Spiral Dive; Thermalling And Soaring; Flying With Speed System - Nova RA Betriebshandbuch

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Spiral dive:

To enter a spiral dive with a NOVA RA the pilot must use weight shift while
slowly applying more and more brake on one side.
During a spiral dive the angle of bank can be controlled by increasing or reduc-
ing the amount of inside brake.
When spiralling the NOVA RA it is not recommended to apply some outside
brake. So the outside wingtip can collapse in steep spirals, limiting the sinkrate
and prohibiting a stable spiral.
Only good and experienced pilots should pull the outside brake to prevent the
wingtips closing to reach even higher sinkrates.
To exit, ease off the inside brake slowly. The NOVA RA did not show a ten-
dency to remain in a stable spiral during testing. However, should a glider in
abnormal conditions (e.g. asymmetrical cross strap settings) continue to spiral,
it should be actively exited. This is done by weight shifting to the outside wing
and more gentle braking of the outside wing.
NEVER DO BIG EARS IN SPIRALS, AS THIS MAY DRASTICALLY REDUCE
THE NUMBER OF LINES TAKING THE ALREADY HIGH LOADS, CAUSING
STRUCTURAL FAILURE.
ATTENTION: CAUSED BY THE VERY GOOD PERFORMANCE AND EN-
ERGY RETENTION, THE RA IS RISING UP A LOT AFTER SPIRAL DIVE RE-
LEASE. THERE THE WING CAN BE HIT BY IT'S OWN TURBULENCES.

"Thermalling and soaring":

In turbulent conditions the glider should be flown actively. The canopy should
be flown with a small amount of brake applied. This improves stability by in-
creasing the angle of attack of the canopy. The canopy should not rock back or
surge forward much but should remain above the pilot. Thus, the pilot should
increase speed by carefully reducing applied brake when entering a strong
thermal. The pilot should brake the canopy on exiting. This is part of basic ac-
tive flying.

Flying with speed system:

When flying with the speed system applied the angle of attack is lower and the
canopy can collapse more easily than in normal trim. The faster the canopy is
flown the more dynamic the collapses and stalls will be and the more skill will
be required for quick recoveries.