Hello! My name is Owen and I was a paragliding instructor in England for several years. However, all the information provided here is merely referential, not advisory, and any action you take is your sole responsibility. Paragliding is a dangerous sport and you should consult with a fully qualified instructor before attempting any of the following maneuvers. If you have not qualified in a fully supported and licensed school then you have nothing to do in the air except as a paying passenger.

This article is about rapid descent techniques. As paragliding pilots, we spend most of our time trying to get up and very little time trying to get down. Unfortunately, the times when we want to go down are usually the most serious, and all the prayers in the world will be of no use; good training and advance planning. If you are in a situation where I have to use a rapid descent technique then it has already filled up, but we are dealing with an invisible item here so it is not difficult to do.

Big ears

The most frequently taught rapid descent technique is Big Ears. As this is generally taught in schools, it is commonly regarded as a safe technique, which for the most part it is, but I have seen it go very, very wrong on more than one occasion. Changing the shape of your wing from its optimal flight shape is a risky process, but it may be better than the alternative if conditions have changed. Most accidents with the Big Ears technique occur due to poor training or a lack of understanding of the forces involved. Here are some points to keep in mind (although these suggestions are constantly being updated so they should definitely be verified with a current instructor):

• Each “ear” should be inserted one at a time, not together. This point is debatable, but as the main danger of pulling the ears is that the angle of attack increases (due to the glider descending at a more pronounced speed), pushing the glider closer to the stall point. Therefore, it is preferable to lessen the sudden change in angle of attack by taking it in stages, one ear at a time. You will often see drivers pulling both ears together, but this can go disastrously wrong, as I have personally witnessed.
• A good way to reduce the angle of attack is to use the speed bar. Before poking your ears in, you need to make sure your foot is resting on the stirrup of the speed bar and then once the ears are in and the wing has stabilized, push the bar out, though not necessarily to stretch completely. Be careful not to use your bar before pulling the ears in, or you could do a front fold.
• The wind gradient is your enemy in this case. You may be wearing large ears due to the increased wind speed, but it is the descent through the wind gradient at lower wind speeds that can cause a deep stall, caused by the increased angle of attack. A deep loss at low levels is very dangerous, because you do not have time to recover. Again, the speed bar can help prevent a deep stall, but remember that it is when you think you are close to safety that the danger is greatest.
• DO NOT pump your ears. This technique used to be taught in schools (hitting the brakes to get out of Big Ears), but is now completely discredited. Squeezing the brakes would further increase your angle of attack, bringing you closer to neutral. To get out, simply release the lines to and allow the ears to unfold. In some high performance gliders, the ears can stay in, so if you are flying on a DHV 1/2 glider READ THE MANUAL before flying the device.

Line post B

This maneuver is designed to be used at a good height (more than 500 feet minimum) only, and should not be used near the ground. The danger is that the glider does not recover and goes into deep stall. To recover from a deep stall, you need to apply some speed bar, which will reduce your angle of attack back to normal flight range, but at a low level this may not be an option. The positions on line B are for escaping the suction of clouds, not for landing.

Spiral dives

Spiral dives are also an upward descent method, and not for low landing. Coils are very disorienting and it is possible to pass out due to the g-forces involved. Another hazard is lockup, where the wing will not come off without pilot intervention (or it may squeeze in the turn when the brake is released), which along with disorientation and descent speed can mean a big hole in the shape of you. . on the floor. In theory, entry-level gliders should exit the spirals quickly and automatically, but recent evidence suggests that this is not always the case, due in part to varying factors such as pilot height, weight, center of gravity and if you are using a cross harness.

Another problem with spirals is that unless you know what you are doing with them, a bad start can cause you more problems than you had in the beginning. The spirals must come out slowly, because otherwise all the energy (and there is a lot Of energy involved in a spiral dive!) Is converted to lift, and your wing goes behind you and then dives in front. Asymmetry can easily occur at this stage, and before you know it, your wing is performing its own makeshift spiral and you’re good to go. Scary.

Tight turns (wingovers)

Tight turns will knock you down, but your wing is inherently unstable in the process, and coupled with the wind gradient and whatever low-level turbulence you might encounter, you’re just asking for a collapse. Not recommended.

Pilot-induced asymmetric crease

Similar to Big Ears, this technique involves collapsing only one side of its wing. This means that you have no real options to reduce your angle of attack, and the side of the wing that is still flying has a much higher angle of attack. Also, if you collapse too much of your wing at the wrong time, you can end up with a full frontal or collapse-induced spiral. Big Ears is the safest option, which is why it is taught in schools.

All in all, Big Ears is presented as the safest rapid descent technique for low-level flights, while the B-line positions are the most useful for high-level things. Any of the above techniques should not be tried for the first time when you need them, but rather in schools or in SIV courses on water that are done correctly, with a recovery boat present.

The main danger with any of these techniques is ignorance, especially with Big Ears, which is often done incorrectly due to pilots not keeping up with the latest developments in the sport. Remember: you may be a qualified driver, but the sport is still young and the air is unforgiving. To keep up to date.