The A/C launch for Paragliders

Lifting a paraglider in stronger winds can be difficult because of the great amount of force that the wing generates and the super rapid ascent the gliders receive as a result of this. The paraglider can ascend so fast that it can lift/jerk you into the air suddenly if you attempt to stop its rapid ascent with the brakes. Flying in stronger winds should be done with caution and this is a skill that takes a gradual approach.

One solution to the rapid glider ascent is the A/C launch. This launch is called this because the wing is lifted with one hand on the A risers and the 2nd hand managing the C risers to slow the wing’s ascent during a high wind pull up. After getting proficient at a standard Preset Hands launch, this variation can be learned almost instantly. The trade off is that you lose the ability to symmetrically lift the A risers as you can with the standard preset hands technique. If you have solid kiting ability, it is easy to center the wing after checking up the wings ascent. After checking the wing with the pull of the C risers, you release them and go to normal kiting mode with the brakes.

The technique is also useful in lighter winds. In winds from 3 – 5 MPH, wings often slingshot from mid-way up to past overhead. Properly timed brake application can deal with this well, but the feel of using the Cs to check the wing is preferred by many.

It is also possible to steer the wing by scissoring the A and C risers left and right, but it is not nearly as easy to steer this way as using the brakes. Because of this, I prefer to teach using the A/C as a “lift and check” technique and after this, to just go to normal brake kiting.

TECHNIQUE
The brakes are set up and held in the same way as you do with preset hands, how it differs is that only one hand lifts the A risers. The benefit of this is that the second hand can grasp the C riser and use it to stop and slow the wing down during and at the end of the ascent.

Brakes are in normal “preset” position, both A risers go in right hand and both C risers go into left hand.

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Use the C risers in one hand on any glider that has a riser system with the full 4 riser set. On a 3 riser system (with a combo C/D), use the rear riser / C riser.

Lift the wing with as much A as is deemed necessary for wing ascent. The technique varies in method in different conditions and some wings like slightly different method.

In light (3-5) winds:
Leave the C riser slack as you begin the ascents. When the wing is half way or a bit more up, pull enough C riser to check the wing up overhead. If for some reason the wing comes up crooked, you can use pull the C riser strongly to kill the wing and abort.

In moderate (6-10) winds:
For more moderately strong winds, you can smoothly pull the Cs as the wing ascends at about 50% of the way up. The biggest benefit is that instead of having to pull hard on the brakes to stop the wing from over-flying you (this often results in the pilot getting yanked violently into the air), you can pull just a few inches of C riser to manage how fast the wing comes overhead. The key is to learn to adjust how much C riser to pull as the wings ascent speed dictates. Click the below image for a video that shows the whole process in slow motion, then at full speed.

In strong (11 +) winds:
Use about 3″ pull on the Cs while lifting to slow the ascent from the beginning. The slight pull on this will slow the wings ascent and eliminate the wings power and surge off the ground. As the wing ascends you can adjust the pace by how much C you pull. If the wing is coming up too slow, just let off a bit of C or lean a little more into the As. If the wing is coming up too fast, just pull a little more C. Once the wing is about 75 – 80% overhead, you can let go of the As and Cs and the high wind surge will already have been controlled. Wings will vary, but once you get this one down, your high wind launches will have far less stress.

At this point, the C risers are pulled about 2 – 3inches.
If the wings ascent slows too much, let up on the C risers.
If the wing continues to ascend, pull a little more C riser.

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Click Picture above for Video of an A/C launch.
It happens pretty quick, watch for quick pull of left hand.

It is best to experiment with this technique in moderate winds at first. Practice how much C to pull and when to release. Once the wing has climbed overhead, simply release the C riser and go to the brakes to center the wing. If the wing is off to the side, centering is not difficult because of the higher winds.