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1.There are many different tracks with different lengths and conditions. There are some facts that must be checked before a take-off. The pilot has to know if: 2.The track is long enough. 3.The acceleration is opposite to the direction of the wind. 4.The land is flat enough for a safe take-off. 5.It is possible to stop the flight. 6.There are no holes that will lead to the allocation of the lines. 7.The slope of the hill is greater than the angle of flying. 8.The track is far enough from any natural or artificial obstacles (trees, rocks, building, etc.). Wing Unfurling 1. The pack is fastened to the pilot. 2. The canopy is unfurled at the highest point of the path, in the direction of running. The cupola lies symmetrically behind the pilot in the form of an arc. Thus the parachute fills with air through its middle. 3. The harnesses are stretched, without being twisted. The locks of the lines and the brake lines are checked. 4. The lines must be divided into their rows, starting with the brake lines. The A-lines form the last row. 5. The leading edge is completely opened. 6. The pack is fastened to the risers. 7. All connections that can unfasten must be checked, including the rescue system. 8. The helm is put on. During the first attempts the harnesses around the pilot's shoulders and flanks must be fastened as well as possible in order to lighten the straight flight. The take-off The pilot stands straight in a starting position in the middle of the trailing edge, puts the harnesses on his elbow, the brake lines are separated from the risers and checked. The pilot takes the front risers and stretches his hands upwards positioning the stretched risers behind him. The back risers are above his shoulders. Right before the start the pilot checks all elements of the apparatus and the pack. If the flight is delayed all the check is made again. The next step is levelling the glider - the pilot runs the first steps with his body moderately stooped. The cupola fills with air and lifts above the pilot raising his hands. He is upright again. Now he has to view the whole cupola in order to check the flying conditions. If there is something wrong, he makes the corrections with the help of the brake lines. In case the corrections appear unsuccessful, the take-off has to be stopped and the pilot directs the wing across the slope pulling the brake lines. If the flying conditions are suitable, the pilot accelerates the cupola to the point of elevating with the help of his stooped body. He begins with even steps and constantly increases their length. The brake lines are pulled so that the cupola does get ahead of the pilot and the takeoff does not change its direction. The elevation speed is reached when the canopy lifts the pilot from the ground. Its value must be between the minimum collapse and the speed of best flying. The last step is in the air. During the elevation the pilot's body is in an upright position. The brake lines must not be dropped! If a correction is necessary, they can be held with two hands but not earlier than the pilot is high enough. If there is a strong wind, the reverse launch is the better choice. The difference is in the start position. The pilot faces the paraglider holding the brakes. After he fixes the cupola above his head, he follows the steps of a normal take-off. There are two types of a reverse launch: with parallel and with crossed hands. Stall If the slow pulling of the brakes proceeds, the stream departs from the upper part of the wing, the glider stops, the cupola is unstable and collapses with great speed. This state is called a stall. Flying in virage The basic technique of flying in virage is very simple. In order to go in, the pilot has to pull the brake line on the corresponding side and to go out - he follows the opposite procedure. There are many other ways of performing a virage: faster or slower, with a longer or shorter radius, evenly or precipitously. There are three kinds of virage: a virage at full speed, a slightly disturbed virage and a considerably disturbed virage. In general, any attempt to go into virage rapidly, neglecting the chute behavior, leads to the danger of spinning. It happens when the stream departs from the wing side that is inner to the turn; all that leads to a sudden torsion round the vertical axis and rapid loss of height. The spin is to be ceased immediately by loosening the brake. Landing The glider is directed straight upwind. The position of the brake lines corresponds to the position of the best collapse. The height of 5m is the latest moment when the pilot must have stood in an upright position prepared to land. In this position he can soften the hit with his feet even in case of sudden and hard collapse. When the pilot is 1-2 m above the land he stops the glider carefully pulling the brake lines (forwards, along the body) until in rest. In the ideal situation this rest coincides with the first touch with the ground. The track must be freed immediately after the touchdown. |