If you fly in strong turbulences, one side of the glider might collapse. This
happens if one side of the wing doesn’t produce lift anymore, due to a low
angle of attack. If there is no lift, the lines get loose and the wing deforms or
collapses.
Most of these collapses are rather small – they only affect a small part of the
wingspan. In such a case, the SuSi continues to fly almost unaffected. If the
collapse affects 50% of the wingspan or more, the wing will react considerably:
Due to the increased drag of the collapsed wing, the glider will turn to the
collapsed side. Furthermore, the glider will pitch down because of the increased
wing loading. (The glider has to increase its speed because of the reduced area
– that’s what causes the pitching down.)
The pilot can prevent the glider from pitching and turning, by applying the
brake on the non collapsed side of the wing. If a collapse occurs close to the
ground it is essential to react properly. The proper reaction should be taught at
high altitude, ideally under professional guidance.
As explained above, most of the collapses can be prevented, if you fly actively!
Front tuck
A front tuck occurs, if the angle of attack gets too low on the whole wingspan,
then the whole leading edge will collapse. After the asymmetric tuck, the SuSi
will go back to normal flight automatically. The pilot can expedite the opening
process by slightly applying both brakes.
Stall manoeuvres
Spin
If you pull one brake too much, you might induce a so called spin. The centre
of rotation is no longer far outside the wing (like during a normal turn), but it
moves inside the wing. Furthermore the rotation speed increases. The SuSi will
go back to normal flight, if the pilot releases both brakes. The SuSi’s spin
behaviour is easily manageable: It takes a lot of brake travel to induce the spin,
and then the pilot has quite some time to react and release both brakes.
Full Stall
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