2016, a new season
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News
Portfolio
Omikron-Advance gets into accro
Grounded thanks to the buckles
Flight Technics
Controlling with your feet
Tests
Gin Carrera+
BGD Cure
Swing Mito - Myth or magic?
Aircross - Double U
Reports
The right mix for a paramotor
Stand up flying on a drone
SMAAP simulator
DHV flying ban for many harnesses
- Details
The DHV have grounded a large number of harnesses with chest straps using automatic T-lock and Click-lock buckles (HSi10) made by the company, Finsterwalder Charly. This concerns numerous harnesses made by Advance, Ava-Sports, Apco, Finsterwalder & Charly, Karpofly, Sky Paragliders, Skytrekking, Sol and Woody Valley, as well as some harnesses used for paramotoring.
The DHV have issued a Safety Notice, legally binding in Germany, to stop using harnesses thus equipped, at the latest, four years after their production or, to be more precise, since the final control when they left the factory. The owners of such harnesses are asked to contact the manufacturer.
According to information received by the editor of free.aero, this was, no doubt, triggered by the fatal accident involving a Polish pilot at the beginning of May in addition to another incident during a SAT. In both cases, the automatic Click-lock buckles apparently opened under load. The T-locks haven’t been involved in an incident yet but their design is identical to the Click-locks.
The problem, according to the DHV, is the repetitive loading on these buckles or, more precisely, the cycles of diagonal load/unload which can, over a long time, wear out this piece of equipment. As a consequence, opening unexpectedly when loaded diagonally, can’t be ruled out.
This only applies to the chest buckles, which are loaded and unloaded, unlike the buckles on the thigh straps which have hardly any pressure on them in flight. For buckles which are subjected to static, non cyclical load, the manufacturer has specified a 10 year life (the normal length of time in Germany).
We think (and special care should be taken with this information which isn’t in the DHV statement), that the risk could in particular concern harnesses with ‘Get-Up’ type fastenings with two waist buckles. In flight they are regularly loaded and then unloaded. If one of them releases, there is a high risk of falling out.
An English version of the DHV’s statement can be read here:
http://www.dhv.de/db1/source/technicdatareportnotes.php?lang=en&item=245
Special Instruments
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What’s the point?
The flight recorder
GSM live tracking
Live tracking by satellite Spot, Delorme inReach SE, Explorer, YBTracking YB3
Measuring the wind
Air speed probes: true speed
Instruments: the new generation
Gyro-vario: new sensors and algorithms AHRS
Tests:
XC-Tracer, Flytec Sensbox & Connect & Element, Compass C-Pilot Evo & Easy Pilot & XC-Pilot, Skytraxx 2.0 & 3.0, ASI Flynet XC1, Syride SysNav V3, Flymaster Live SD, Naviter Oudie 3+ & 4, Reversale VGP, Ascent H1 update, Digifly, GPSBip, Skybean Skydrop, Fly Electonics Motor Monitor
Free.aero is becoming more international by the day!
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In response to popular demand, we will be publishing some of our articles in other languages. These extra issues add to our portfolio of regular editions in English, French, German and Italian.
We’ve just published the following:
- Stalls in Dutch
- Asymmetric collapses in Turkish
- Weather in Polish
- Bir in Polish
http://en.free.aero/index.php/free-aero-other-languages
Happy reading and safe thermalling to all our new readers in these countries.
Trends 2016
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PORTFOLIO: Horacio Llorens - Polar Paramotoring
News paragliding World Cup
Las Candelas
TRENDS:
Trends: the weight of wings
Stretch out! (Trends aspect ratio)
Leading edge rods: a new trend from yesterday, evident today
Stubai Cup
The Swan project
TESTS:
Niviuk Ikuma 23, 25
Skywalk Cayenne 5 S, XS
Niviuk Kougar 2
Ozone Roadster 2
Ozone Viper 3
Dudek Snake versus snake XX
The exhibitors at the 2016 Thermik-messe trade show
Different formats available:
Light
- Details
NEWS
PHOTOS, TECHNIQUES, TESTS, COMPARISONS
Feeling light
Single skins, back to our roots
Going up with single skins
The Skin Plume and the UFO face to face
Lightweight wings, the pros and cons
Unsheathed lines: why they need to be protected
THE X-ALPS 2015 – FOR ALL
EQUIPMENT TRIED AND TESTED, WHICH BENEFITS ALL PILOTS
Quick test: Kortel Kolibri Pro
Quick test: Skywalk Range X-Alps
Quick test: Skyman Coconea
Head torch test, an enlightened choice
X-Alps: the return of the poles
Leatherman: the multipurpose tool
A battery, up to the toughest race?
QUICK TESTS AND A LOOK AT HANDLING
Karpo Fly Fantom extra light
Nova Ibex 3
Icaro Sitta
Ozone UL 3
Skyman CrossCountry
Gradient Denali
Trekking Trek
Nova Ion 3 light
Paramotor Adventure X-Race Lite
PRESENTATION
Paramotor Miniplane, the next generation
Polini light: Thor 80
Paramotor Simplify X1 Adventure
Different formats available:
- PDF high quality
- HTML-Format (in beta since december 2015)
- Reading ISSUU
JBC’S new video
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Pilot and film maker, Jean Baptiste Chandelier has just released an impressive new video clip.
Weather, finding the right info to get higher
- Details
NEWS
TECHINCAL
Which weather forecast for tomorrow?
Eight tips for forecasting the best days
The enigma of the Emagram
TESTS
Piou-Piou : the weather station for everyone
Windfinder, the full story
Different formats available:
The Paragliding World Cup Bir, India
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From the 21st to the 28th of October 2015 the Paragliding World Cup flew to Bollywood and beyond and, despite initial fears, there weren’t too many cases of Bir Belly even by the end of the competition.
Coupe Icare 2015
- Details
New wings
New equipment
Different formats available:
- PDF high quality
- HTML-Format (in beta since december 2015)