Big ears
B-line stall
Spiral dive
B. LOSING ALTITUDE
Most pilots will, at some time, want to lose height. This may be because of a
change in the weather, you are at cloud base and don’t want to go any
higher, or simply because you want to finish your flight quickly.
Ideally, the best way to lose height is to find an area of sink and stay in it.
This way you can fly normally to the ground. However, if there is no sink, or if
you are in strong lift and want to go down, a rapid descent method may be
needed.
There are three main rapid descent methods:
Each of these descent methods places extra, different stresses on gliders
and should be avoided if you want to extend the life of the glider.
It is important these maneuvers are initially practiced under qualified
supervision and preferably during a safety training course.
Big ears
This is the easiest and safest technique for descent while maintaining
forward speed. Depending on how much of the wingtip you deflate, 3m/s to
6m/s sink rate can be achieved. While in big ears your forward speed can be
increased by using the speed system.
The Venus SC can be steered with big ears in by weight-shift alone.
Initiation
:
Reach up as high as possible andtake hold of the outer A-line on
each side of the glider. Pull one in first, maintain direction, and then pull in
the second. Hold them in firmly. Make sure the lines are pulled down
equally on each side and your big ears are even.
Recovery
:
Under normal circumstances the ears will stay in until you
pressurize the glider by slightly pumping the brakes.
This is an effective way of making a rapid descent but doesn’t allow any
forward speed.
Initiation:
Take hold of the B-risers just below the maillons and smoothly
pull them down, twisting your hands until the canopy shows a span-wise
crease at the B-line attachment points. It is difficult to pull at first but
becomes easier as the aerofoil creases. Your sink rate will increase while
your forward speed will reduce to practically zero. Don’t release the lines
immediately - the glider should be left to settle before releasing.
greater than 55 cm
greater than 60 cm
greater than 65 cm
B-line stall
