Ozone Element - Specific Situations and Materials; Deflations; Cravats; Towing

IMPORTANT : only a few cms of input from your brakes can maintain your
wing in the stall. Always release your wraps if you have taken them!
Deations
If you have a collapse, the rst thing to do is to control your direction: You should y
away from the ground or obstacles and other pilots, or at least not to y into them...
Asymmetrical collapses can be controlled by weight shifting away from the collapse
and applying a small amount of brake to control your direction. This act will most of
the time be enough for a full recovery of the wing.
Once a glider is deated it is effectively a smaller wing, so the wing loading and stall
speed are higher. This means the glider will spin or stall with less brake input than
normal. In your efforts to stop the glider turning towards the collapsed side of the wing
you must be very careful not to stall the side of the wing that is still ying. If you are
unable to stop the glider turning without exceeding the stall point then allow the glider
to turn whilst you reinate the collapse.
If you do have a deation which does not spontaneously reinate, make a long smooth
progressive pump on the deated side. This pumping action should take about 2
seconds per pump. Pumping too short and fast will not reinate the wing and pumping
too slow might take the glider too close, or beyond, the stall point.
Symmetrical collapses reinate without pilot input, however 15 to 20cm of brake
applied symmetrically will speed the process. If you simulate a symmetrical collapse
during an SIV course it is important to use both the A and Baby A risers and to pull
evenly to induce a symmetrical collapse. Use of just A risers or uneven pulling may
lead to the glider collapsing only in the centre section with the tips ying forward to
meet in the middle, leading to an increased risk of a cravat occurring.
If your Element collapses in accelerated ight, immediately release the accelerator to
slow down to trim speed and after a 90 deg turn the canopy will reinate and return to
normal ight.
IMPORTANT: No pilot and no glider are immune to collapses however active
ying will virtually eliminate any tendency to collapse. When the conditions are
turbulent, be more active and anticipate the movements of your wing. Always
be aware of your altitude and do not over-react. We advice you to keep hold of
your brakes. Do not y in turbulent conditions.
Cravats
When the tip of your wing gets stuck in the lines, this is called a ‘cravat’. This can make
your glider go into a rotation which is difcult to control. The rst solution to get out of
this situation is to pull down the stabilo line (red line on the B riser), while controlling your
direction, you must be careful with any brake inputs not to stall the opposite wing.
If this doesn’t work, a full stall (symetrical or asymetrical) is the only other option. This
shouldn’t be done unless you have been taught how to do it and can only be done with a
large amount of altitude. Remember if the rotation is accelerating and you are unable to
control it, you should use your reserve whilst you still have enough altitude.
IMPORTANT : A bad preparation on launch, aerobatic ying, ying a wing of
too high a level or in conditions too strong for your ability, are the main causes of
cravats.
Towing
The ELEMENT may be tow-launched. It is the pilot’s responsibility to use suitable harness
attachments and release mechanisms and to ensure that they are correctly trained on the
equipment and system employed. All tow pilots should be qualied to tow, use a qualied
tow operator with proper, certied equipment, and make sure all towing regulations are
observed.
MATERIALS
All OZONE gliders are made from the highest quality materials available. Your Ozone
ELEMENT is constructed from:
Upper-surface
Porcher Marine Skytex 45 evolution
Lower-surface
Skytex 40g classic
Internal Ribs
Oztex 70DOZ 65g/m2 polyurethane coated ripstop nylon
Leading-edge reinforcement
Double-laminated Mylar.
Lines
Lower cascades - Edelrid Aramid, 6843 series - 200 kgs (A&B) & 340kgs (C)
Middle cascades - Liros DSL - 140kgs
Upper cascades - Liros DSL - 70kgs
Risers and hardware
Shackles - High quality micro maillons from Maillon Rapide.
Riser webbing - 20mm zero stretch polyester webbing.
Pulleys - Austri Alpin aluminium mini pulleys with brass roller.
All these components have been selected for their renowned quality and durability.
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ENGLISH