11
USING YOUR MAC SECURITY SYSTEM
It is, of course, best if you never have to use it. But even then, flying with
an emergency system, provides the peace of mind and feeling of security,
which make your flights even more enjoyable.
Some paragliding and hang-gliding schools and clubs offer courses in the
use of emergency systems, and it is recommended to take such a course.
The openings are carried out over water and the pilot wears a buoyancy
aid, with a safety boat standing by to a pick him up. Such a course
provides valuable experience, and adds confidence in your emergency
system.
VII.) Bring up and fasten, with the helps of the Velcro strips, the long flap
over the central part of the handle.
12
OPENING YOUR EMERGENCY PARACHUTE
The first step in opening your emergency parachute is the decision to do
so. If you have lost control over your aircraft at a considerable height and
there is a chance of regaining it, you still have time to try. Opening an
emergency parachute will stall your paraglider or hang-glider, and commit
you to an emergency landing.
If, on the contrary, the emergency arises at a low height, you should
decide as quickly as possible. It is generally considered that emergency
parachutes should be carried whenever you fly higher than 50 meters, and
there were cases when they have saved pilots lives even lower.
Once you have decided to open your emergency parachute
1.) Look at your emergency handle and identify it. This is no time for
mistakes.
2.) Grab the handle firmly, with your thumb as well as your fingers.
3.) Give a strong pull. This undoes the Velcro covers and pulls the locking
pins out of the loops. The outer container opens. You are now holding the
closed inner container, with the canopy inside it and the lines on the
outside, lightly held by thin rubber bands.
4.) Throw the parachute as strongly as you can in the direction which a) is
unobstructed by your paraglider or hang-glider, and b) which is also the
direction of the air-stream past you: the air-stream will help your
parachute to open faster.
5) If you are flying a paraglider and it remains inflated, neutralize it as
soon as the emergency parachute has opened and keep it neutralized. If it
reopens, the two parachutes will interfere with each other. For the landing,
keep your knees slightly bent, land on both feet, and use leg muscles to
absorb the shock. If necessary, perform a parachute landing fall (P.L.F.).
