Safety Checks

Parachute Compatibility the German Paragliding Association and Kite Flight Association (DhV) Representative of the Federal Ministry of transport testing and Licensing Authority Aviation Inspectorate order testing the airworthiness of harness-rescue equipment combinations for paragliders and hang gliders (compatibility test) In 1995, 1997 and 2002, three airworthiness instructions and DhV warnings published: www.dhv.de/db1/technicdatareportnotes. php?lang=de&item=54 www.dhv.de/db1/technicdatareportnotes. php?lang=de&item=27 www.dhv.de/db1/technicdatareportnotes. php?lang=de&item=92 these airworthiness directives/warnings contain partly outdated technical information and will be repealed. Instead, the DhV issues the following aviation supervisory order in accordance with Section 29 Paragraph 1 Clause 1 and 2, Section 31c No. 5 LuftVG, Section 3 No. 4 BeauftrV.

Purpose and obligation

During the compatibility test, a competent person determines whether the combination of a specific rescue device outer container (as a harness outer container or external outer container, e.g. front container) with a specific rescue device (with rescue device-related inner container or harness-related inner container) is airworthy.

Flights on the areas and airfields mentioned in § 3 No. 4 BeauftrV may only be carried out if the harness and rescue device have been checked for compatibility in accordance with this decree.

Experts are experts - employees of the companies and flight schools authorised to instruct, - DhV flight instructors and flight instructor candidates with valid authorisation, - persons with a comprehensive briefing on the activity of the compatibility check. the instruction can be given by a company that manufactures/individually tests typeapproved harnesses or rescue equipment, by a paragliding or hang gliding flight school commissioned by it, or by a company commissioned by it.

execution

the compatibility test is to be carried out in the following steps: 1. Determination based on the information in the operating instructions that the harness and rescue device are basically compatible. In the case of harnesses with an associated rescue equipment inner container, it must be ensured that the rescue equipment to be combined has approval from the manufacturer for installation in the relevant harness-related inner container. 2. It must be checked that the length and type of the release handle and the connection to the inner container do not pose a risk of the rescue system being released from the inner container, such as getting caught or entangled with the lines of the rescue system. 3. Installation of the rescue device with inner container in the harness outer container or external outer container according to the operating instructions. 4. Release test by the competent person. the release test must be carried out in a harness suspension (simulator) in the harness in flight position. the inner container must be completely released from the harness. During this release test, it must be determined that a) the release handle is easy to reach and easy to grasp, b) the inner container can be pulled out of the harness outer container or external outer container easily and with easy exertion of force, c) the configuration of the release handle, connection line and inner container enables the inner container to be thrown away powerfully in one pull when it is pulled out. 5. If the compatibility test has met the stated requirements, the rescue parachute with inner container is reinstalled in the harness outer container or external outer container in accordance with the operating instructions. 6. If, after the release test, the competent person has doubts that the safe release is independent of individual, physical factors, such as arm length, direction of pull, exertion of force by a user, a release test must be carried out by the future user together with a competent person according to the criteria in No. 4.

confirmation

the positive compatibility test must be confirmed in writing. otherwise, the non-existing compatibility and thus the airworthiness of the combination must be documented in writing together with the reasons. the confirmation or the documentation must be kept by the competent person. Notification to the manufacturer and DhV A notification to the respective manufacturer and the DhV is required if the competent person determines a general technical incompatibility between the harness and the rescue system. Report to the DhV at sicherheit@dhvmail.de - November 24th, 2021

Robin Friess, Managing Director

Karl Slezak, Department for Safety and technology

DhV info@dhvmail.de www.dhv.de

Charly Parachute Connection

Due to a problem that has recently come into focus that the reserve handle, especially of harnesses with integrated rescue compartments, can get caught in the lines after deployment and block the opening of the rescue system, we have limited the maximum length of the connection between the reserve handle and the inner container of the rescue system to 37 cm for Charly rescue parachutes.

the picture shows how to measure the length. the length of the connection between reserve handle and inner container should be checked by the pilots before the next flight.

If it is necessary to shorten the connection between the reserve handle and the container, this should be done by qualified persons (harness manufacturer or companies authorised by the manufacturer), and finally, the functionality should be checked by means of a compatibility test.

In case of doubt, concerned pilots should contact the harness manufacturer in order to obtain a handle of the correct length. Kortel Parachute Connection

Kanibal Race 2/St Rescue handle entanglement problem with the lines of the rescue parachute description A fatal accident this summer highlighted a potential problem with the compatibility of the Kanibal Race II and Race St handles with the DiamondCross and Krisis Karre pods. the Kanibal Race II and Race St rescue handle has a long attachment to accommodate the wide variety of pods on the different rescue parachutes available on the market, in order to ensure that the rescue parachute can be properly extracted from the harness container in any configuration. however, in some cases, the attachment of this handle can lead to an excessive total length, which can cause the handle to become entangled with the lines of the rescue parachute, preventing it from deploying properly.

In the specific case of this accident, the connection of the handle to the podtriangle of the Diamond/Karre rescue parachute brings the length to 50-52cm (pod to top of handle). Procedure to avoid the risk of tangling, the total length with the current handle should be reduced to about 40cm. to do this, simply tie a knot just after the lark’s head connecting the handle to the pod. other pod models, with extended attachments or special connection points, may require the same type of modification, with individual length adaptation. the general principle is to reduce the final length as much as possible (to limit tangling), but to keep a sufficient length to guarantee the opening of the harness container and the correct extraction of the pod. We remind you that it is imperative to perform an extraction test after each installation of a rescue parachute in a harness of any kind. - october 2021

Kortel Designs, info@korteldesign.com www.korteldesign.com

Supair Strike 2 Harness Rescue Compatibility Product: Strike 2 index A1 harness, all sizes. subject: Risk of difficulty in extracting the parachute with a Strike2 harness. time limit: You must do this before your next flight. Problem: In some cases, depending on the movement made and the volume of the parachute, it may be difficult to extract the parachute from its container.

We found a solution to facilitate this release. this solution has been tested with the different combinations of Strike 2 harness sizes and SupAir parachute models and sizes. this requires action from you or a professional in the paragliding activity (instructor, reseller, control center, etc.).the type of reserve inner container and the junction locations between the container and the handle are all important for correct operation. Procedure: We advise you to perform a proper reserve compatibility test (extraction test) whilst hanging in the harness in normal flight position. What to do next will depend on the result. Complete the following process step by step. (Please turn to page 14) - 06/12/2021

Supair, info@supair.com