MAC PARA ARAVIS 17, User Manual

Page: 23 / 36

23
LOOKING AFTER YOUR PARAGLIDER
Looking after your canopy correctly will prolong the life of your paraglider.
Packing the paraglider
To prolong the life of your wing and to keep the reinforcements in the best possible
condition it is very important to pack the wing carefully. It is therefore recommended to use
the Certina bag packing method exactly as shown so that all of the cells rest alongside
each other and the Nitinol rod reinforcements are not unnecessarily bent.
The leading edge reinforcements on the front edge are placed on top of each other to
avoid bending or misshaping them. This method of packing ensures that the leading edge
is treated carefully, which will increase the glider’s life, performance and launch behaviour.
If the reinforcements have been bent or misshapen, they distort more easily during flight,
creating an altered air inflow which can lead to a loss in performance and changes in flight
behaviour. The leading edge reinforcements also perform an important function on launch.
Therefore, the less they have been bent, the more easily the glider will inflate and launch.
1. Place the Certina bag underneath the glider which should be folded together. Lay the
mushroomed wing on the Certina bag. It is best to start from the mushroomed position
as this reduces the dragging of the leading edge across the ground.
2. Start from the centre to stack the profiles of each side of the wing on top of each other.
Proceed like this until the wing tip. All the ribs on one side are placed one on top of
one another, so that the leading edges are not bent. Then continue as in the second
step, placing the leading edges of the other side on top of the next until you reach the
tip of the glider.
3. The glider is now folded up “accordion wise” along its length, and the leading edges
are on top of each other without having being bent. Close the pocket of Certina bag
and fasten the straps near the leading edges, so that they do not slip, and the straps in
the middle and at the end of the glider.
4. Close the zip, making sure that none of the lines or fabric is caught in the zip.
5. Fold up the glider along its
length, with the first fold
below the leading edge
reinforcements. Pay parti-
cular care not to bend any of
the rigid reinforcements!
6. Fold the glider again around
second inflatable cylinder.
Then fasten the compression
strap around the glider and
fasten it by pulling gently.
Make sure that the glider is
only loosely folded and is not
bent
or compressed
excessively.