Rapid Descent Techniques - Nervures FAIAL Manual

In every pre-flight check, pay attention to the tightening of the quick mail-
lons and carabiners, especially those linking the lines to the risers and the ris-
ers to the harness. The most suitable way of laying out a wing is in an arc,
which enables the paraglider to fill up evenly, starting from the centre.
It is essential to assure that every row of suspension lines is free of tangles and
knots and that no line goes around the wing tip as any distortion in the sail dur-
ing take-off can have unpredictable effects on the trajectory.
Take-off should be performed with the centre of the wing into wind starting with
taut lines and no jerk, leaning forwards in a progressive pull.
The pilot will limit his hand movements to simply guide the rising wing with the
front risers applying a light pull. Too strong a pull can partly close the leading
edge cell openings.
In moderate winds (from 10 kph) it is recommend to use a reverse launch tech-
nique and move towards the wing during inflation.
In a 360° spiral, a sink rate of more than 10 m/s or 30 ft/s is reached.
This manoeuvre can disorientate the pilot (loss of reference point and strong
acceleration). One should learn this technique progressively. The FAÏAL is spi-
ral stable; i.e. it comes out of spiral dive in an autonomous manner. When exit-
ing a spiral dive bring both hands up and bleed the energy through a turn. If the
wing was to stay in a spiral dive after bringing the hands up (a situation that has
not been encountered thus far) you need to counter the turn by progressively
slowing down the wing. It might be necessary to dampen the surge to avoid a
strong forward pitch.
The "B"-line stall is performed in the standard way. Take care when pulling the
Bs not to go too far as to pull the other lines (As and Cs) as this will enter a
front horse shoe configuration. The return to flight does not cause any notice-
able surge.
Big ears are easily obtained by pulling on the outmost A line. Pulling on this line
must be done progressively to avoid a front collapse. Once the big ears are in,
the pilot can progressively increase their size by pulling more and more length
on the line. One should make sure that at least half of the central span is kept
open. A simultaneous use of the accelerator will avoid the risk of deep stall
phases. The ears should re-open without intervention.
INFLATION AND TAKE-OFF

RAPID DESCENT TECHNIQUES

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