WINDTECH Tonic 25, Manual

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wake turbulence of the pilot.

Remember, the pilot can learn to help stop collapses by flying 'actively', but if a front
tuck does occur it will easily clear itself.  Re-inflating the wing can be helped by correct
pilot input and, once the glider is overhead, symmetrically applying 40 % of both brakes

&

then releasing immediately will get pressure back in to the glider and speed up the

recovery.  Do not brake when the glider is behind you, as this can stall the wing, but wait
for the glider to come forwards above your head, then brake.

> asymmetric stall (spin)

This is a very difficult situation for the pilot to provoke with the 

TONIC

, given it's very

low stall speed, you have to really abuse the controls a lot to manage it. Even so, this
situation can be induced if, say, the pilot is turning very slowly in a thermal (near the
stall point), and wants to tighten the turn even more, and at the same time as smoothly
lifting the outside brake (which is the correct thing to do), if the pilot simultaneously
brakes more on the inside brake, this may stall the inside wing which will then go into
spin. One half of the wing flies forwards, whilst the other flies backwards (negative). In
this case to return to normal flight, one has to raise the inside brake, returning air speed
to the inside wing, which will cause the wing to surge and dive forwards. This dive can
be more or less violent, depending on what stage that the flat spin is in, how much the
spin had been allowed to develop, and the moment at which the brake is lifted. If the
pilot wants to intervene to dampen this dive, they will have to adopt a position (roughly)
of something more than half brake, which must then be released as soon as the dive is
stopped, or the wing may then go back into a stall or spin. Another option is to put the
glider directly into a full stall immediately that the spin is entered, and from this the exit
is more symmetric with less chance of a twist.

> landing

Choose a large field clear of all obstructions 

&

in a clean laminar airflow.

A different technique is needed for different wind strengths. Every landing should be jud-
ged differently even if it’s your local site.

On final approach the pilot should have hands up (keeping a feel of the wing in case of
unexpected turbulence) so the glider has energy for a flare. In light or nil winds the pilot
will need a committed symmetric flare at around 1 meter above the ground. 

In stronger winds less of a flare is needed 

&

the pilot must judge this for himself through

practice 

& 

training from a qualified instructor.

The flight is not finished, and the pilot is never fully safe, until the glider is safely con-
trolled on the ground. 

Avoid letting the glider land on the leading edge. If the glider lands with force on the
leading edge it is possible to burst the inner cells and walls of the wing and you should
carefully examine the wing for any damage to the joining of the ribs (cell walls) .