S.E.A. Paragliders FireStarter, Pilot'S Manual

6 

Methods for rapid descent

Try to avoid these maneuvers whenever possible. Carefully assess the weather conditions before 
take-off. If there is a probability of deterioration of weather conditions, choose a landing pad and 
approaches to it in advance. 

   "Big ears"

To accomplish this maneuver, take the most external lines of A-risers (which go to the outer 
edges of the wing) and pull them until the wing tips are folded. 
To increase the horizontal and vertical speeds in this mode, you can activate a accelerator, but 
only AFTER folding the ears. 
During this maneuver, it is strictly recommended not to make deep spirals, as this negatively 
affects the strength and geometry of the line system. 
To exit, simply release the held lines and fill the wing yourself. It is possible to accelerate the 
opening with the help of a not very intensive pumping of the wing by the brakes. 

      Deep spiral

Before performing a deep spiral, make sure that there is sufficient margin of elevation above the 
ground. To enter the spiral, shift the weight in the harness to one side and gently tighten the 
brake on the same side until the wing starts to rotate. 
 
When the wing increases the bank angle and accelerates to a certain reduction, hold the brake in 
this position. The rate of descent can be controlled by weight shifting in the harness and small 
action of the external (from the rotation) brake. 
To exit from a deep spiral simply smoothly release the internal (working) brake and the 
paraglider will start its own exit. For a smoother exit, it may sometimes be necessary to apply a 
slight brake to the wing to compensate for small wing movements in the pitch before final exit 
into a normal straight flight. FireStarter in normal flight conditions has no tendency to remain in 
the spiral on its own. 
It should always to remember that the greater the rate of descent in the spiral dive, the more time 
it can take to exit into a normal flight. 
Never attempt an abrupt escape from a deep spiral - this can lead to very dangerous abnormal 
flight situations. 
A WARNING. Prolonged overloads during a deep spiral dive can lead to deterioration of the 
pilot's well-being and even loss of consciousness. Constantly monitor your condition in this 
maneuver, and at the first signs of deterioration of well-being, begin to exit of this maneuver. It 
is strongly recommended not to perform deep spirals for a long time at a speed of more than 11 
m / s. Pilot should training to do spiral dive in a safe conditions - with a large margin of height 
above the water and under the supervision of an experienced instructor. 
Too frequent using of deep spirals with high rates of descent can cause premature violation of 
the geometry of the line system and the canopy of the wing with the subsequent deterioration of 
flight characteristics up to dangerous ones. 
 

    B-stall

To perform this maneuver, symmetrically tighten the B-risers before mechanically restricting of 
risers achieved. 
The canopy of the paraglider will be deformed along the span, lose the horizontal speed and 
increase the speed of descent. The decrease can reach values of 7-8 m / s. 
 
Never do not release the risers until the moment when the wing does not stabilize vertically 
above the pilot! In the opposite case, a wing can be dive forward below the pilot with subsequent 
dangerous flight situations! 
To exit the B-stall quickly and symmetrically release the straps of the B-riser. The wing will 
come out by itself to a normal flight with a slight pitch movement. 
We at S.E.A. Paragliders strongly recommend to avoid using B-stall due to liteweight design of 
the FireStarter.