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46 Maintenance
10 MAINTENANCE
With proper care, your FLARE product should remain airworthy for many
years. A well-treated parakite can fly twice as many hours as a parakite.
Always remember: your life depends on your parakite!
STORAGE
Ideal is a dry, dark place with a constant temperature. Moisture is an old
enemy of the durability of all parakites. For this reason, always dry your
equipment before you store it, preferably in a heated and well ventilated
room, so that moisture can evaporate.
CLEANING
Any rubbing or abrasion can cause your parakite to deteriorate quickly.
The PU coated canopy materials are dirt-repellent but in case of dirt
accumulation can be cleaned easily. If you still think you need to clean
your parakite (e.g. of cow manure), then use a soft, damp towel or a
sponge WITHOUT soap, solvent or detergent. Let your parakite dry
thoroughly before storing it.
REPAIR
The manufacturer or an authorized FLARE service center should only do
repairs. Exceptions include the repair of minor cuts (up to about 5cm that
don’t affect a seam) that can be patched with FLARE sail tape and the
swapping out of lines. Replacement lines can be ordered directly via
info@go-flare.com
LINE REPAIRS
The main lines of the FLARE LINE consist of a Dyneema- or Technora core
and a polyester sheath. Avoid heavy loads on individual lines, as excessive
stretching may be irreversible. Repeating kinking of lines at the same spot
reduces their strength.
Visible line damage should be checked and possibly repaired, even if only
to the sheath. New lines can be ordered from the manufacturer or an au-
thorized FLARE partner. They will help you to replace defective lines. Be-
fore replacing a line, the correct length must be verified by comparing it
with the corresponding line on the other side of the wing. After the re-
placement and before your next flight, perform a line check by kiting up the
parakite on the ground.
Maintenance | Disposal 47
EN
HINTS FOR MATERIAL CARE
> Avoid leaving your parakite unused in the sun or lying outside in bad weather.
> Avoid exposing your parakite to abrasion by dragging it over sticks and
stones.
> Always fold your parakite carefully and loosely and avoid sharp creases
and extreme compression of the material.
> Should the material come in contact with salt water, rinse it immediately
and carefully with fresh water and make sure that it has enough time to
dry in a shady location.
> If you land in a tree, never pull hard on the lines or material to free your
parakite. Rather do so carefully and with patience. Once you have removed
all leaves and branches from your parakite, inspect the line lengths and
symmetry before your next flight.
> When laying out your parakite, make sure that neither material nor lines
are dirty as particles caught in the fibers can shorten the lines and damage
the material.
> If lines get caught on the ground, they can get stretched or torn during
launching. For this reason, make sure that all lines are free and avoid
stepping on them.
> Make sure that no snow, sand or stones find their way into the canopy
because weight on the trailing edge of the parakite can brake or even
stall it. Should this happen anyway, lift up the parakite by the C-lines so
that the air inlets are pointing downwards and the canopy can empty itself.
> When launching in strong wind, part of the parakite may hit the ground
hard. This can lead to tears in the ribs or damage to the seams. For this
reason, inspect your parakite on a regular basis for this type of damage.
> After landing, don’t let the parakite fall to the ground on its nose as this
can damage the material on the leading edge.
11 DISPOSAL
When choosing materials, FLARE places particular value on environmental
compatibility and the highest quality control. Should your parakite someday
no longer be flyable, remove all metal parts such as shackles, pulleys, etc.
All remaining parts such as lines, material and risers can be turned in at a
recycling center. The metallic parts can be turned in at a metal recycling
center. The best solution is to send your retired FLARE parakite directly to
us. We will take care of the recycling.
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