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5. Holding the A’s and your brake handles
6. Leading edge open
7. Aligned directly into wind
8. Airspace and visibility clear
Launching
Your Mantra M4 will launch with either the forward or reverse tech-
niques.
Forward Launch
-
Nil to Light winds
When the wind is favourable, whilst gently holding the A risers move
forward positively, your lines should become tight within one or two
steps and the Mantra M4 will immediately start to inflate. You should
maintain a constant pressure on the risers until the wing is over-
head. Do not pull down or push the risers forward excessively, or the
leading edge will deform and possibly collapse making taking-off more
difficult and potentially dangerous.
Move smoothly throughout the entire launch, there is no need to
rush or snatch at it. You should have plenty of time to look up and
check your canopy before committing yourself. Once you are happy
that the Mantra M4 is inflated correctly, accelerate smoothly off the
launch.
Reverse Launch
-
Light to Strong Winds
Lay out your wing as you would for the forward launch. However, this
time turn to face it, passing one entire set of risers over your head
as you turn. Now you can inflate the glider with the A-risers. Once
the wing is overhead, release the risers, brake gently if necessary,
turn and launch.
In stronger winds be prepared to take a few steps towards the glider
as it inflates. This will take some of the energy out of the glider and it
will be less likely to overfly you. This reverse-launch technique can be
used in surprisingly light winds too.
IMPORTANT: Never take off with a glider that is not fully inflated or
if you are not in control of the pitch/roll of your wing.
Practice ground handling a lot! Not only is it great fun, but it will give
you a much better feel for your wing’s flight characteristics. It will
also improve your overall enjoyment of flying by giving you the feeling
of control and making your launches easier and less stressful.
In Flight Characteristics
The Mantra M4 is a high aspect ratio, xc and competition-oriented
paraglider. It is intended only for experienced pilots who have a good
feel and understanding of paragliders and active flying.
You will notice the good feeling of lift and speed of the Mantra M4; on
glides it remains solid and well pressured even through the acceler-
ated speed range as it has a very high resistance to collapses.
We have worked a lot on tuning the wing so that it turns tightly but
also efficiently, as the ability to climb in a turn is very important for
XC and competition flying.
To get the most out of your Mantra M4 we advise you to consider
the following information:
Normal Flight
Flying at ‘trim speed’ (hands-up), the Mantra M4 will achieve its
‘best glide’ speed for still air. You should fly at this speed when gliding
downwind or when the air is not excessively sinking.
For better penetration in headwinds and improved glide perform-
ance in sinking air, crosswinds or headwinds, you should fly faster
than trim speed by using the accelerator system. Using up to half
bar does not degrade the glide angle or stability significantly and
will improve your flying performance. You will reach the next thermal
faster and higher. At full speed the Mantra M4 is stable; however we
recommend that you do not fly at full speed close to the ground or in
turbulence.
By applying the brakes approximately 30cm, the Mantra M4 will
achieve its minimum-sink rate; this is the speed for best climb and is
the speed to use for thermalling and ridge soaring.
