moonwrasse Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Hello I am just about to start my paramotor lessons, What is the score with carring a reserve? do people bother or not? most of the people i have seen do not bother carrying one. I was quite suprised by this, i have done a bit of paragliding and most people carried a reserve, So why dont people carry a reserve ? i read somewhere that 1 in 20 carry one ? this seems very low to me . I will have one when i get to fly And Hello to every one on the forum moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alancorrie Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 I recall reading somewhere that carrying a reserve presents some risk although small of accidental deployment and this fact should be weighed against the risk of actually needing to deploy. Did I imagine this or has anyone else read similar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantheman Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 You did not imagine it, there are youtube clips of unintentional deployment from a powered hang glider and some stories of this happening in paragliding so I would imagine it applies to ppg. There is also the risk of deploying to hastily where your own wing would recover quicker than the reserve inflates, so you end up with two inflated wings. All this aside, if you suffer mechanical failure, get locked into a spiral or your prop disintergrates and takes out your wing etc etc then you are safer with a reserve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete_b Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 When/if it all goes wrong you would pay a fortune for one.By then it is to late Get and carry it Pete b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Hi Moon, common sense really, if all goes pear shaped or in our case the paraglider stops flying a reserve is your second chance. Having one fitted gives you that little bit more confidence as well. Part of your preflight check also is to check the pins and straps on your reserve so that you don't have an accidental deployment. Also make sure you have it repacked at least once a year. Like paragliders, reserves apparently only last a max of ten years before they need replacing. Fly safe. Regards Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 All good points here. It is a ballance of risk thing. They can accidentally deploy, its an extra piece of equipment to mainatin and preflight check, reserve bridles are often poorly routed on a PPG harness, the likelihood of needing one as a result of turbulence is smaller if you only fly in smooth conditions, it adds weight. but, mechanical failure of the motor or chassis, cascading line breaks, mid air collission, locked in spiral or large cravat, thermic flying, carabiner/mailon/shackle failure(yes they do), all might require a reserve deployment. I think each pilot balances these risks and comes to an assessment for their individual case. I pretty much always fly with a reserve. I needs to be as carefully chosen and mainatained as the wing and motor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonwrasse Posted April 8, 2008 Author Share Posted April 8, 2008 Thank you all for your replies, They are all good points made, I think i would rather carry one than be wishing that i had one if the situation arose ...... moon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.