FAQ – Frequently asked Questions

Action GT, Fusion and even Revolution are PPG wings commonly chosen by competitors. Does it mean that these wings are more difficult to cope with or less safe than recreational paragliders of other companies and that only experienced pilots can allow themselves to fly them?
I am interested in a Paramania Reflex wing. Browsing through your website & documents I found a discrepancy I would like to clear. In your description I often read the term ‘Reflex stability’ OR: "Target group: From beginners to advanced pilots."
Then in EN C classification table I see on the certification:
"Designed for pilots who know principles of active steering and fly regularly, understanding consequences of using a wing with decreased passive safety."
So there is clear conflict: either the wing is A or B class, as your description suggests, or it is C class, as tested and certified. Which am I to believe?
Who are DMSV and what are they doing to help PPG wing certification?
Why are your paragliders not DULV certified?
I realize that the question I am about to ask is a little contraverse of your marketing but I would really like an honest answer. Has anyone experienced a collapse on any of your reflex wings in the past? I know they have happened with trimmers in but what about with trimmers out and speedbar in use? I am not talking about pilot induced but a collapse based upon atmospheric conditions. I ask this because I am not able to find any info on this on the web. Would you take one of these gliders out in the desert mid day?

Action GT, Fusion and even Revolution are PPG wings commonly chosen by competitors. Does it mean that these wings are more difficult to cope with or less safe than recreational paragliders of other companies and that only experienced pilots can allow themselves to fly them?

Of course not! PPG competitors are more and more often flying reflex wings because of their greater safety and stability, especially at high speeds. Most pilots usually get to choose when they wish to go flying, in a competition pilots are sometimes forced to fly in conditions they would rather not go flying in under normal circumstances.
If you add to that the competitive natural of competition pilots who are going for good results, pushing their equipment to go faster (or slower), with more agility and precision than ever, it becomes clear that competition wings should be as or even more safe than those flown just for fun.
Only on a safe paraglider can one commit them selves fully to a complicated tactical/navigational task.

This is not to say that all comp paragliders used in the competition are very safe or stable, however ones that use full Reflex technology generally are!

I am interested in a Paramania Reflex wing. Browsing through your website & documents I found a discrepancy I would like to clear. In your description I often read the term ‘Reflex stability’ OR: "Target group: From beginners to advanced pilots."
Then in EN C classification table I see on the certification:
"Designed for pilots who know principles of active steering and fly regularly, understanding consequences of using a wing with decreased passive safety."
So there is clear conflict: either the wing is A or B class, as your description suggests, or it is C class, as tested and certified. Which am I to believe?

First of all we would like you to note that during new EN certification there is over 40 manoeuvres tested (total of mandatory two sizes). If the wing gets a "C" in just one of them, it is classified as a C in general. But when it gets a "C" in all 40 manoeuvres - it is classified as a "C" too, even as its behaviour is drastically different. So judging a paraglider only by its overall certification letter is not a good idea - it is a GREAT simplification. If you really want to know what's going on, YOU HAVE TO READ THE TEST REPORTS!

Then you have to remember that current test norms were originally established to classify traditional free-flying wings, as modern PPG reflex aerofoils are still relatively new for the certification bodies who are used to certifying (non power) hill flying paragliders only.
Problems with free-flying wings are caused by their low passive safety or pilot errors, and all currently used systems judging how the wing does return to normal state of flight have been based on that assumption.
Now what is exceptional about reflex wings is their very high passive safety factor, that grows even higher with increasing speed of flight (within the normal trim range setting of course) – a completely different behaviour to that of classic paragliding type wings.
But once you succeed in inducing some instability (like a 75% asymmetric collaps), return to normal flight is pretty dynamic and can be a little harder to control than normal paragliders.
However one must remember that on the outset you are flying faster than most wings, and then you are still increasing this speed (most often test pilots pull the risers down to cause a collapse, and before it occurs, the wing accelerates even more).
Ensuing loss of direction and other problems connected with dynamic responses are the main reason for classifying reflex paragliders as "C" or even "D" wings.

To clarify the matter some more, let's read and analyze description of "C" class, as it is written in the EN norm:

"C class - Paragliders with moderate passive safety and possibly dynamic reactions to turbulence and/or pilot mistakes. Return to normal state of flight may require precise pilot input.".

Content of the norm presupposes that the wing:
a) will be sensitive to disturbances caused by turbulence or possible pilot errors,
b) will dynamically react if any of these occur,
c) can return to normal state of flight with difficulty, so that precise pilot inputs could prove necessary.

In order to judge if a tested paraglider conforms to this category, a test pilot forces unstable manoeuvres and then analyses how long it takes to return to normal flight, and how dynamic the reaction is.
Note that on classic paraglider type wing it is much easier to force a collapse or abnormal flight state, Where as a full Reflex type wing it is the completely opposite (being much harder to collapse, or put into unstable flight)

And what happens in case of a full reflex wing?

Ad a) Because of high passive safety and the auto stable nature of a reflex wing it is very difficult or impossible at all to introduce an unstable flight state. Often it requires an unusual amount of force which don’t tend to occur under normal flight circumstances. Unfortunately this resistance is not classified by the EN norm - a great pity, as it proves high passive safety, i.e. reduced sensitivity to turbulence/pilot errors.

Ad b) The wing will not react dynamically to turbulence. As for collapses, even if they do occur, are very limited and the reopen time is immediate! On the other hand it is true that the wing will respond dynamically to obstinate efforts of a test pilot, who put abnormal amounts of effort in order to induce a collapse. The recovery will be surely dynamic and can cause the wing to lose it’s original flight path. But the main point is that such collapses are very unlikely (or even impossible) to happen as a result of pilot error.

Ad c) The wing returns to normal flight so quick that test pilots can't react fast enough. In general no special pilot input is necessary (apart of ceasing any test pilot induced actions that caused instability).

As the EN norm MAINLY analyses for dynamic reactions this in it self is a HUGE hint that classic free flight paragliders can get into such troubles just as easy, they recognize the fact that classic paraglider wings often collapse and are generally UNSTABLE.
That's a total misunderstanding, because while this supposition is true in case of classic paragliders, it is not so with those of reflex profiled wings.

Which is why five years ago Paramania (and our previous manufacturing partner Dudek) initiated work on creation of new test methods, applicable to reflex profile wings. Until this is ready, we will continue to certificate our wings with the current availible systems (EN & DMSV), and even though they are not ideal, they still do offer information on wing safety. But pilots must remember that in order to get the full picture it is necessary to study the certification reports.

Who are DMSV and what are they doing to help PPG wing certification?

The DMSV are a relatively new German certification body. Originally made up of several experienced paramotor pilots in Germany who were fed up of the microlight type certifications opposed by the DULV who at the time where forcing unclear and unprofessional tests in order for a paraglider to pass their ‘so called’ PPG wing certification.
DMSV has no become accepted as a more objective test body, the rating system are similar to that of the EN, A, B ,C or D

Why are your paragliders not DULV certified?

Originally we approached the DULV to help us certify our wings, however with the monopolising position of the DULV in Germany and their unprofessional test pilot who single handily (without even testing in full our wings) decided that reflex wings are dangerous and should not be flown at all! Ridiculous as hundreds and thousands of reflex wings were already successfully being used by paramotor pilots round the world, not to mention the success and proof of results from many paramotor competitions!

Rumours are that the DULV are looking after their own, by blocking other foreign manufacturers from entering the German paramotor market, giving time for German manufacturers to try understand (or even copy) our reflex technology. (Without success so far)

Luckily the DMSV have evolved far past the likes of this type of mentality and have even teamed up with the EN certification body in order to certify reflex wings in Germany!
Further more one of their aims is to help with a more objective test method for Reflex wings for the future of Paramotor pilots in Germany and the rest of the world.

Your Questions Answered!

I realize that the question I am about to ask is a little contraverse of your marketing but I would really like an honest answer. Has anyone experienced a collapse on any of your reflex wings in the past? I know they have happened with trimmers in but what about with trimmers out and speedbar in use? I am not talking about pilot induced but a collapse based upon atmospheric conditions. I ask this because I am not able to find any info on this on the web. Would you take one of these gliders out in the desert mid day?

Thank you for your time,

Jeff Toll

Hi Jeff,
what you ask is very difficult to answer because it is quite impossible to evaluate precisely atmospheric conditions and put some numbers in front of this.

Anyway, here some of our point of view:

- Any wing can collapse or become unstable if the conditions are too strong, Reflex wing or not...

- Flying with a Reflex wing must not push pilot to exceed his own skills and/or fly in too strong conditions!

- Even when wind is measured, 30 km/h laminar wind is not necessarily dangerous, 15 km/h near trees can be!

- When trimmer on 100% full reflex, the wing is more stable and less sensitive to collapse than without

- To this day, no certification body in any country measure the ability to avoid collapsing but only the ability to recover from a collaps...with trimmers on minimum speed.

-Flying mid day in a desert has no sense... if stable atmospheric conditions, it not a problem...if unstable, it can be dangerous even early in the morning.

-The Reflex wing is one thing, but reactions in strong conditions will also depend on the wing size and the load...

-We would say, in case of too strong conditions, put trimmers on full reflex, don't use speedbar and
land quickly !
- The main objective of a full Reflex wing trimmers off is the ability to go fast in normal conditions while giving the pilot more security if conditions become strong...

Paramania has produced more than 3000 Reflex wings, also some other manufacturer are

using equivalent or similar technology, this mean thousands of flying hours have been made with Reflex Wings.

There were some accidents, but no one has been able to demonstrate it was due to the wing, when you

see how it is difficult to find out why some big planes crash with lots of technology onboard, you understand it is very difficult to know in case of a paramotor.

In all honesty it is quite rare that pilots experience collapses trimmers on fast & speedbar!

Too finish:

A good pilot is not a pilot able to get out of all situations but a pilot able to avoid dangerous situations!

Hope it give you some answer !

Best regards.

Serge - Paramania