APCO Aviation HIKE, Manual, Page: 10 / 13

www.apcoaviation.com
10
between karabiners / maillons). Wider settings will give better weight shift, and
more feed back from the wing, and a narrow setting will restrict these.
Upper and Lower Leg-spread Adjusters
These can be adjusted in flight according to personal preference, but it is recommended to
set in a simulator before the first flight. If using the harness as a tandem pilot harness,
these should be further open than for solo flying. A wider setting will make the harness
more responsive in weight shift, and will transmit more feedback from the wing. Find your
own “sweet spot”.
14 Flying
The Hike is an easy, light, but yet very comfortable harness, offering superb in-flight
comfort, even on long flights. In the air it is also very stable and reassuring, but without
reducing weight-shift capabilities. Be sure to follow all the instructions in this manual
before the first flight, and use it accordingly. The harness is fairly upright, which improves
pilot cohesion with the wing, and reduces the chances of experiencing line twists during
extreme flight situations. Before landing, slide forward into a standing position by
straightening your legs downwards, so that you are ready to land on your feet and run if
needed.
Harness Related Preflight Checks
Always check the following points before taking off:
•
Harness webbing, sewing and materials in good condition
•
Wing (risers and speed system) connected correctly
•
Harness buckles closed correctly
•
Karabiners / Maillons closed securely
•
Harness adjusted correctly
15 Emergency Procedures
Water Landing
In case of water landing, land cross or down wind to ensure that the wing falls far away
from you, and not on top of you. If needed, use your hook-knife to escape the harness.
Tree Landing
Choose the most suitable looking tree, set up against the wind, and aim for the centre /
crown of the tree, flair as normal, secure yourself to the tree. Assess the situation, and call
for help if needed.
16 Inverting & Packing your Hike
Flight mode
Open the main zipper of the backpack, remove your wing and other equipment from the
backpack, and ensure there are no small / loose items inside that may be lost (It is best to
store small items in the zipped accessory pockets on the back of the backpack).
Now invert the backpack into itself so that the harness is on the outside, and the shoulder
and waist straps of the backpack is inside the backpack. Store any items not needed
during flight in the backpack and close the zips. It is not recommended to carry heavy
ballast in the backpack during flight. The side compression straps, which are now inside
the backpack can be clipped tightened to bring any load in the backpack closer to your