Incidents - Ozone Swift Six Pilot's Manual

INCIDENTS IN FLIGHT
Deflations
Due to the flexible form of a paraglider, turbulence may cause a portion of the wing suddenly to collapse.
This can be anything from a small 30% (asymmetric) collapse to a complete (symmetric) collapse.
If you have a collapse, the first thing to do is to control your direction. You should fly away from the ground
or obstacles and other pilots. Asymmetric collapses should be controlled by weight shifting away from the
collapse and applying enough brake to control your direction. This action alone will be enough for a full
recovery of the wing most of the time.
Once a glider is deflated it is effectively a smaller wing, so the wing loading and stall speed are higher. This
means the glider will spin or stall with less brake input than normal. In your efforts to stop the glider turning
towards the collapsed side of the wing you must be very careful not to stall the side of the wing that is still
flying. If you are unable to stop the glider turning without exceeding the stall point then allow the glider to
turn whilst you reinflate the collapse.
If you have a deflation which does not spontaneously reinflate, make a long smooth progressive pump
on the deflated side. This pumping action should take about 1-2 seconds per pump. Pumping too short
and fast will not reinflate the wing and pumping too slow might take the glider close to, or beyond, the
stall point.
Symmetrical collapses reinflate without pilot input, however 15 to 20cm of brake applied symmetrically will
speed the process. After a symmetric collapse always consider your airspeed. Make sure the glider is not
in parachutal stall before making any further inputs.
If your Swift 6 collapses in accelerated flight, immediately release the accelerator and manage the collapse
using the methods described above.
IMPORTANT
Never apply the brakes
whilst using the speed
system - it makes the
wing more prone to
collapse.
14