3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue 1 & 2 Jan - Apr 2 3rd Year Special Annual Double Issue Vol 4 Issue | Page 25

Cross-country pilots also need
an intimate familiarity with air law,
flying regulations, aviation maps
indicating restricted airspace, etc.
In-flight wing deflation (collapse)
Since the shape of the wing (air-
foil) is formed by the moving air
entering and inflating the wing, in
turbulent air, part or all of the wing
can deflate (collapse). Piloting
techniques referred to as “active
flying” will greatly reduce the
frequency
and
severity
of
deflations
or
collapses.
On
modern recreational wings, such
deflations will normally recover
without pilot intervention. In
the event of a severe deflation,
correct pilot input will speed
recovery from a deflation, but in-
correct pilot input may slow the
return of the glider to normal
flight, so pilot training and practice
in correct response to deflations
are necessary.
For the rare occasions when it
is not possible to recover from a
deflation (or from other threatening
situations such as a spin), most
pilots carry a reserve (rescue,
emergency) parachute; however,
most pilots never have cause
Vol 4 | Issue 1 |Jan - Feb 2019
to “throw” their reserve. Should
a wing deflation occur at low
altitude, i.e., shortly after takeoff
or just before landing, the wing
(paraglider) may not recover its
correct structure rapidly enough
to prevent an accident, with the
pilot often not having enough
altitude remaining to deploy a
reserve
parachute
with
the
minimum altitude for this being
approximately 60 m (200 ft), but
typical deployment to stabilization
periods using up 120–180 m (390–
590 ft) of altitude] successfully.
Different packing methods of
the reserve parachute affect its
deploying time.
Low-altitude wing failure can result
in serious injury or death due to the
subsequent velocity of a ground
impact where, paradoxically, a
higher altitude failure may allow
more time to regain some degree
of control in the descent rate and,
critically, deploy the reserve if
needed. In-flight wing deflation
and other hazards are minimized
by flying a suitable glider and
choosing appropriate weather
conditions and locations for
the pilot’s skill and experience
level.
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