Common Flaws with regard to Launching
No matter what launch method you use, fundamentals are the keys to success. In 25 years of flying and teaching, I analyze and record to memory each launch I watch. Below, I will discuss some of the most common missed points or technique flaws. Each flaw is directly related to kiting techniques and practice can take care of each of these.
The following is a discussion of some of these fundamentals and perspectives. Learn to eliminate these flaws and you will take your launches to the next level.
Being unaware that there is a “good side” and “bad side” when lifting the wing during reverse launches:
During a reverse launch most pilots try to lift the wing to the center. Center is fine, but very slightly toward the turn side can be even better. I teach the reverse launch with the risers arranged for the pilot to turn to the left. If a pilot that is going to turn to the left lifts the wing slightly to the right, the turn will be extra difficult because, with the wing leaning to the right, the pilot can have difficulty rotating around the right side of the risers. Pilots often lose their balance when trying to rotate under the right side of the risers while trying to turn to the left.
When the wing is lifted toward the left side (in this case, the turn side), the pilot will better rotate around the risers. In addition, the pilot is moving back under the wing. The wing will tend to jump back directly over the pilot as the check and subsequent turn are done with the wing on the turn side. .
There are a couple key reasons why the “turn to” side is the good side and why the “other” side is bad. The following points show why this is true:
- When the pilot pivots, their body moves toward around the pivot point (a left turning pilot pivots around the risers and their left foot). This means that they move to the left. If the wing is on the left, this direction will help the pilot stay or move under the wing better. If the wing is on the right, moving left will make the wing fall further to the right.
- The pivot and turn are easier when the risers are not in the way. For a left turning pilot, if the wing is on the right, the risers will be harder to rotate around and sometimes the pilot even needs to duck around them. This often results in the pilot losing their balance.
In straight handed lifts (A Riser and Brakes, reverse launches) pilots can learn to aim and guide the wing to come overhead slightly on the side they turn toward. If the wing begins coming up to the “other” side, they can aggressively lift the low side to overcome this. If the wing comes up a bit too far to the turn side, they can begin the correction for this as they begin their turn and also move laterally under the wing while this correction is done. The turn will not be impacted by this because the risers are leaning out of the way.
In A/C launches, whichever side the pilot offsets to, the wing will come up toward. So to help the wing come up to the turn side, the pilot should offset 2 or 3 feet to the “turn to” side.
During any lift where the wing comes up to the “bad” side, doing a quick abort and trying again will remove the tricky turn and related complexities!
Not stabilizing the glider overhead before turning and or accelerating:
This one, you will see all the time if you watch for it. Pilots will lift the wing, not check it enough and rush to turn and accelerate. As they pause a little while turning (it is near impossible to not slow down a little while rotating around the risers), the wing gets way out in front of the pilot. In this scenario, the wing might have a full collapse, partial collapse or just barely stay inflated and force the pilot to run way down the hill. The resultant scenarios from such a start all have potential to be very bad.
In all launches, the “check” part of the launch is used to stop the wing from overflying the pilot. If a check is done too strong, the wing can fall behind the pilot a little and if the run begins with the wing slightly aft of overhead, it will surge during the run. Some of this is discussed in the article https://www.paragliding-lessons.com/pitch-control-and-aborts-during-reverse-launches/. The check part of each launch method (forward, reverse, reverse A/C style etc.) is the most important part of the launch.
In lighter winds, you can do a bigger and more solid check when you keep moving backwards as you check the wing with brakes or C risers. One of the most common flaws in launches is that when the wing is midway up, it will stop the pilot from backing up. At this point of the lift, the wing will not allow the pilot to resume backing up until the wing starts to get overhead. So, the pilot must learn to come out of the arch and resume backing up as the wing comes overhead and the check begins. If you practice this while kiting, you will find that it will be hard for the wing to fall back to the ground if you keep your body low and aggressively continue to move backward as you check the wing. You can then smoothly release the check (brakes or Cs) and back up into your turn.
Pilots stand too tall when lifting and checking the wing:
Launching correctly is a form of movement that is like dance. When you see a pilot that is good at kiting, you will see some common point with regard to their body position and how they move around under the wing. In a steady 8 – 10 MPH wind, pilots can get a way with tons of flaws, but in stronger or lighter winds, the pilots with better body mechanics and stances will have much better kiting ability.
The benefits of squatting down and staying on the balls of the feet include:
- Better ability to rotate around the risers during the turn transition. This is because the bend of the hips creates better separation between your head and the risers. Remember, your head rotates around the risers from the upwind side to the downwind side as you turn forward. A pilot standing taller will often try to use their head as the center of rotation instead of it being the risers.
- Better balance comes from this position. No matter if the wind in light or strong, the low position and staying on the balls of the feet force a pilot to stay in balance. A guaranteed way of messing up a perfectly good launch is to get on the heels when lifting the wing. This almost always results in a pilot falling down when the turn happens. The low position and staying on the balls of the feet have a magical effect of balance.
- Staying on the ground when gusts happen or in high winds In higher winds or when gusts happen, if you are low and balanced, you can let your full weight hang in the harness when the wing is trying to lift you into the air. When the force of lift is great enough to lift your full weight, it will have to lift you further because you have an extra foot of give because your legs can extend and keep in contact with the ground.
Pilots come out of their torpedo when in the launch run:
Many pilots have a hard time committing to a torpedo during a launch. Instead of the upper body staying parallel with the ground, they start to come upright a little as they get close to taking off. When the torpedo weakens, the arms cannot stay up and the brakes begin to get pulled.
If you can learn to stay low and bent at the hips, you can then learn to leave the ground while remaining in a full torpedo. If you are not in a full torpedo when you leave the ground, when the wing lift you off, you might be force to rotate to a seated position.
Pilots get overwhelmed or rushed on launch:
I might have a student that has demonstrated good kiting at a park or flat spot when we went out and practiced in a steady breeze. When this same student gets up on launch, they sometimes are unable to go into kiting mode on launch. I suspect that in most cases where this happens, it is nerves and lack of confidence that perpetuate this. If you think of launching as a form of kiting instead of something separate, this might help. Launching really is kiting until the pilot leaves the ground.
For example: A pilot was out with me a few days ago. We worked on kiting and he got really good at releasing the “other” hand when kiting. On launch today, he did everything right except for this. It was apparent to me that he was rushed and not focused or comfortable. All of the above fundamentals work together. This is why kiting and launching are so difficult to master, any one part that is not done correctly can be the one part that reeks havoc on a launch.
Work on your “Zen” side of kiting when you practice. What I mean by Zen is calm and relaxed feel and connection to the wing. After working on this feel during kiting, it is then important to bring this to launching situations. Habits and kiting without thinking is a much better way to kite during a launch. The addition of nerves on launch can be minimized by good instincts and feel. It is always easy to see the pilot that is controlling their kiting by thinking through each action.
There are some pilots that have the ability to stay calm and connected in all situations. For others, this is not a natural state, especially when standing on a steep mountain with thermals popping off, spectators and when fear naturally pops up. There is no magic pill to eliminate fear. In fact, fear is a good thing. It is the muscle tension and focus that the pilot needs to control. If you can become aware of how you deal with muscle tension and learn to stay focused on the fundamentals without feeling rushed, you will see your technique get better and better.
Don’t ever try to force a launch. If a launch starts bad, simply abort and start over. Learn what your limits are with launch and the kiting part so that you will better know what your tolerances are.
