| Reserve parachutes are an obvious safety measure, | | | | there wings carefully. The relative airspeed of the wing |
| but are often misunderstood in the sport of paragliding. | | | | and angle of attack need to be controlled by the pilot |
| It should be noted that the use of a reserve chute | | | | using the brakes. Failure to do so may lead to instability |
| when paragliding is a very rare event. Many highly | | | | or wing collapse. |
| experienced pilots have flown for many years, even | | | | Therein lies the need for a reserve parachute in the |
| decades and never had to use one, but here's why | | | | sport of paragliding. Many pilots flying competition |
| they are carried. | | | | wings (which are extremely high performance, but |
| When skydiving, the use of s reserve is clear. If the | | | | very unstable) actually carry two spare chutes. This is |
| main parachute does not open, or opens partially | | | | primarily because some main wing collapses can result |
| tangled, the diver cuts free from one chute, and | | | | in the bundle spinning. Releasing a spare safety chute |
| deploys the reserve parachute. Voila... safe return to | | | | simply twists into the main wing in a process called |
| earth. | | | | candlesticking. As you can imagine a candlestick |
| Paragliding however presents its own peculiar issues. | | | | doesn't fly too well, but the pair of twisted chutes |
| Firstly, a paraglider pilot only takes off when the main | | | | usually stop spinning. The second reserve is launched |
| wing is open and working perfectly. So why is a spare | | | | for a safe return to earth. |
| chute needed? The answer lies in a fundamental | | | | This raises the next issue. The whole process |
| difference in design between paragliders and | | | | described above takes time, and time is altitude. There |
| parachutes. A parachute is an air brake designed to | | | | is virtually no point in carrying a spare parachute if you |
| slow your descent in a controlled manner. Most | | | | are flying sand dunes at 40 meters above the ground. |
| parachutes descend in an aerodynamically stalled | | | | Be guided by your instructor about actual equipment |
| condition. That means that there is turbulent non | | | | performance as it does vary. Most reserves need at |
| laminar flow over the top surface of the parachute. | | | | least 30 to 50 meters to deploy effectively. |
| Paragliders however are a true wing, and only fly | | | | Naturally the market has demanded that producers |
| when the airflow is laminar and non turbulent. The wing | | | | develop fast opening reserve parachutes specifically |
| loading is much lower in a paraglider and therefore the | | | | for the paragliding industry. The producers have |
| wing is less aerodynamically stable. If a paraglider wing | | | | responded with a dazzling array of equipment from |
| is stalled, is no longer flies... it becomes very unstable, | | | | plain round chutes to center pull chutes to steerable |
| and usually folds into a horseshoe shape. | | | | arrow shaped reserves and even rocket propelled |
| Due to this characteristic, paraglider pilots must fly | | | | chutes for ultra fast openings. |