Deep/Parachutal Stall; Cravates - Nova MENTOR 3 Manual

The available brake travel before stalling the wing depends on the size. It is
approximately 60cm for the MENTOR 3 19, 63cm for the MENTOR 3 21,
66cm for the MENTOR 3 23, 70cm for the MENTOR 3 25, and 73cm for the
MENTOR 3 27. Those numbers are just a rough indication. (The publication of
the brake travel is claimed by the EN 926.)
It would be dangerous to use the brake travel according to those numbers,
because it is not practicable to measure the brake travel during flight, and in
turbulences the stall might occur with less brake travel. If you want to use the
whole brake travel of your glider safely, it is necessary do many intended spins
and full stalls to get a feeling for the stall behaviour.

Deep/Parachutal stall

The Deep Stall, or Parachutal Stall is kind of the pre stage to a Full Stall. The
wing has no forward motion and a high sink speed, but it is almost fully
inflated. The pilot can enter the Deep Stall by applying both brakes. It is very
difficult to keep the wing in a Deep Stall: If you pull the brakes a little too
much, the glider will enter a Full Stall. If you release the brakes too much, the
glider will go back to normal flight. To practice a Deep Stall, it is necessary to
master the Full Stall first.
A very old or worn out glider with a porous cloth or with a changed trim (due to
many winch launches, or deep spirals) might stay in a deep stall even after
releasing both brakes. Do not apply the brakes in such a situation, because the
wing would then enter a full stall ! You can exit the deep stall by pushing the
speed bar, or by simply pushing the A-risers forward. If you fly through rain,
the risk of a deep stall is higher. We strongly advice against flying in rainy
conditions. If it happens, that you get into rainfall, we recommend not
performing a B-stall or Big Ears. Our recommendation is to leave the rain as
soon as possible and to fly with both brakes released, or even accelerated, as
this reduces the risk of a deep stall. (The available brake travel before entering
a deep stall may be reduced significantly.)

Cravates

After a big collapse or after a badly executed Full Stall, a part of the wing
might be tangled up in the lines, and won't reopen automatically. This is what
you call a cravate. During our extensive test flights with the MENTOR 3 we
never experienced a cravate but this situation can not be eliminated with any
paraglider.
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