**NOTE: I didn't cut the impact as many people seem to believe in the comments. The Image went black as soon the camera impacted the ground**
There's a at least a few different glider certification agencies out there that perform
safety tests that are designed to test the passive safety of paragliders when subjected to extreme test manoeuvres.
Almost all competition gliders (Such as the Snake 1.2 in this video) are not certified beyond load testing, probably for the sake of the test pilot's safety because is is generally known that these types of gliders will fail the majority of the testing criteria.
I have a tendency to like learning things the hard way as well as testing the limitations of equipment and my own personal skills.
On this day I am demoing a Dudek Snake 1.2 for the first time, and this waa my first flight on it.
I always like to test the characteristics of new gliders to learn how they behave in certain situations, such as by practicing simulated collapses from safe attitudes (and with a rescue chute, usually with two).
In this video you will see me inducing an asymmetric collpase with trimmers in (trimmers control the airspeed of the glider, trims in = slowest speed configuration) by pulling down (and holding them down) the left "A" risers while quickly weight shifting to the right and applying pressure to the right brake toggle to maintain heading. I then slowly let up on the left "A" risers to allow the glider to reinflate and begin flying as normal.
This demonstrates that if you are actively piloting the glider and encounter rotor/turbulence resulting in an asymmetric collapse, with a quick enough reaction and properly timed, correct inputs, the collapse might not be a big deal and will be a non-event for the most part.
I then demonstrate what can happen in the event one experiences an abrubt deflation / asymmetric collapse if you are perhaps not prepared for it (ie. if your brake toggles were stowed while messing around with a camera, phone or whatever, or if you simply had your hands on the toggles flying at trim speed with zero pressure on your toggles).
I demonstrate this by an induced collapse to my left side, but this time immediately letting up on the left riser after pulling it down to induce the collapse as well as by not using any opposite brake to counter the effects (right hand all the way up).
As you will see, the results can be very violent and will likely result in uncorretable riser twists & cravat, followed by deployment of a rescue parachute.
Real life collapses may well exhibit completely different recovery reactions, depending on construction and design, and may very well result in a glider behaving more or less dynamically or benignly. A realistic judgement of personal piloting skills and flying conditions are the major safety factors when flying paragliders, independent of a gliders safety class rating.
Tests are generally conducted in still air. In particular, asymmetric collapses are performed These tests are designed to reveal design weaknesses under worst-case scenarios: i.e. when a pilot finds him/her-self in extreme turbulence and then remains passive.
It is important to note that alongside the reactions to massive collapses, other parameters are also important when trying to classify the the passive safety of a paraglider, for example collapse resistance, canopy feedback and controllability.
In order to understand how a glider is rated, it is important to read the entire certification report (if your glider is wven certified) and not concentrate on the summary numbers at the end.
Every glider is different and wing loading makes a huge difference as well, so results will vary depending on level of glider certification (if any).
In case you were wondering, I walked away with zero injuries. The so called "crumple zone" of my Flat Top paramotor absorbed the impact and I didn't feel a thing even though my paramotor looked like it was squashed! ( For some reaaon there is a lot of controversy in the Paramotor community with people upset that the Mfg of this paramotor frame advertises the "crumple zone" feature of his frame design)
Equipment:
•Flat Top Paramotor with Vittorazi Moster 185cc
•Sky Light Reserve, size XL by Sky gliders
•Dudek Snake 1.2, 20m
