Aeros Discus 12 Owner's Manual page 18

SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
1. Any time you suffer a crash or extremely hard landing you should have an "annual" inspection done on your glider to
insure that you find all damaged parts. Following any hard landing be sure to inspect the apex hardware, the control bar legs
and basebar, and all control bar fittings for damage. Any time you replace a control bar leg or basebar, you must carefully
inspect all related fittings and replace any that are bent or damaged.
Hard landings may also impose very high loads on the sprog assemblies and transverse battens, and bridle lines. Inspect
accordingly.
2. If your glider is ever exposed to salt water you will need to have the glider completely disassembled in accordance with
the recommended annual inspection procedure. All frame parts will need to be disassembled, including the removal of all
sleeves and bushings, flushed liberally with fresh water, dried completely.
3. A wet glider must be dried before storing. Do not leave your glider wet for more than one day, because corrosion may
result.
4. Take special care to avoid ice-covering the glider, particularly the leading edge in wintertime.
5. If you fly regularly at the coast in windy conditions, be aware that the sea mist spray can have the same effect. Hose
down your glider after such flights, and keep a special lookout for corrosion.
6. Cleaning Your Sail - Keeping your sail clean will extend the life of the cloth. When cleaning the entire sail you should
generally use only water and a soft brush. You may clean small spots or stains with any commercial spot remover that is
labeled for use on polyester.
A NOTE ABOUT CABLES AND CABLE MAINTENANCE
The cables which support the glider's airframe are critical components of the glider's structure, and must be maintained in
an air worthy condition. It is a general practice in the design of aircraft structures to design to an ultimate strength of 1.5 times
the highest expected load in normal service.
Hang glider cables, like other structural components on the glider, are typically designed with a structural safety factor of
only about 50% above the expected maximum load. No significant loss in cable strength can be tolerated.
A cable with even a single broken strand must be replaced before the glider is flown again. A cable which has been bent
sharply enough to have taken a permanent set must also be replaced immediately.
Some degree of fatigue due to repeated bending of cables is almost unavoidable in an aircraft that is assembled and
disassembled with every flight. Bottom side wires are subject to the highest loads in flight, and are therefore the most critical.
This is why we recommend that these wires be replaced annually, even if there is no known damage.
TIP WANDS MAINTENANCE
Although we use the most expensive and the best available fiberglass material for the tip wands, these wands are not
indestructible. Proper use of Aeros tip wands can greatly extend the service life of the wands.
There are a few important things to remember to extend the service life of the tip wands:
-try to avoid landing on a wing tip, the tip wand can easily get damage or brake by forceful contact with the ground;
-always install the tip wands with the same side facing forward for each flight. If the tip wands are not marked, mark them
near the end with indelible marker. This will tell you which side is the back side of the wand and which side is the front side;
-inspect the tip wands regularly and replace when replacement is indicated.
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