Paragliding Greece

Archive for the ‘κέντρο επισκευών και έλεγχος εξοπλισμού αλεξιπτώτου πλαγιάς’ Category

Katerina member of the Olympic Wings team training with Sky Paragliders!

Paragliding equipment, glider service check and intermediate repair. Rescue parachute repack.

Invaluable practical experience and knowledge earned by spending five weeks in the production circle at the main Sky Paragliders glider and reserve factory unit in Frydlant, Czech Republic.

An amazing educational source of collective knowledge on the material applications, technical infrastructure and necessary cautions!

Cloths entering the facility in bulks of wrapped colored cylinders and exiting as trustworthy aerial tools in boxes ready to meet their pilots.

Laser cutting machines meet the precision required by design and cut the fabrics into numbered pieces of various geometrical shapes. Porcher Sport skytex and Domenico dokdo shiny coated “nylon” fabrics of almost all grades and shades form the top and bottom of the glider, paper-resembling white hard skytex fabric forms the ribs and diagonals fitted in the internal. Textile ribbon loops, border bands and harder Mylar parts or plastic wire spans to complete and enhance the resistance and functionality of each design.

A seamstress frustration and illumination as it all comes together…
Either in the process of sewing the glider or repairing it by replacing parts of the material that is damaged one will notice the ease with which these women dominate the gliders more than any pilot ever can. Turning a glider inside out within minutes literally to 100% PES threads, fitting pieces of material with curves and corners finally mastering the perfect dimensional shape of any glider with art.

Cutting of the suspension lines, found in many different types**, both by a cutting machine and a manual mechanical cutter or hot-iron. Stitching of each line to the points of specification, threading to the canopy with care and webbing the lines by order. Puzzling together the big ears system, the speed system and trim system with loops and patents. Performing technical control of the now complete glider, risers – lines – canopy. Measuring and adjusting the lines to meet the accurate technical data specifications.

Last step of producing a glider is the first ground inflation to combine the final practical test and visual check.

The mecca of rescue parachutes production where some of the greatest paragliding companies trust the making of their reserves.
Sewing machines beating endlessly, going through infinite square meters of red and white nylon fabric that is methodical packed into colorful bundles of safety, registered and shipped out in boxes.

A reliable service operation for used paragliders. The control staff has seen more than 20 different kinds of grasshoppers found inside gliders and smelled the sea from over 50 different beaches in Europe. The numbers are imaginary but can very well be close to the truth.
A different approach is taken while checking, tuning and reforming a used paraglider.
Porosity check, indoor inflation blowing machine, ripstop skytex sticker tape, meters of lines and eyes wide open.
An intriguing way to follow the expected and least expected faults, mishaps, natural wear and tear of gliders and equipment used for paragliding and paramotor!
Can it be fixed? Should it be replaced?

Thank you to everyone at Sky for being helpful and forthcoming despite the pressure by time, customers and dealers for their beloved paragliding goods.

A matrix of information and the constant of the human factor has unraveled itself.

** Cousin Trestec, Liros, Eldelrid, Teijin are the most common brands/producers of paragliding suspension lines.

Spectran/Dyneema white polyethylene lines, sheeted multicolor or unsheeted typically in pink color.
Technora/Twaron/Kevlar brownish aramid lines, sheeted multicolor or unsheeted typically in brown yellow colors.
Vectran white polyester lines, typically in orange color.

Sheeted lines are covered with multicolored polyester braided fibers for protection of the core.
Fun fact – this extra sheet of material carries 10% of the lines endurance.
Unsheeted lines are typically protected against abrasion by a polyurethane chemical solution.

Olympic Wings marks the know-how in paragliding equipment quality control delivered from Mcc Aviation for the optimal safety, performance and recovery in flight.

Katerina from the Olympic Wings team training at glider check and rescue parachute check repack at the Mcc Aviation atelier in Switzerland.

“Your hands and your eyes are the best tools” quote of Mr Alexander Paux.

Hands on workmanship and the just combination of material technical standards and actual in flight responses of the paragliding equipment are skills acquired with insight, experience and consistency.

The study approach of gliders as flying machines allows pilots and tuning masters to advantage of a glider’s strengths so much as of it’s weaknesses.

Canopies, risers, suspension lines and overall glider design are truly developing by the moment and now produce a numeric web of information that can be deciphered and put in use by few and very knowledgable people.

A trustworthy practical methodology that takes you from A to Z with a natural feel of the fabrics will teach and reveal the faults and best potentials of the gliders and equipment.

Paraglider checks should be held the least once a year or times separating seasons in a year to follow the natural fatigue of the materials from the environment.
The paragliding equipment becomes safe and the pilots feel the difference in flight behaviour.

Parachute check should also be held once a year to maintain the materials in the expected condition further most important to foresee and justify every split second of the parachute release time.
The ultimate goal is to shorten the time it takes for the parachute to open with ergonomic precision and reliability.
Every second counts.

Special gratitude to the Mcc Aviation team and friends.