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 What is the difference between DHV and LTF certification? -
UP has recently begun using the term "LTF" rather than "DHV" about the certification class of our paragliders. This may be confusing for some, so here's a brief explanation:
The acronym "LTF" is short for "Lufttüchtigkeitsforderungen" or airworthiness requirements. The "Lufttüchtigkeitsforderungen" are defined by the German Ministry for Transport and have been in effect for paragliders in Germany since the birth of the sport.
Up until recently, the only institution approved by the German Ministry for Transport to carry out the tests involved in the Lufttüchtigkeitsforderungen has been the DHV, Deutsche Hängegleiter Verband, or German Hanggliding Federation. Due to pressure from the EU, this has now changed so that several more institutions can issue the Lufttüchtigkeitsforderungen-related tests.
At UP we have always been happy with our cooperation with the DHV, so for the time being our wings are still tested to the LTF standards by the DHV. But in the interest of transparency, and to keep our options open, we have now decided to stick to the more correct LTF name.
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Sponsor logo in my UP wing; where, what and how
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We get many questions from pilots wishing to put a logo into their wing. Some are about materials used, some are more like inquiries into whether we'll supply the logos. Here are the answers:
Materials: There are two ways to have sponsor logos in your wing; sticky tape and sewn logos.
The latter is rather expensive to make, but if you have a beautiful and SIMPLE logo that you want to look PERFECT it may be the solution for you. We can make it happen, simply provide your dealer with the logo in .ai format or similar and have him send it to us for a quote - it'll take some time to make, and it will be somewhat costly, but it does look great (think of the UP logo in the original "Rock" acro wing).
With sticky tape almost any logo can be made. Again, we need a good .ai or similar file, and we can make you a quote. Sticky-tape logos look best on mono-colour surfaces (which is why our Targa and Sherpa series wings are uniformly white on the bottom) so consider getting a custom colour wing for your logotype work. You may even order your wing without the UP logo if it interferes with your own logo.
The way NOT to make logotype work is with paint...Most any paint will contain solvents that are not tested for use with the materials we use to build paragliders, so you would be your own test pilot - and life is really a bit short for that, don't you think??
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Why is the Profile Light certified in such a complex manner? Partly Air Turqouise, partly DHV?
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EDIT: The Profile Light is now fully certified just like the rest of the UP reserve parachutes. The explanation below stays where it is though, because it still makes interesting reading. Find more about the Profile Light and other UP reserve parachutes here
The reason for this is the way the DHV carries out sinkrate tests for reserve parachutes - all parachutes are towed behind a lorry, and a measuring device measures the drag. The sink rates are then calculated for the max load that the manufacturer wishes to sell his wing to.
But on the Profile Light the lines are very short, and the little parachute was always in the lee of the lorry cabin; this gave some crazy readings as you can well imagine.
At Air Turqouise the sinkrate test is done by throwing parachute off an abyss tied to a heavy load which is equipped with a datalogger. The profile light came out very impressively in this in our view more realistic test. But since the DHV will not accept the results from Air Turqouise on grounds of principle, you'll just have to believe us when we say that coming down under the Profile Light is LIGHTYEARS better than coming down without it - in fact, with a measured sink rate of 5.5m/s you could all but land on your feet.
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How do I know if I'm ready to move up to the next class of paragliders?
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This is a question that we get quite often, and the simple answer of course is that there aren't any simple answers to it...
As a rule of thumb however, allow us to propose the following:
The proficient paraglider pilot is, whether you believe it or not, able to control their wing to the extent that it really does not collapse any more. Here we define collapses as events that require controlling such as directional stabilising and pumping out of the deflated side etc. - so flapping ears aren't, by this definition, collapses as such.
SO; if you're still getting collapses on your current wing, with collapses being defined as above, then it most likely makes sense to stay with it for a little longer and learn more.
But if you have that sorted on the current (class of) wing, and aren't having any events any more, then by this little rule of thumb you may well be ready to move up one step.
Please note that you follow this advice at your own risk - for example, having flown for several years on your local dynamic soaring site without getting collapses doesn't "count" - so be realistic about your evaluation of the conditions you have been flying in.
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How "heavy" do you recommend that UP gliders are flown?
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This depends entirely on the pilot preferences. All UP wings are designed to perform very well in the entire weight range, and glide ratio will never be affected by wing loading. The speed however will, to a certain extent, and also the climbing abilities in the very weak lift (this is something we have managed to minimise in our latest glider range). For performance and speed oriented pilots we recommend flying the gliders between the middle and top end of the weight range. Pilots who are good climbers in thermals and pilots who like more agile and dynamic gliders should use the top end of the weight range. Pilots who would like to have more a dampened wing, who fly in the flatlands with weak thermals etc. should fly the wings in the middle weight range.
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Why is it that the sink rate of the Profile Light is the same as the Profile 20?
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The observant reader will have noticed that the sink rates given for the new Profile Light reserve parachute and that of the old Profile 20 are almost the same - but how can that be when one has roughly 15 square metres more surface area?
It is partly due to differences in the measuring process. The Profile Series is certified by the DHV and has had the sink rates measured by them. The DHV measures sinkrates by towing the reserve behind a truck and measuring the drag - Air Turquoise measures in flight, with a weight and a vario hanging underneath the parachute. The latter method, combined with a very efficient design, means that the Profile Light gets the same sink rate as the Profile 20 - but if we were to measure the Profile 20 in the Air Turquoise way it would get better readings.
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"Why is there no S/M size in the Kantega 2 model range?"
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In the UP Performance Series we have launched the S/M size to ensure smaller steps between the sizes. In the high performance (DHV 2, 2-3 and Open) classes, optimal wing loading is somewhat more important to ensure that every pilot experiences the very high performance that these wings have to offer. In the FUN&EASY series wing loading is less significant, mainly due to different design of the canopy and the use of a slightly different profile. Thus the FUN&EASY Series wings will have very good performance within a larger weight range/size.
We have however expanded the standard glider size range with an XL to ensure that also heavier pilots can benefit from flying a certified UP wing.
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"Why has UP begun using Dyneema instead of the usual Aramid line material?"
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The new UP Dyneema lines were first introduced on the Trango 2. We chose this line material because it sets a new standard in the two most important areas; strength/diameter and stretch resistance. For the Trango 2, Summit 3 and Kantega 2 we use the following, industrially pre-stretched line diamters:
Riser lines: 1.5mm
Middle lines: 1.3mm
Canopy lines: 1.1mm
DHV distinguishes between two different breaking loads, new and aged. These values are determined by the DHV. Submitting the lines to a 5000 bends cycle, where the tested line is bent 180 degrees 5000 times, simulates the aging. The strength of Aramid lines deteriorates dramatically following this test (see the example here below) whereas the new Dyneema lines hardly loose strength at all:
Cousin 989 1.5mm: New 158.5kgs, old 185.9kgs
Cousin 989 1.3mm: New 91,5kgs, old 92.7kgs
Cousin 989 1.1mm: New 91.1kgs, old 89kgs
(all values are averages for the tested batch)
As you will notice the 1.3mm line is a bit out of line. This has to do with the testing method. Lines always break in the loops, which means the middle lines lead a very protected life, being as they are looped into their partners at both ends.
To ensure that we had plenty of strength built into our system we let the DHV test the Trango 2 up to a pilot weight of 155kgs, and no damage could be observed.
Aramid aging test results:
We tested the Cousin Superaram 988 in the 1.8mm dimension. After 5000 bend cycles the breaking load had dropped from its 200kgs New value to 85.4kgs.
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“Why does UP not publish speed polar curves for their wings?”
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The speed polar is influenced by a number of things, among these temperature, air pressure, harness, flying position etc. The significance of the latter factors increase with speed squared and the effect is very important at higher speeds. Our tests show that it is possible to influence the measurements to give up to a full L/D difference simply by changing harness and seating position! This has lead us to the conclusion that we cannot publish any meaningful figures and we have opted to, rather than publish imprecise or even faulty numbers, publish nothing at all. If you need the polar curve we strongly suggest that you make the measurements yourself, using your own harness/glider configuration, and plot it using an Excel spreadsheet. A good guide (in German) to doing so can be found here: www.dhv.de/vbulletin/showthread.php
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“Why does UP not employ the magnetic clip holders for the brake toggles?”
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We tested the magnetic holders on a few prototypes but our test pilots found plenty of arguments against them:
- The holder is not strong enough to hold the toggle in place if a line has gone around it during unfolding of the canopy. The result is a loose toggle in the midst of the lines
- If you’re doing extreme maneuvers in the air you often attach the toggle to the clip holder. The magnetic ones are not strong enough, and you often end up with the toggles and brake lines woven through all the other lines, right when you need them most.
- It appears that the magnets loose their magnetism over time. Some claim that this is more pronounced when the glider is flown in salty air.
All of these arguments mean that we decided to stick with the efficient button click toggle fasteners.
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“What is the speed for best glide on my new Kantega 2?”
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Engaging the speed bar for about 4-5cms is always the ideal for gliding in still air. Remember to push a little more in a headwind.UP’s three-step speed system is the perfect tool for optimising glide speed. Adjust your speed bar in a manner where the first step pulls the above-mentioned 4-5cms. The final step should then allow you to reach full speed.I
f you wish to get the maximum out of your Kantega 2 even on days with stronger wind, we suggest that you fly it close to the maximum wing loading. Although the Kantega 2 will glide very well even with a medium wing loading, strong wind days are best dealt with at the top of the weight range. Always use only water as ballast.
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“Do you recommend pilots stretch their C and D lines to keep the Trango 3, Summit XC or other Dyneema rigged UP wings in trim?”
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We're using new Dyneema lines and we're very satisfied with them. They don't have any tendency towards shrinking and therefore we don't recommend pilots stretch their C and D lines to keep the glider in trim.
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“My old glider has become porous. Is there any way to restore the coating and get the porosity values back down to normal?”
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UP uses premium Polyamide cloth with a special coating to improve UV resistance and reduce air permeability. Once the glider has been made it is NOT possible to re-coat this cloth in a satisfactory manner. Furthermore, any dirt on the wing will reduce the adhesion of any coating substance.
Because any aftermarket recoating could also adversely affect the flying behaviour of the wing it may even void the DHV certification to experiment – should we choose to change the material used on an already tested wing we must always have it re-tested by DHV before selling it as DHV certified.
Please read what the UP Owners Manual has to say about the subject:
- At the time of delivery the UP Kantega 2 conforms to German Hang Gliding Association (DHV) and/or AFNOR (SHV and ACPUL) requirements (see certification information later in this manual)
- Any changes being made outside the permitted range of adjustment invalidate any and all claims under the warranty
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How do I get the most out of my Targa 3 riser system?
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The new Targa 3 has a rather advanced riser system, with two trimmers and an adjustable A-riser pretensioning for accelerated glide.
Here we'll try to explain the use of these features:
1) The trimmers. The Targa 3 risers have two independent trimmer systems. One is a traditional trimmer, allowing you to adjust your trim speed from app. 37km/h to 43km/h. For thermalling in large gaggles and close to the terrain, the inherent high trim speed of the Targa 3 may be a hindrance. In these situations you may adjust your trim speed using the normal, lower trim tabs.
Above the normal trimmers we have added a second trim tab. This one affect the min. sink and the handling of the wing more, and also makes the brake pressure lighter. We suggest that you thermal with this trimmer pulled down, and also that you fly in general lift in the same configuration to get the most of the rising air.
BEWARE: The two trimmers should not be completely closed simultaneously, as this MAY cause the wing to be more deep-stall prone. For thermalling alone, leaving the lower one in the middle (neutral) position and pulling the top one all the way in should give you the best performance and handling. You will notice that the wings* pitching behaviour becomes more dampened and that it converts little movements of the air into altitude better.
2) The A-line pretensioning at accelerated flight: The B-risers have 3 different loops for tying in the orange A/B accelerator line. The lower you move this line, the more the A's will be pulled in comparison to the B's; this gives more speed, but less glide and less stability. You must make sure that the orange line is taut when the accelarator is not used, i.e. there should never be any slack here. Slack in this line means A and B is pulled equally, and the glide at speed will not be optimal.
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"I am going to change the lines on my UP comp wing. Is it OK to just cut off the old ones? Seems like the faster solution..."
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Many people have chosen that approach to the line-removal process over the years, on all kinds of wings. Most have been OK, but some haven't and here's why:
The most important reason to NOT do it is that you may find out too late that the line set you ordered was wrong, was incomplete, was for a completely different wing etc. So IF you want to do it like that make sure that you have checked and re-checked the new line set carefully first. Otherwise you may be waiting for some extra lines for longer than you like to be without a wing.
Secondly it is actually convenient to have a complete set of replacement lines for your wing. Comp lines do snag and break sometimes, and the very meticulous pilot then just reaches into his little "fixing-bag" and pulls out the old one, threads it in and relaunches. Remember to have it replaced with a proper new one at the first convenient opportunity, but unless it is an A-riser line you'll be fine. A-riser lines don't often snag&break since you have them in your hands when you launch.
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“Is the Targa 2 available with normal sheathed lines? I often launch in abrasive environments and wish to exchange the lower lines with sheathed lines.”
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It is certainly possible to fly the Targa 2 with normal lines. However, the performance difference to the Trango 2 would become negligible and we would suggest switching to such a wing instead. Finally, if the project is to make the glider less susceptible to line damage during the launch phase, all lines must be replaced (not only the riser lines) as the thinner canopy lines are much more exposed to damage on rocky/thorny launches.
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“I have seen some wings with thin, UV coated competition lines. Why does UP not use these lines?”
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We use the Edelrid Aramide lines for all our comp wings. We have a very good track record with these lines, but there are some things that one must be aware of.
All Aramide lines are weakened by the mechanical abrasion that flying lines are subjected to. For this reason UP has set a checking interval of one year/100 hours, after which all UP comp-line wings must be checked by a UP approved facility. When checking, a few lines are taken out for breaking-load tests and all are visually inspected for damage. If the breaking loads are still good, and the lines look to be in good shape, they will be approved for another years’ use.
Within the expected life span of the Aramide lines there is no indication that UV radiation has any influence on their strength.
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“Why are all the lines on the UP Trango 2 the same colour?”
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The Trango 2 is UP’s performance and competition wing with certification. To underline the race characteristics the glider has just one colour for lines. We believe that for the experienced pilots for whom this glider was designed sorting lines should not be a problem. As an example all comp wing have single-colour line sets.
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“What is the difference between the Trango 2 and the Trango 2 Race?”
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The thin inelastic Aramide competition lines make the Race version somewhat “harder” and more direct – the Standard version is generally a little more dampened and also easier to fly. Pilots tend to differ regarding which feel they prefer in a wing, as it is a subjective thing. Compare it to harder/softer suspension systems on cars: A hard, short-travel system will be more efficient for driving fast, but less comfortable in all conditions.
The difference in performance is minimal due to the fact that our standard Dyneema lines are already very thin (1.5mm for the riser lines, as opposed to 1.1mm for the Race version). Any performance difference will thus only be noticeable above ½ speed bar.
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“What is the difference between the Trango 2 and the Trango 2.1?”
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The main difference is the new risers, which allow the 2.1 Version to glide better at 1/3 to ½ speed. Over a two kilometre glide the newer version will arrive one wing higher, which translates to about 0.25 to 0.50 improved L/D. At trim- or full speed there is no difference.
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“Why are the DHV test results different for all the Trango 2 sizes?”
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The M size Trango 2 was tested in Monaco. It was over 15°C and the humidity is always higher in Monaco than in the other DHV test arenas. The rest of the Trango 2 sizes were finished in Bassano in northern Italy, and we gave them to the DHV to test over the Lago di Garda close by. By this time the temperature had dropped to between -20°C in the morning and -5°C in the afternoons. Flying at very low temperatures always radicalise the glider’s behaviour, as the cloth and line material becomes very stiff. Our own tests show that when flown at normal temperatures the L size was always a more docile wing to fly than the M size. The S/M and S sizes in our tests behaved exactly like the M size, so we are convinced that the low temperatures at the Lago di Garda were the real cause of the diverging test results.
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“Why does UP use 1.1mm riser lines for the Comp wings? Some of the others use 0.9mm lines here”
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For safety reason we don’t want to have 0,9mm lines on the standard competition gliders. The past shows that many competition pilots are complacent about the replacement and maintenance of the lines. After several accidents with line failures on older gliders (no UP wings but gliders from other brands) flying with the 0,9mm main lines UP decided to keep the 1,1mm as main line.
Sometimes it's hard to understand why pilots ignore all our information about lines and safety. After the death of Peter „Putte“ Pettersons with a non-UP glider we sent out the "competition line safety notice" on December 12th 04. There we informed the pilots about the strength of competition lines, acro flying and the time intervals for checking/replacing the lines. It seems very few pilots care about it and they still fly acro manoeuvres with old and used comp gliders.
We think in our "competition line safety notice" we stated very clearly what to do and UP International is one of the few companies who published this notice (also on the web and in different paragliding internet pages).
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“I want to have risers with positive trimmers for my Targa 2, but UP doesn’t have them – why not?
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Also for safety reason UP does not market competition gliders with positive trimmer risers. Collapses with open trimmers can cause serious problems and we believe that only very experienced pilots can handle this. Therefore pos. trim risers are only available for UP race team pilots.
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“What is the best take-off weight for a UP competition glider?”
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This depends a lot on the pilots’ flying style. For example our test and competition pilot Torsten is flying a ML size and he prefers to "overload" the wing. This means that as soon as the thermals are more than 1 m/s he flies with a take-off weight of 110kg up to 112kg. Oliver Rössel from the racing team prefers the same load but we also have pilots who fly the ML size with 105kg or less, as they seem to struggle with climbing with a higher load. In general the competition wings glide better with a higher load, something which you can recognise even more in strong wind conditions.
Pilots can find their own best take-off weight with the following, very easy method: As long as you climb very well take more load. As soon as you recognize that the climbing gets worse reduce the take-off weight a little bit and - bingo! That's it, your perfect personal take-off weight!
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“I don’t know if I should fly a serial wing (Trango 2, DHV 2-3) or a competition glider (Targa 2). Could you give me some advice?”
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It’s always very difficult to give a clear statement for or against a comp wing. At the end it depends to 99% on the pilot what he does with the wing and how he handles the glider.
The most important thing: you must always have a confident and safe feeling. Without this it is not possible to push the limits. And you must have fun – otherwise it is better to stay in bed or in a pub.
On the other hand it is very nice to fly a comp wing if you can handle it. Everything gets more dynamic; it’s much more fun to fly fast and it’s always a battle between you and the glider to get out the maximum performance.
To come to the point: First of all you should feel 110% safe under your Trango 2. You should like to fly half and full speed, you should not be scared of collapses and you should not be afraid of any flight maneuvers. In this case it is no problem to make the step upwards and fly a Targa 2 since the difference is not really that big. If you decide to make the step then there is one important thing: Fly as much as possible, join the rough thermals, etc. and get confident with the wing. Try to push the speed system as often as possible, fly active and learn how to play with the wing. If you do it like this you get the right impression very fast and then you will love the Targa 2.
And at the end everybody must be always honest with himself. As soon as you feel scared or when you think you have no control over the wing then you should make a step backwards to having fun with your Trango 2. Otherwise you’ll lose your enthusiasm for flying and nothing is worth that, because flying is the most interesting sport in life.
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“I am relining my comp wing right now and I would like to have a perfect setup for my line and riser lengths? What can I do?”
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The best is always to measure INCLUDING the risers. So you have to add about 550mm to the check sheet. With this you can control everything and make a perfect setup for your wing. That means you have to measure the length from the main loop of the riser up to the bottom fabric of the glider. Make a complete measurement of all lines, check the difference between the lines and add some loops on the carbiner to adjust the lengths. A very good adjustment would be maximum +/- 1cm difference between all lines, absolutely perfect are +/- 0,5mm but that could be a hell of work and you won't feel the difference. Important are +/- 1cm between the complete measurements comparing to the sheet. Then you have the best performance as the computer trim gives the Targa 2 the best setup.
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“Why are the UP paramotor risers not equipped with the split A’s for easier Big Ears?”
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This subject has supporters in both camps, however our experience indicates that the majority of paramotor enthusiasts do not use or need split A risers, as Big Ears as a maneuver isn’t very widely used among paramotor pilots. Most tend to fly under very calm conditions and do not wish to end up in situations where they might need to use Big Ears. For this reason we have opted for the unsplit A’s, as these are considerably easier to use during the important launch phase and also give a better feel for the glider – of particular importance to paramotor canopies since looking back/up is made difficult by the motor. Finally most paramotor pilots have the gas toggle in their hand as well as the risers, and any reduction to the confusion is a benefit!
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