Skywalk Paragliders, Basic Manual

Page: 18 / 31

PARAGLIDERS
PARACHUTAL STALL
Gliders with porous material (UV radiation) are especially susceptible, as are those that are
burdened frequently by winch tow launches. A parachutal stall can also occur when the
glider is flown in rain (soaks up moisture). The glider has no forward speed and a high sink
rate. If you fly in rain or in extremely humid air, you are flying outside the operating limits.
Should a flight in the rain be unavoidable, please note the following points:
> If possible, apply the brakes either not at all or very little.
> Use the speed bar.
> Do not pull big ears.
> Avoid flying tight curves, especially on final approach.
> Avoid large angles of attack, especially shortly before landing.
Normally the glider will recover from a parachutal stall by itself. If this doesn’t happen,
the pilot can end the stable parachutal stall by pushing forward on the A-risers at the level
of the line shackles or by activating the speed bar.
CAUTION
IF YOU APPLY THE BRAKES DURING A PARACHUTAL STALL, THE GLIDER
WILL IMMEDIATELY ENTER A FULL STALL. NEAR THE GROUND, A STABLE
PARACHUTAL STALL SHOULD NOT BE EXITED DUE TO THE RESULTING
OSCILLATIONS. INSTEAD, THE PILOT SHOULD SIT UP IN HIS HARNESS
AND PREPARE FOR A PARACHUTE LANDING FALL.
NEGATIVE SPIN
A paraglider enters a negative spin when one side of the wing is stalled. The canopy
rotates around the vertical axis with the center of rotation located within the wingspan.
The inside wing flies backwards.
There are two causes for the negative spin:
> One brake is pulled too far and too hard (e.g. when entering a spiral dive)
> One brake is pulled too hard when flying slowly (e.g. while thermal flying).
If an accidental negative spin is exited immediately, the glider will normally resume flight
without much altitude loss. Just release the brake line that was pulled too far until the
airflow is restored to the inside wing. After a long negative spin, the canopy may surge
forward on one side. This could result in an impulsive collapse.
WINGOVERS
Alternating left and right turns as the bank angle is gradually increased. If wingover
are flown high with a large bank angle, the outside wing tip may loose pressure and
start to feel light. In this case, don’t increase the bank angle any more as the tip could
collapse intense.
CAUTION
NEGATIVE SPINS AND WINGOVERS OVER 135° ARE FORBIDDEN ACROBATIC
MANEUVERS AND ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BE FLOWN UNDER NORMAL
CONDITIONS. THE WRONG EXIT TECHNIQUE OR PILOT OVERREACTION CAN
HAVE DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF GLIDER!
FULLSTALL
A glider enters a full stall when both brakes are pulled down too far. The glider loses for-
ward speed and eventually collapses back behind the pilot.
CAUTION
AT THIS MOMENT IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOT LET UP ON THE BRAKES,
OTHERWISE THERE IS THE DANGER THAT THE GLIDER MAY SURGE FOR-
WARD IN FRONT OF THE PILOT AND MAY EVEN FALL BELOW THE PILOT.
34 Extreme Flight Maneuvers Extreme Flight Maneuvers 35
EN