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DUAL 2 manual EN version 7 February 2020
Thermalling
To attain the best climb rate your wing should be thermalled using a mild turn, as described above, keeping 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 make the turn more efficient and reduce the amount of brake required.
Care must be taken not to apply so much brake as to stall. This is 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 (100m).
Rapid descent procedures
Big Ears
The wing tips of your paraglider can be folded in (big ears) to increase its sink rate. The big ear facility does not mean
you should fly in stronger winds, but it allows you to descend quickly without substantially reducing the forward
speed of the canopy. B-line stalls also allow for fast descent, but they result in greatly reduced forward speed.
To engage big ears, lean forward in the harness and grasp the outer A-lines, or the maillons of the ‘Baby-A’ risers
if your paraglider is equipped with these (check the Risers diagram in the Technical Data pages of this manual),
keeping hold of both brake handles if possible. Pull the outer A-lines or Baby-A risers 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
pulling these could cause the leading edge to collapse. Steering by weight-shifting with big ears in is possible. If the
big ears do not come out quickly on their own, a pump on the brakes will speed things up.
Before using the big ears facility in earnest it is essential to practise beforehand with plenty of ground clearance in
case a leading edge collapse occurs. 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, take
5. Flight Characteristics
