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BUYING THE RIGHT WING !

Buying a wing , especially if it is your first wing can be a daunting and very confusing task.  What started off as a pleasant anticipation of realizing your flying dreams may turn into a blur of over-information on a myriad of apparently equally wonderful flying machines.  You will be inundated by testimonials of retailers and well-meaning pilots alike about the virtues of way too many wings to choose from.

In today's new paragliding market it is fair to say that there are,  within the certified classifications, not too many bad wings for sale as they all have to pass stringent certification testing. There are however better and lesser wings for sale in terms of performance , construction standards and ,very importantly, back-up service and resale value.

You will find that from country to country , even from state to state there is one brand more prevalent than another due to a particular school representing that brand of wing. This does not mean that no other wing would work well there, as now most certified wings would do. It may mean that that particular brand of wing has proven itself and generated a level of trust in that area in terms of performance and back-up and probably resale value.

Before all this becomes too confusing there are two suggestions I would make to avoid problems.:

1.  Learn to fly before deciding on which wing to buy.  This allows you to know more about flying, other pilot's opinions and equipment so you will have more inside information to help your choice. Also you are then in a position to test fly some wings, although you may not have the experience to appraise critical features of the wings at that stage yet.  So many times do we get calls from people who want to learn to fly and have already bought totally the wrong equipment; either too old or too advanced a wing.

2.  Speaking as an instructor it always amazes me that you would trust an instructor with your life whilst learning but not in helping you choose your equipment.

Sure, most of us represent one brand or another but each of us has hopefully spent years of experience making sure that we use and sell only the best and safest equipment available , our code of ethics allows us nothing less!  Personally I have passed up many profitable deals on lesser brands in the past to remain with the mainstream top brands and I am sure all my fellow instructors do the same. So, find an instructor you trust with your life and trust them to help you with your equipment.  Even when you buy something second hand this instructor will feel obliged to make sure his training will not be negated by a crappy wing and will test whatever you have found.

 CERTIFICATION.

Wing design dictates, within today's technology, a glider's performance characteristics. There are many trade-offs and compromises to be made in terms of speed, glide, lift and, above all, safety. To enhance one feature means upsetting others. To this effect, there is a certification process in place that licenses and classifies those compromises and the wing's recovery characteristics to suit your skill level. Particular importance is placed on  the time it takes the wing to return to balanced Trim flight unassisted from any situation.  

At this time, it is true to say that one of the most problematic areas in paragliding is low airtime pilots on high performance wings. Most of today's entry/intermediate level gliders have extremely good performance, often far superior to yesteryears performance wings!

Be very careful about stepping up to a performance wing too early; it may give you a small advantage in performance, but it could cost you your life!  This warning comes backed by experience! 

Glider certification is an ever-changing process of re-evaluating test criteria. It is impossible to describe the certification process here without the information quickly becoming obsolete.

However, it will remain true to say that entry-level/intermediate wings have an extremely high level of performance, safety and stability as well as a fast hands-off recovery and any low-airtime pilot (under 100 hours) would be very foolish to bypass this level of wing! Don’t let the kudos of a trick wing spoil flying for you. 

D.H.V
Paraglider classification
The classification scheme gives a scale for the grade of pilot skills necessary to operate a glider safely.

The progress in paraglider-technology has shifted the relationship between glider classes and requirements of pilot skills. Therefore DHV and OeAeC have changed the official wording of the paraglider class descriptions.
The performance of todays class 1 and 1-2 gliders is pretty close to the performance of the more demanding gliders. As their good-natured flight charcteristics give a high level of active and passive safety, they are recommended to anybody who doesn't fly regularly or whose motivation to fly is pure fun rather than ambition.
On the other hand class 2 gliders, who were formerly used in training, due to their higher speed-potential today require an actively flying and well-reacting pilot. Experienced pilots of course like their handling characteristics and their high rate of active safety, which is combined with a level of performance equalling that of high performance competition wings a couple of years ago.

Certification info links: DHV TESTS

 EQUIPMENT CARE.

Any wing worth owning will come with an owner's manual. This will include detailed maintenance recommendations. Here are a few pointers: 

REPAIRS. 

Apart from small holes that may be patched on both sides with sticky back repair material, do not make any major repairs yourself. The specific requirement of stitching strength and line lengths can only be fulfilled by the factory or a qualified repairer. 

NOTE:NEVER REPAIR BROKEN LINES BY TYING KNOTS.!!!

TESTING YOUR WING. 

A qualified tester must periodically check your wing and lines for porosity and line stretch/strength. 

lPOROSITY causes a lack of the necessary air pressure inside the canopy, leading to inevitable tucks in turbulent conditions and a BIG deterioration in glide and lift performance. 

Although it would appear that not much can go wrong with a paraglider since it has so many lines and cells that one less would not be disastrous, the effects of porosity and line wear should not be underestimated. These factors may adversely affect safe recovery.

lLINES, when frequently abused by rough ground handling will weaken considerably at the stitching near the risers. Under severe loads, if a line fails, it transfers its load onto the remaining lines, which may fail in a cascade chain reaction. Stretched lines also alter the wing's shape and performance characteristics. 

So, look after your wing with much care and it will reward you with many hours of safe performance! 

l THE HARNESS.

There are a great variety of harnesses on the market today, the choice is yours, but here are some important features it must have:

CONTACT US NOW AT....hans@wingsports.com.au ; OR Phone 0419376486 BEST GEAR AT BEST PRICES!!!