SAFA Skysailor Magazine

21 March | April 2021 SKY SAILOR Safety Notices Gin Genie Lite 3 Some models of the Genie Lite 3 harness have been found to have issues with the rescue handle. This may cause difficulty to extract the rescue. If you own a Genie Lite 3 purchased before February 2021, please download this PDF which gives details of the recommended action, which must be taken before your next flight. If in any doubt, please contact your Gin dealer. In addition, we remind all pilots and dealers of the importance of post-installation and pre-flight checks. These are detailed in the relevant product manuals which are available on the respective product pages. Gin Gliders New Products Skywalk Arak Air – Ultra-lightweight The original Arak is the most versatile glider in our model range and has made a name for itself as a real ‘multi-tool’: Easy to handle and immediately inspiring confidence, its performance enables flights beyond the 300km mark and its handling invites playful flying of any kind. The special edition of our multi-tool brings all these features to an ultra-lightweight level: The Arak Air combines the concept of the Arak with the technology of our X-Alps wings. At only 2.9kg, the Arak Air’s weight is not only reduced by 30%, its packing size is also considerably smaller, so the feather-light glider fits into even the smallest backpack. This exclusive combination makes the Arak Air the perfect glider for all pilots who like to fly X-Alps-style and who want to rely on the passive safety of an intermediate glider. Skywalk Paragliders Line replacement mistake Based on a fatal accident which befell a well-known pilot in the United States, this notice is worth repeating from the recent Airwaves newsletter. The pilot was flying an Ozone Zeno when lost during a cross-country flight. When eventually found over a month later, Ozone inspected the wing and found damage to the wing related to the method used to attach some lines to the wing during a previous replacement. When paraglider lines are replaced, they need to be secured with a lark’s knot around the entire wing attachment loop, as shown here: When found following this accident, lines were seen to be wrongly attached directly to the loop as seen here: Correct lark’s knot INCORRECT ATTACHMENT This method of attaching the lines significantly decreases the distribution of load, particularly critical in high-wing loading and shock loading situations. You can see the incorrect and correct way to do this demonstrated in this short video . Iain Clarke, SAFA Safety Management Officer