Normal Flight; Turning Flight - Advance acoustic ALPHA 7 Manual

Normal flight

In calm air the ALPHA 7 best glide is achieved with fully released
brakes . Light braking brings the glider to its minimum sink condition .
When flying into a headwind, through descending air, or when procee-
ding to the next thermal, glide performance will be distinctly improved
by appropriate use of the speed system .
Despite the wing's high stability an active flying style is recommended -
collapses can be almost completely avoided . This means keeping the
lightly-braked glider directly above you; in other words, countering roll
and pitch disturbances .
When the angle of attack increases ( e .g . wing swings back when en-
§
tering a thermal ) the brake lines should be briefly released fully, until
the glider returns to its overhead position .
When the angle of attack reduces ( e .g . glider shoots forwards ) the
§
wing should briefly and strongly braked .
Be careful not to get below minimum speed, and don't overreact with
the brakes .

Turning flight

The ALPHA 7 has precise response to brake application . It reacts
directly and progressively to increasing steering demands, once the
brake line free travel has been taken up . Steering can be effectively
assisted by active weight shift . Angle of bank can always be increased,
steadied or reduced by appropriate adjustment of brake position .
When circling in a thermal choose the desired angle of bank and corre-
sponding turn radius by using the inside brake line, and let the paragli-
der turn steadily like this . Stabilise the outside wing with outside brake
as required, in particular to keep the rate of turn constant . Too much
brake on the outside wing will slow the turn rate and airspeed down,
allow the pilot to swing back under the wing, and lose the glider's abi-
lity to turn .
A harness that is matched to the ALPHA 7 flying qualities helps you
enter and settle on a very steady turn . See also section «Suitable
harnesses» .
Caution: To keep good manoeuvrability make sure to fly your
ALPHA 7 with enough airspeed while turning in thermals - not
too much outside brake .
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