Begin
by connecting the risers to the harness. After completing
a thorough preflight of the wing, line up the risers with
the A lines side by side on top. (Photo
A)
Photo
A
Next,
rotate the risers at the bottom connection loop 180 degrees
to the left. (Photo B)
Photo
B
The
risers can now be connected to the karabiners in
this position. The karabinerslay
out horizontally. Keep the risers oriented the same
as they were (with the 180 degree twist) as you
connect each respective side. (Photo
C)
Photo
C
Once
you have finished connecting the karabiners, you
will connect the speed system. Align your risers
so that they are all in parallel with the A
riser untwisted and facing the ground. Take the
connector from the A riser to the
outside and connect the speed system line to this.
Make sure that the speed system line is on the outside
of all harness webbing as it goes to the connection
point. It should not wrap around anything on the
way from the pulley to the connector. (Photo
D)
Photo
D
HHRB
Now
that you are properly connected, you can begin your Harness
Preflight aka connection preflight. The steps are broken down
into the pneumonic Helmet,
Harness, and Risers & Brakes.
I recommend verbally stating each phase of the following
checks as you do them. It gets you in the habit of the
full checks and helps build the system that promotes safety
not only to you, but to those around you as well.
Helmet
The Helmet check is to see if your helmet is on and
secured. To test this, simply pull on your helmet’s chin
strap. I use the chin strap because this ensures that not
only is the helmet on, but the chin strap is secure. If you
just tap the helmet, you could take off with your chin strap
unsecured.
Harness
The
Harness check involves a list of components.
- Leg
Straps – Check that leg straps are connected and
secure
- Waist
Belt – Check that it is secured
- Karabiners
– Verify gates are closed and locked
- Speed
System – Verify that it is connected, routed right
and ready for use
- Reserve
– Reach with hand to verify if reserve handle is secured
to harness and has not become dislodged.
Risers
and Brakes
The
Riser & Brake Check is done to
ensure that the risers have been correctly routed.
The risers should be routed such that they will
not be twisted following the turn from facing the
wing to facing forward. You are also checking the
correct routing of the brakes and speed system as
you do the subsequent checks. With the risers crossed
as you face the glider, align the risers so that
each A riser and line set is on
top. Make sure that the risers are grouped with
the webbing aligned in parallel. Put both risers
in your palms and do a 1/2 turn to the left. I call
this check a "Half Turn Check"
Hand Setup for the Half Turn Check
Turning
to check the Risers
A
Full Half Turn check, final position
A
Variation of the Half Turn check is pictured here.
In
this position, look at the speed system lines and check if
they are routed correctly for the turn transition. Check that
the front of the risers will remain the front as you do your
turn transition to the left.
The
next step is to separate the brakes from the risers.
After completing the half turn check, keep the risers
in your hands as you had them in preparation for
the half turn check.
From
this position, you can just release the risers and
grab each brake and punch both hands to unsnap the
brakes.
Photo
F
Photo
G
After separating the brakes you just need to arrange
the risers for the correct A risers
to be in each hand. To do this, you will cross the
left riser set over the right and rotate it to the
right so that the A riser is on top.
Top
Riser goes to the Right hand - Keep the
brakes in your hands and grab this A
(the one connected to your left hip
and now crossing to the right)
riser with your right hand. Before you place each A Riser, ensure that
it's lines are on top as they go to the wing.
Bottom
Riser goes to the Left hand - With the
brake in the hand, reach around and below the top
set to the bottom riser set. Find and place the
other A riser into your left hand and, again, make
sure that it is arranged to have the A lines on
top as they progress to the wing.
Photo
L
This
completes the connection and harness preflight.
You are now ready for a reverse or turn transition
launch.
It
is noteworthy to say that the entire harness connection
checks must be done after putting the harness on
and connecting to the glider. When on the training
hill, prior to each flight (as long as you have
not gotten out of the harness or anything similar),
you should do the Half Turn Check and Brake setup
for every flight. It would not harm you to repeat
the entire set of checks, but should not be necessary
unless you have changed or disconnected any part
of your gear. To further ensure your safety, never
undo buckles or such unless you are going to fully
exit the harness.
If
you have not been out for a paragliding lesson yet,
get as familiar as possible with this system. Don't
worry about memorizing it, it takes some repetition
to get there. For those that have been out,
use this article to refresh the technique sequence
and steps with the goal of better memorization of
the checks and quicker familiarity with the procedure
as a whole. Of all the tasks I teach, this
system is one of the hardest for most people. That
alone is a main reason I wrote this article.
Jeff Greenbaum
1-7-05
