Niviuk KOYOT 3 P, User Manual

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To become familiar with the manoeuvres described below, we
recommend practising within the environment of a competent training
outfit.
5.1 EARS
Big ears is a moderate descent technique, able to increase the sink rate
to –3 or –4 m/s and reduces the ground speed by 3 to 5 km/h. The angle
of attack and effective wing-loading will also increase due to the smaller
surface area of the wing.
Standard technique
To perform the ‘Big ears’ manoeuvre, take the outermost line on each
A-riser (the 3A3 line) and simultaneously, smoothly pull them outward and
downward. The wingtips will fold in.
To re-establish forward speed and the correct angle of attack, the pilot
must accelerate once the ears are pulled.
Keep the ears pulled in until you have lost the desired altitude.
Let go of the lines to re-inflate the tips automatically. If they do not, try
progressively pulling one brake then the other. We recommend inflating
the wing tips asymmetrically, without major change to the angle of
attack, especially when flying near the ground or flying in turbulence.
Beware of the risk of stalling!
The action of reaching for the outermost A-lines (3A3 lines) to make ears,
can inadvertently mean pulling the brakes. The same can happen when
we are holding the tips down with the outermost A-lines (3A3 lines), it is
possible to accidentally affect the brakes. This can obviously lead to a
significant speed decrease.
In paragliders with a very pronounced arc, pulling big ears means an
increase in drag. On a very arched wing, the ears do not fold, they just
hang. The increase of drag is more pronounced than on wings with a less
pronounced arc.
The KOYOT 3 P is designed with little chord, which is good in normal
flight conditions. However, this same damping is what can cause us to
have problems to regain normal flying speed after a high increase of the
angle of attack and the added drag of the ears.
These particularities, together with turbulent thermic conditions, could
cause an unintentional stall.
The solution: big ears may still be applied but you must be fully aware
of the above-mentioned points and act accordingly. To avoid the stall,
simply use half speed-bar (this is sufficient) to increase the speed and
decrease the angle of incidence. This should allow you to maintain
sufficient speed to prevent the stall. Take care not to pull the brakes while
making the ears as this will make a stall more likely!
5.2 B-LINE STALL
During this manoeuvre, the wing ceases to fly, it has no horizontal speed
and the pilot has no control over the paraglider.
The airflow over the profile is interrupted and the wing enters a situation
similar to a parachutal stall.
To enter this manoeuvre, the B-risers are gripped below the maillons and
symmetrically pulled down together (approx. 20-30 cm) and maintained
in that position.
Initiating the manoeuvre is physically demanding because it can take
some strength to pull the risers down until the wing is deformed. After
this, the physical effort is less. Continue to hold the risers in position.
Once the wing is deformed, its horizontal speed will drop to 0 km/h;