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Turning
The Sport does not require a strong handed approach to manoeuvering. For a fast turn
smoothly apply the brake on the side to which the turn is intended. The speed with which the
brake is applied is very important. If a brake is applied fairly quickly the canopy will do a
faster banking turn, but care must be taken not to bank too severly. To attain a more
efficient turn at minimum sink, apply some brake to the accelerating wing to slow the turn
and prevent the wing from banking. The Sport flies very well like this, but care must be taken
not to over-apply the brakes as a spin could result even though the Sport has a very low spin
tendancy. The Sport will turn far more efficiently if the pilot weight-shifts into the turn in the
harness. Remember that violent brake application is dangerous and should always be avoided.
Straight Flight
The Sport will fly smoothly in a straight line without any input from the pilot. With a pilot
weight of 70 kg on the medium without the accelerater the flying speed will be
approximately 37 km/h.
Thermaling
To attain the best climb rate the Sport should be thermalled using a mild turn, as described
above, keeping the wing´s banking to a minimum. In strong thermals a tighter banking turn
can be used to stay closer to the thermal´s core. Remember that weight shifting in the
harness will aid the efficiency of the turn and reduce the amount of brake required.
Care must be taken not to apply so much brake as to stall, this is however very easy to avoid
as the brake pressure increases greatly as you approach the stall point. Only fly near the stall
point if you have enough height to recover (100 m).
Wing Tip Area Reduction (Big Eears)
The ‘baby A riser’ allows the Sport to be ‘big eared’ simply and easily. The big ear facility
does not allow you to fly in stronger winds, but is a facility which allows the pilot to descend
quickly without substantially reducing the forward speed of the canopy (as is the case with B
lining). To engage big ears the pilot will need to lean forward in the harness and grasp the Big
ears risers (one in each hand) at the maillon, keeping hold of both brake handles if possible.
Pull the riser out and down at least 30 cm so as to collapse the tips of the glider. It is very
important that the other A lines are not affected when you do this as it could cause the
leading edge to collapse. Steering is possible by weight shifting with big ears in. If the big
ears does not come out quickly on ist own a pump on the brake will speed things up.
Before using the big ears facility in earnest it is essential to practice beforehand with plenty
of ground clearance in case a leading adge collapse accurs. Always keep hold of both brakes
in order to retain control. Putting your hands through the brake handles so they remain on
your wrists is a good method of doing this.
B-Line Stall
This is a fast descent method and is a useful emergency procedure. With both hands through
the brake handles, the pilot takes hold of the top of the B risers, one in each hand, and pulls
them down by around 50 cm. This will stall the canopy and forward speed will drop tp zero.
Make sure you have plenty of ground clearance because the decent rate can be over 1 0
m/sec. To increase the descent rate pull harder on the B riser. When you release the B riser