Landing; Rapid Descent Techniques - Nova Bion 2 Manual

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Landing

Landing the BION 2 is very simple. In turbulent conditions it is advi-
TRIMMER
BEST HANDLING
close
sable to make your approach whilst pulling a little brake in order to
launch + thermalling
increase stability and to increase the feeling for the wing's movement.
BEST PERFORMANCE
Immediately before touchdown the brakes should be pulled hard –
landing + gliding
neutral
even to the point of stall. Neutral (blue markings on the trimmer), is the
ideal trimmer setting for landing.
HIGH SPEED

Rapid descent techniques

open
strong wind + cross country
To descend rapidly, we recommend using big ears or a spiral dive. Be-
low you will see an explanation of currently used descent techniques:
1) Big ears
With the BION 2, big ears are extremely effective and easy to execu-
te. To initiate big ears, symmetrically pull down the outermost A-risers
(red).
A clip on the C-riser allows the »big ear line« (the outermost A-line) to
be fixed into position over a longer period. The extent of the big ears
can easily be adjusted by pulling the A-line further. Before the clip can
be used, the neoprene cover must be pulled away from the clip.
While the risers are being pulled down, or whilst the A-line is fixed to
the clip, the wing tips will remain folded in and the sink rate will increa-
se.
STARTGEWICHT
50 60 We recommend additionally opening the trimmers to increase the sink 65 70
zierte Größe
läche
PLEASURE
rate and forward speed. This also equalises the higher angle of attack
HYBRID
caused by the increased drag of the ears.
XS
EN-C (50-98kg)
To release the big ears, simply raise the A-risers or release the line
XS
PLEASURE
19
58
EN-A (58-95kg)
from the clip and the BION 2 returns to normal flight.
S
23
If a wing tip does not inflate automatically, then a short pump of the
N-A (75-110kg)
brake will assist.
PLEASURE – für Kurbler und Genussflieger
Please note: Before every take off, the pilot must ensure that the
HYBRID – mehr Speed, aber dennoch gut in der Thermik
FAST – ideal für jene, die Geschwindigkeit bei guter Gleitleistung schätzen
neoprene cover completely conceals the clip. Failure to conceal the
clip under the neoprene cover could result, for example, in a brake
line being accidentally caught in the clip and this could lead to a se-
rious accident.
75 80 85 90 95 100
98
FAST
HYBRID
PLEASURE
2.) B-line stall
We do not recommend a B-line stall with the BION 2.
3) Spiral dive
The spiral dive is the most difficult of descent techniques and should only
be attempted by pilots who have thoroughly mastered this manoeuvre
on a solo wing. Because of the greater line length of a tandem wing, the
acceleration forces affecting the pilot are normally higher than on a solo
wing.
The manoeuvre has two phases:
• First, weight-shift and brake on the inner side should be used to initiate
increasingly tighter turns. With increasing acceleration, there will be a
moment where the g-forces rapidly increase and the nose of the glider
begins to point to the ground until (during a successfully performed spi-
ral dive) the nose is nearly parallel with the ground.
During initial attempts, the manoeuvre exit should be initiated well befo-
re the glider enters a full spiral dive, so that the pilot can practice a con-
trolled exit. The exit is initiated by releasing the inner brake and the pilot
returning to the normal flying position. To achieve a smooth exit without
pitching forward, the outer brake must be released more as soon as the
wing starts to level, i.e. as soon as the wing is no longer horizontal.
• The actual spiral dive – as outlined above – only occurs after the above
described transition phase, i.e. the diving of the wing. At this moment
the pilot is pushed outwards in their harness and the pilot should release
105 110
the pressure to avoid the wing locking into the spiral (see explanation
below). Then the sink rate can be varied using the inner and outer brake.
If the pilot's weight remains on the outside, releasing the inner bra-
ke is sufficient to continuously slow the BION 2's rotational mo-
vement. Exiting the spiral is then performed as described above.
HYBRID
If the pilot strongly weight-shifts to the centre, the BION 2 may lock
into the spiral, regardless whether the brakes have been released. In
this case symmetrical braking or braking on the outside may help, as
well as weight-shifting to the outside.
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