time hang-glider clings on for dear life after his pilot forgets to attach him to the craft
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