Front Tuck; Stall Manoeuvres; Spin; Fullstall - Nova Prion Manual

Most of these collapses are rather small – they only affect a small part of the
wingspan. In such a case, the PRION continues to fly almost unaffected. If the
collapse affects 50% of the wingspan or more, the wing will react considerably:
Due to the increased drag of the collapsed wing, the glider will turn to the
collapsed side. Furthermore, the glider will pitch down because of the increased
wing loading. (The glider has to increase its speed because of the reduced area
– that's what causes the pitching down.)
The pilot can prevent the glider from pitching and turning, by applying the
brake on the non collapsed side of the wing. If a collapse occurs close to the
ground it is essential to react properly. The proper reaction should be taught at
high altitude, ideally under professional guidance.
As explained above, most of the collapses can be prevented, if you fly actively!

Front tuck

A front tuck occurs, if the angle of attack gets too low on the whole wingspan,
then the whole leading edge will collapse. After the asymmetric tuck, the
PRION will go back to normal flight automatically. The pilot can expedite the
opening process by slightly applying both brakes.

Stall manoeuvres

Spin

If you pull one brake too much, you might induce a so called spin. The centre
of rotation is no longer far outside the wing (like during a normal turn), but it
moves inside the wing. Furthermore the rotation speed increases. The PRION
will go back to normal flight, if the pilot releases both brakes. The PRION's
spin behaviour is easily manageable: It takes a lot of brake travel to induce the
spin, and then the pilot has quite some time to react and release both brakes.

Fullstall

If you pull both brakes too far, the wing will perform a so called full stall. The
wing suddenly stops its forward motion, but the pilot is still moving forward.
So from the pilots view, the glider will tilt backwards. It is very important to
not release the brakes in this moment. Otherwise the glider might surge forward
below the pilot.
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