Windtech bantoo - Manual (Page 13)

13
--big ears
Big-ears is a simple descent technique & can sometimes be very useful for top landing,
keeping out of cloud, and in an emergency if you are over-shooting your landing area.
To induce big-ears on the bantoo, keep the brakes in your hands and reach up to hold
the top of the special split-A risers. Pull the lines out and down, one at a time, to collap-
se the tips of the wing (10 – 30% each side, depending on how much line you pull).
Make sure that you have the correct lines, that you do the correct action, and that you
don't pull too much brake whilst pulling in the big ears. Also make sure you are looking
where you are going whilst you are doing this.
Once holding in the big-ears, you will not be able to steer with the controls (brakes). You
can steer the glider using weight shift, and with tandem the passenger can assist you to
do this effectively.
Generally avoid using big-ears near the ground (below 200ft AGL), as the extra disturban-
ce to the airflow over the wing that big-ears creates can make any paraglider more prone
to deep stalling, especially in the turbulence and wind shear normally near the ground.
To exit big-ears, simply let go of the big-ear riser and wait for the wing tips to re-infla-
te themselves. If they do not inflate themselves then pump the brakes, one at a time, to
help them re-inflate.
--spiral dive
The Spiral dive is obtained by maintaining a tight 360 degree turn. Gradually the turn will
accelerate, especially by pulling more on the inside brake and weight shifting harder into
the turn, and so you will enter a spiral dive.
Be careful not to pull the brake too hard, too quickly, especially on entry, as it is possible
to spin the glider in this way.
Very agressive spiral dives can cause eyesight and equilibrium problems, extremely dan-
gerous, especially near the ground.
Recovery from a spiral dive, this should be done gently and progressively. The inner brake
must be progressively and slowly released, until the canopy assumes normal flight, and
angle of bank, again. A good "rule of thumb" is to use the same number of 360-degree
turns as you did on entry on exit to give a safe and progressive pullout. Be careful not to
come out of a hard spiral dive too quickly, as the resulting climb-out can be extreme. If
the glider dives hard after a hasty exit from a tight spiral dive, it may be necessary to
damp the dive, with the brakes.
--b-line stall
The bantoo comes equipped with a special riser system to facilitate entering a b-line
stall, with handles similar to those of the brakes. If one pulls these the bantoo will
enter the b-line stall and come straight down, drifting with the wind.
One can control the rate of descent by pulling more or less on the b-line handles, obtai-
ning decent rates of between 5 and 11 m/s. To exit from this configuration, SYMETRI-
CALLY raise both b-line handles AT THE SAME TIME, letting go of the risers for the last
10cm. The bantoo will regain flight spontaneously, with a small dive.