13
Full stall
Certain pilot behaviour or weather conditions can cause a
full stall. This is a serious deviation from normal flight and
can be difficult to manage. If a stall occurs at less than 100
m above the ground, throw your reserve parachute
immediately.
Overreaction-induced deep or full stall
Une Poorly timed or excessive use of the brakes when the
air speed of the wing is reduced (e. g. when coming out of a
spiral or speeding up after a B-line stall).
Rain-induced deep or full stall.
A soaked or heavily drenched leading edge (from rain or a
cloud) can result in a full stall or deep stall due to uneven
airflow over the leading edge as a result of rain drops and
an increase of weight to the wing.
Whatever the cause, a stall can be either symmetrical or
asymmetric (a spin). In both cases the brake line travel
becomes very short and even small input may suddenly
induce an airflow separation; in some cases even a gust or a
sudden thermal may change the angle of incidence
enough to cause the deep stall.
If you find yourself flying in unavoidable rain we strongly
recommend that you avoid any sudden movements or
radical brake line input, that you do not pull big ears or B-
stall, and that you steer clear of turbulence and avoid a
deep flare on landing.
A moderate use of the speed system to increase the speed
of your glider can reduce the risk of rain-induced stall.
Whatever the cause of the full stall, the pilot has two
possible courses of action:
If the full stall happens above 100 m, it is strongly
recommended to initiate standard stall recovery assuming
the pilot is familiar with the process (i.e. a complete
execution of the full stall, stabilization of the wing and
progressive lifting of the hands to resume normal flight).
If the full stall happens below 100 m or if the pilot is
unfamiliar with stall recovery, the reserve parachute should
be deployed immediately.
