Puma 13.5
Owner’s Manual
TROUBLE SHOOTING
The tension strop gets caught
When rigging the glider and spreading the wings the tension strop should appear through the keel-pocket. If it
does not, stop and check to see where it is caught rather than force it. Check for any damage to the tension
strop before flying.
The tension strop is difficult to pull on
1. The tension strop might be twisted around the cross tube centre junction. When freed, inspect the strop for
damage and replace if necessary. Try and keep the strop twist free.
2. The side wire is caught:
a) The side wire is caught behind a batten end or wrapped around the control frame: Release the wire, check
for damage and replace if necessary.
b) The side wire is twisted at the junction with the leading edge. (The wire kinked over the tang): Release the
wire, check for damage and replace if necessary check the side wire nut and bolt. (The kinking of this wire is
more likely if the tang is very loose. The tang should offer some resistance to movement with light thumb
pressure).
The VB is difficult to pull on or fails to release
The VG may be difficult to pull if mud or stones get into the lower casting. Remove the obstruction.
Other problems are unusual but are most easily cured by following the VG cord until you find an
obstruction. If you have recently replaced the 'VG' upright check the routing of the cord.
The wings are difficult to close when de-rigging the glider
When the tension strop is released it should be pushed towards the keel pocket to feed some slack into it.
This allows the wings to move together more easily. It is possible for the tension strop to get caught. Find
the obstruction and release the tension strop and continue to move the wings inboard.
The glider has a turn
Check for crash damage then see tuning instructions.
Check that the washout rods are not twisted around their support wires. See Pre- Flight Checks.
The glider has become more difficult to turn
1.
This can be caused by an incorrect but symmetrical batten profile. (Asymmetrical battens tend to
cause turns.) The glider handling does deteriorate significantly if battens are out of profile. Check the
battens (don't forget the nose batten) against the profile more regularly.
2.
This may also be caused by an incorrect trim position. (The position of the hang loop.) The glider
might be trimmed too slow "hands off" and be flying in a semi-stalled condition. See tuning instructions.
3.
This can also be caused by 'foreign bodies' in the cross tube junction area. Remove them and check
for damage.
The glider is heavy or "strange" in pitch
The glider is heavy or handling badly despite the hang point apparently being in the correct position. The
backup hang loop might be caught in such a way that it interferes with the main loop when moving the bar
(in or out depending on the position of the backup loop relative to the main loop.) Also check the routing of
Puma 13.5 hand book-Rev-02
27
Summary of Contents for PUMA 13.5
Page 1: ...PUMA 13 5...
Page 21: ...Puma 13 5 Owner s Manual Figure 4 Checking batten tension Puma 13 5 hand book Rev 02 21...
Page 38: ...Puma 13 5 Owner s Manual Section 3 Assembly Drawings Puma 13 5 hand book Rev 02 38...
Page 39: ...Puma 13 5 Owner s Manual NOSE ASSEMBLY Figure 10 Nose assembly Puma 13 5 hand book Rev 02 39...
