Losing altitude
Extremely strong and widespread lift is found, for example, in storm conditions. The best
place to be in this situation is on the ground. Nevertheless, if you have been caught out by the
weather and find yourself needing to descend rapidly, there are several ways to do so. The best
way is, of course, to find sink. Failing that, try one of the techniques below. Most of these
techniques place undue stress on your glider, and should be avoided if you want to extend its
lifetime. We recommend you initially practice these manoeuvres under qualified supervision
during a safety training course.
Big ears
Big ears is the simplest method for rapid descent and has a sink rate of 3-5m/s. The advantage
of big ears is that the glider continues to fly straight, meaning that a danger area can be avoided.
It is even possible to land using big ears, for example on a top-landing to compensate for the
updraft.
The wing-loading increases by the reduction in the wing’s surface area, the wing becomes
more stable against collapses in turbulence. Nevertheless, the air resistance of the wing also
increases, and it flies more slowly and closer to the stall limit. To counter this and to increase the
effectiveness of the sink, the speed bar is generally also used in combination with big ears.
Start the manoeuvre by pulling both outer A-lines downwards. The brake lines are held steady
and the pilot uses weight-shifting to steer the paraglider. You can now descend safely on the
stable middle part of the wing. The brakes must not be shortened during the manoeuvre, e.g. by
wrapping the brake lines.
For recovery let go of both A-risers smoothly. Assist the opening process by pumping the
brakes if the ears do not open automatically.
B-Stall
The design of the Falcon means that the B-Stall is not possible.
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