Niviuk IKUMA P, User Manual

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any type of incident.
4.3 USING THE ACCELERATOR
The IKUMA P profile was designed for stable flight throughout its entire
speed range. It is useful to accelerate when flying in strong winds or in
extreme sink. When accelerating the wing, the profile becomes more
sensitive to turbulence and closer to a possible frontal collapse. If a loss
in internal wing pressure is felt, tension on the accelerator should be
reduced to a minimum and a slight pull on the brake lines is recommended
to increase the wing’s incidence angle. Remember to re-establish the air
speed after correcting the incidence.
It is NOT recommended to accelerate near obstacles or in very turbulent
conditions. If necessary, constantly adjust the movements and pressure
on the speed-bar whilst doing the same to the brake lines. This balance is
considered to be ‘active piloting’.
The IKUMA P risers have been designed without any adjustable,
removable or variable device to prevent and incorrect use of the speed
system.
4.4 FLYING WITHOUT BRAKE LINES
If, for any reason at all, the IKUMA P’s brake lines become disabled in
flight, piloting the wing with the ‘C’ risers and weight shifting will become
necessary. The C-lines can be used to steer the glider easily because
they are not under much tension, however you will need to be careful and
not handle them too heavily to cause a stall or negative turn. The wing
must be flown at full speed during the landing approach, and the C-risers
will have to be pulled symmetrically all the way down shortly before
contact with the ground. This braking method is not as effective as using
the brake lines, and hence the wing will land with a higher ground speed.
4.5 LINE KNOT(S) IN FLIGHT
The best way to avoid knots and tangles is to thoroughly inspect the lines
as part of a systematic pre-flight check. If a knot is spotted during the
running phase, immediately abort the launching sequence and stop.
If inadvertently taking off with a knotted line, the glider drift will need to
be compensated by weight-shifting to the opposite side of the wing and
applying a slight brake pull to that side. Gently pull the brake line to see
if the knot can be undone or try to locate the problem line. Try pulling it
to see if the knot can be undone. Beware of trying to clear a knotted line
or untangle a line in flight. Do not pull too hard on the brake handles for
there will be an increased risk of stalling the wing or enter a negative turn.
Before trying to remove a knot, make sure there are no pilots flying
nearby, and never try these attempts close to obstacles. If the knot is
too tight and cannot be undone, carefully and safely fly to the nearest
landing zone.
5. LOSING ALTITUDE
Knowledge of different descent techniques could become vital in certain
situations. The most adequate descent method will depend on the
particular situation.
It is well advised to learn the particularities of these manoeuvres under
the supervision of a knowledgeable certified instructor.
5.1 EARS
Big ears is a moderate descent technique, able to increase the sink rate
to –3 or –4 m/s, and reduce the ground speed down to 3 to 5 km/h.
Effective piloting then becomes limited. The angle of attack and load will
also increase due to the smaller surface area of the wing. Pushing on the