Landing; Rapid Descent Techniques - Nova IBEX-4 Handbuch

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In thermals, in addition to the inner brake, we recommend lightly
braking on the outside as well – this helps to control bank and speed
of rotation, i.e. you get better feedback from the wing. Additionally
this increases the stability of the wing tip. Tight, controlled turns and
smooth direction changes need practise but should be a skill all pilots
have mastered.
Please note: if the paraglider is no longer steerable using the brake
lines (for example if they have become tangled) then the wing has
limited steering capacity through the C-risers.
This, in combination with weight-shift, still allows reasonable turn
correction. Using this technique also permits a safe landing. The
C-risers should not be pulled so hard that they cause the wing to stall.

Landing

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Landing the IBEX 4 is very simple. In turbulent conditions it is advi-
sable to make your approach whilst pulling a little brake in order to
Please note: a full stall
– if initiated too early –
increase stability and to increase the feeling for the wing's movement.
can lead to heavy
Immediately before touchdown the brakes should be pulled hard –
landings or even
serious accidents.
even to the point of stall.
Therefore the brakes
should only be pulled

Rapid descent techniques

fully immediately
before touching the
To quickly lose height, we recommend three possible manoeuvres. We
ground (<0.5 meters).
have ordered these by degree of difficulty:
1) Big ears
To use big ears, both outer A-lines (fitted on a separate riser – split
A-risers) should be pulled down simultaneously. The brake handles (wi-
thout an additional wrap) remain in your hands. As long as the lines are
held down the wingtips remain folded and this increases the sink rate.
If the speed bar is used as well, this increases sink and speed. This
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also equalises the higher angle of attack caused by the increased drag
of the ears. With »big« big ears (if the A3 line is pulled further), it is
With »big« big ears (if
necessary to use the speed-bar to avoid the angle of attack becoming
the A3 line is pulled
critically high.
further), it is neces-
sary to use the speed-
To release the ears, release the A-lines fully and allow them to return to
bar to avoid the angle
their normal flying position. If the ears do not open automatically, the
of attack becoming
pilot can use a quick, sharp tug on the brakes to assist the opening.
critically high.
2) B-line stall
A B-line stall is instigated by symmetrically pulling both B-risers
(approximately 15 centimetres). It is recommended – for maximum
grip as well as safely executing the manoeuvre – to grab the risers at
the top. i.e. at the maillon.
Immediately after pulling the risers, the wing will lose its forward speed
and after a short oscillation will descend in a stable parachutal stall.
When executing a B-line stall, we recommend watching your canopy –
whilst always keeping an eye on your height above ground, so that you
are able to exit the manoeuvre at the correct time.
The B-line stall is released by simultaneously raising your B-risers
back to their normal flying position. If they are released too slowly, an
unintended consequence can be a parachutal stall (see the section on
parachutal stall).
The brakes should remain in your hands the entire duration of the
manoeuvre and no additional wrap should be taken. When exiting the
B-line stall it is important that the brake is completely free so that the
wing can fully accelerate to trim speed.
3) Spiral dive
The spiral dive is the most demanding descent technique and should
be learned at great height, preferably during an SIV/pilotage course.
The manoeuvre has two phases:
• First the pilot weight-shifts into the turn and then uses the inner bra-
ke to induce an ever tightening turn (note: do not jerk the brake, but
pull it smoothly and continuously). With increasing acceleration, the-
re will be a moment where the G-forces rapidly increase and the nose
of the glider begins to point to the ground until (during a successfully
performed spiral dive) the nose is nearly parallel with the ground.
• At this point the wing will reach sink rates of 20 meters per second
(m/s) or more. The acceleration can be more than three times gravita-
tional force (>3g). The pilot must be aware of these forces.
Before learning to spiral, pilots should practise controlled exits from
steep turns. These exits are performed by using the outer brake, whilst
the inner brake initially remains in the same position. The outer brake
is pulled until the rotational movement slows. To achieve a smooth exit
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These physical
demands can be
simulated in a g-force
trainer. We recom-
mend such g-force
training to all pilots.