_____________________________________________________________________
28
Flying outside the
normal flight
envelope
Behaviour in extreme
situations
The UP Trango X-light² is designed to be
very aerodynamically stable. However, as
with all paragliders, extreme turbulence or
piloting error may induce unwanted
behaviour from the canopy. To ensure that
you are able to handle these situations
correctly, we strongly recommend that you
attend a safety-training (SIV) clinic, where
you can learn to master your wing outside
the normal flying envelope under
professional guidance.
Safety training manoeuvres should only
be practised in calm air with sufficient
altitude, and under the instruction of
qualified instructors. We would like to use
this occasion to once again remind you to
never fly without a reserve parachute!
The manoeuvres and possible flight
configurations described in the following
may occur following a conscious effort on
the part of the pilot, through turbulence or
through pilot input error. Any pilot flying in
turbulent air or making piloting mistakes
may end up experiencing these flight
configurations and therefore find
themselves in danger, particularly if they
are not adequately trained to master them.
WARNING! Mistakes during
the execution of the
following manoeuvres
may seriously
compromise the safety of
pilot.
Collapsing the
paraglider
Asymmetric collapse
The UP Trango X-light² belongs to the
new generation of paragliders that, as
well as having very good performance,
also exhibit a high degree of stability.
Wing tip collapses can almost always
be prevented through active flying.
Once an asymmetric collapse has
occurred the pilot should aim to
maintain heading through weight shift
and careful application of brake input
on the open side.
If the open side is braked too much it
may stall, and the wing will enter a
spin – this is the classical recipe for
cascading events (see the Spin
chapter).
In rare instances a wing tip may catch
in the lines during asymmetric
collapses especially when fully
accelerated (see Cravattes here
below).
Cravatte
The glider does not have cravate
tendency
.
But under extraordinary
circumstances any paraglider may
cravat
and if this happens, the pilot
should know how to deal with the
situation (we have found some cravat
tendency on full speed asymmetrical
collapse 75% during certification
manoeuvres).
The first step is to STOP any rotation,
or, if this is not possible, to slow down
the rotation as much as possible – a
cravatted wing that is left to its own
devices may very quickly enter into a
spiral dive of such vehemence that the
pilot cannot stop the rotation any more.
