MAC PARA elan3 User Manual Download

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Full-stall

The full stall happens when the maximum possible angle of attack is exceeded. The most
common  cause  is  going  below  the  minimum  speed  or  flying  near  the  minimum  speed
combined with the effects of turbulence. In full stall, the paraglider loses its forwards travel,
surges  backwards  and  deflates.  If  the  brakes  are  held  down,  the  canopy  comes  up  over
the pilot again. The result is an almost vertical descent with a sink rate of approx. 8m/s.
To induce a full stall, apply full brake on both sides. The glider slows down steadily until it
stalls  completely.  The  canopy  suddenly  surges  backwards  a  long  way.  In  spite  of  this
uncomfortable  reaction  of  the  canopy,  both  brake  lines  must  be  consequently  held  down
with all your strength until the canopy is stabilized (directly overhead). This usually takes
3-6  seconds.  The  Elan  3  generally  flies  backwards  during  a  full  stall  but  doesn’t  always
form a front rosette. A frontal rosette can be formed by entering the full stall slowly. When
entering (braking) fast, the canopy will not always form the desired front rosette.
To  recover  from  a  full  stall,  smoothly  release  symmetrically  both  brakes  until  90%  of
leading  edge  reopens.  After  that,  the  brakes  are  completely  released  when  the  glider
canopy  is  filled  and  in  front  of  the  pilot.  This  prevents  the  canopy  from  pitching  too  far
forward. As this is done, the canopy accelerates forwards dynamically and picks up speed.
Note!  If  the  canopy  has  gone  back  during  the  full  stall,  the  brakes  must  be  held  down,
otherwise the canopy may surge forward and, in an extreme case, end up underneath the
pilot. Hold the brakes down until the canopy is above you again.
WARNING!!  If  the  brakes  are  released  rapidly  and  asymmetrically,  the  glider  may  surge
almost 90° and suffer an extensive asymmetric collapse.

Spin (or negative spin)

The spin is a stable flight manoeuvre, in which one side of the canopy stalls, while the
other side continues to fly forward. Pulling brake on one side too fast or too hard can result
in a negative spin. During a spin the canopy turns relatively fast around the centre section
of the canopy while the inner wing flies backwards (hence the term negative).
There are two usual reasons for an unintentional spin:



One brake line is being pulled down too far and too fast (e.g. when inducing a spiral
dive)



When flying at low speed one side is being braked too hard (e.g. when thermaling).

If a spin occurs, just release the brakes and wait for the glider to surge forward, checking it
with the brakes if it surges too far. Never release the spin if the glider is far back behind
you, always try to release it when the glider is above or in front of you! Depending on the
type of release and the dynamics of the rotary movement, the canopy may surge forward
on one side and collapse asymmetrically. In the case of a longer spin, the pilot may release
the brakes only at the moment when the glider is in its rotary motion above or in front of the
pilot. If the spin does not stop, check whether you have released the brakes fully (including
wraps)!

WARNING!! If you are LOW and are in an unintentional spin, or if the canopy is caught in a
cravat USE YOUR RESERVE.