SAFA Skysailor Magazine

29 January | February 2024 SKY SAILOR speeds, there is sufficient lift generated from the reduced size to allow flight. Because these wings are smaller in surface area carrying your given weight, they carry a lot more energy. Consequently, everything will happen a lot faster, both in normal flight, and when some- thing goes wrong. Flying these wings requires you to understand what is happening and have the necessary skills to fly your full-sized aircraft, before you take on a smaller wing. Until recently, the design of these wings was conventional compared with their full-sized siblings that you probably did your training on, and similarly may have been flying for some time. The wings look the same, aside from the size. The risers also look similar, but there are differences. The speed system on the A-risers may or may not be there; there may or may not be a trimmer system on the rear-risers as seen on tandem wings; and the wing may or may not have a reflex profile. These options in their various combinations introduce their own twists in the tale that you need to be aware of and learn to master. Recently, we have seen the introduction of wings that may be named by their manufactur- ers, as parakites, para-foils or whatever. They utilise a different riser system, again variously named as kite-risers. These alter the angle of attack across the entire chord of the wing by pulling on the brake handles. Again, this takes some mastery. The marketing blurbs of these wings make for interesting reading. There’s a lot of emphasis on the excitement factors: flying at speed, flying in close proximity to terrain while enjoying amazing manoeuvrability and agility. It all sounds very exciting, and no doubt it is, if you know what you’re doing. If not, well, you could end up being part of the terrain. There’s not much excitement there, take it from me. Before you can look at flying these aircraft, you need to take the time to learn how to fly a ‘normal’ paraglider. It cannot be rushed. This is why we have stipulated that you need to hold a PG4 pilot certificate before you can attain the Speed Wing Endorsement. Yes, that means that you need to rack up your year as a PG3 pilot certificate holder first, and then go and get some instruction from a properly endorsed instructor. It may very well save your life. ‘Why are you making it so hard?’ you ask. Are we? I’ll tell you what’s hard, sand is, when you smack into it from 5m AGL at full speed. That is what happened recently to a pilot up at Rainbow Beach following a collapse that was over in a matter of seconds. They had a heli- copter ride and a stint in ICU for their troubles. As in all spheres of aviation, it’s tremendous fun until it isn’t, and then it is just bloody painful if you are lucky enough to survive. Aside from injuring yourself, you need to consider the damage you could do to other people – other pilots and bystanders. We have had cases in both situations, where a pilot