Case for Cage letter
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65, Bedford Rd
Grays
Essex RM17 6PZ Angus Pinkerton BHPA Ltd The Old Schoolroom Loughborough Leicester LE4 5PJ
My
Flying Experience
My flying career started in May 1998, when a timely redundancy gave me the financial backing and the free time to fulfil a life-long desire.
Since then I have flown at the dyke and at Thurnham and have been steadily increasing my airtime and experience and now have approximately 8 hours in total.
The weather conditions I have flown in range from zero winds to marginal wind strengths and have become very familiar with my canopy’s characteristics. I haven’t yet experienced thermal flying or SIV but have had a couple of scary moments in flight.
The first was at Thurnham on a fairly windy day. I was well out in front of the hill to stay away from any venturi effect and at some points had achieved 400ft above take off. Whilst I was approximately 250ft ATO a series of gusts came through and whilst I normally fly very actively, I mistimed damping a surge and got a 40% asymmetric tuck on my left hand wing. I quickly maintained direction and pumped out the tuck, which came out straight away and didn’t even deviate me from course. I landed shortly afterwards. The second incident happened shortly afterwards at Devil’s Dyke. The wind was from the northwest and the strength variable. This made soaring conditions difficult but possible and quite a few pilots managed to stay up when the wind permitted. I found it very difficult to stay in the air though due to the performance of my canopy. I am close to the top of the weight range on the canopy and need a significant amount of brake input to achieve a realistic sink rate but this made the canopy very slow (not being a particularly fast glider anyway). I made several flights but ended up slope landing on a number of occasions and once having to bottom land. It was on this flight that I inadvertently flew into the wake of a tandem paraglider, which had turned in front of me and cause again my left wing to tuck to about 30%. I was very close to the hill struggling to stay afloat. Again the tuck came out straight away and caused me no problems. The day was quite frustrating for me and made me decide it was time for a new canopy. My Sirocco is a great training glider and has never let me down but I needed some extra performance as every single turn lost me a lot of height. I had been considering a change for some time but this was the straw so to speak.
This brings us up to present day.
I started to look at the paraglider market to find something suitable for my needs. It was then that I remembered a discussion on EuroPG about a different type of glider called “The Cage”. I found a web address for the Cage site “Aspic” and proceeded to search for as much information as I could. What I found did impress me. Reading Testimonials from pilots about its performance and handling characteristics I found myself being drawn in to this totally different form of free flying. I have since stopped looking at the paraglider as my next option and am convinced that the Cage is the experience I am looking for.
Like Barry’s first caution though, I will not know for certain until I have seen and flown the cage (under strict supervision of Jean-Louis Darlet of course) but I have the same “gut feeling” as when I first started the sport. I am so convinced of this in fact, that I am going to vast expense that I can not easily afford (just ask my wife), travelling to France and lot of trouble (this presentation etc) against quite a mountain of prejudice just to fly the cage. It would have been much easier and cheaper to buy myself a good second hand or even new paraglider and just go straight out onto the hill and fly it.
I am enclosing as much information as I can about cage in the hope that you will reach the same conclusion that I have, and allow me to fulfil this desire.
Yours Sincerely
Mark Chamberlain
Here
follows, some testimonials and opinion of pilots who actually fly the
cage
This is from the CageUSA site at http://www.cageusa.com/cageusa/home.htm I have tidied up the spelling and grammar but the content is untouched. (Original available)
CAGE
UPDATE AT 30 HOURS by Dixon White The first 10 hours were spent in mild conditions -
many glassoffs, hours of kiting. The Cage is unbelievably easy to fly. I
kept thinking that a retarded, one-armed monkey with fleas could fly one
of these, then my serious side would take over and I'd start wondering
if I was a sitting duck, that it might instantaneously become the
hardest thing I'd flown. From flying regular paragliders I've learned the lesson that just when you think your glider won't let you down, you're playing the fool. (A truism for most things in life?) In any event, even though it's different than a conventional paraglider I found it to be easy and sensible to fly. I'd find myself laughing like a little kid. The "locals" thought I'd gone daffy. This gizmo CARVES turns. You STEER it through the air, pitch it out, pull it in, slip it over, and slow it down, all the while managing lifting air, and it makes perfect sense. You can spin around and fly it facing backwards (just make sure to adjust your mirror). My first spiral dive while facing backwards was a big thrill! I induced many asymmetricals and frontals during my initial 10 hours and was amazed at the stability and recovery characteristics. Under a big asymmetrical you don't tip over and start to turn like you might with a standard paraglider, you simply steer the Cage where you want to go, push out a little, and it snaps the sailcloth to attention incredibly quickly. Compared to a conventional paraglider there's a dramatic difference in the amount of feedback the Cage gives the pilot. You interpret the air better, and Lord knows I need all the help I can get. I didn't do any spins or stalls, but I trust the reports from the manufacturer that it's predictable. Getting back on a regular paraglider after many hours on the Cage, there was so little sensation of the air that it felt like I was flying with big mittens. Thinking about the effects of truly big air had me daydreaming, so I signed up to fly in the Mexican Nationals. I wondered if I was biting off more than I could chew, so I got down to Iguala early to get in a couple of practice days. I'd flown Iguala quite a bit at this time of year, so I felt comfortable with the conditions early in the day. Well, little did I know that somebody pulled out the stops on the thermals? Before I knew it I found myself in thermal after thermal averaging 1,400 fpm up. Two hours and a lazy 25 kilometres later I was ready to tackle that competition, grinning from ear to ear. Everyday was HUGE! It was really fun pitting the Cage against the other gliders on glide or in a thermal. Overall I'd say it was like polished granite - smooth and solid. The Cage glider is 15% smaller than what I normally fly, so I noticed a sink rate disadvantage in light conditions, but in thermals I could turn it so fast I had to back off to avoid ticking off the pilot across from me in the thermals. Speed was pretty impressive; pull in the bar and you can practically hear the tires squeal. I averaged two hours and 25 km per day; 1,400-fpm thermals and 5,000-foot gains, 10 days in a row, and I never experienced a single problem. I heard the glider doing some things, but I never once had to fix anything. There were bullet thermals every day that took my vario off the scale, yet the Cage refused to be spanked. I came in 10th which is the best I've done in a competition (there were more than 10 competitors). Considering that the Cage I'm flying is designed as a beginner glider I'd say we worked pretty well together. Before I make it sound like you can practically fly this thing while peeling potatoes I must set the record straight and say that I take thermal flying very seriously. I was just as active in my management of the Cage as I am with a conventional paraglider. There were times when I'd hit thermal turbulence and very actively push out and control the glider. It occurred to me more than occasion that things might have been different if an inexperienced pilot had been flying in these conditions, so don't try this at home in your house thermal in midday conditions without a long learning curve. I've got almost 4,000 flights on paragliders, mostly in Arizona, so I'm pretty conscious of the air and how a glider should be driven through the big air. But, there's no doubt in my mind that this was the most solid paraglider I've ever flown. Dixon White is a Master pilot and Advanced Tandem Instructor for Dixon's Airplay Paragliding of Washington and Arizona.
This is from the CageUSA site at http://www.cageusa.com/cageusa/home.htm
I have
tidied up the spelling and grammar but the content is untouched.
(Original available)
June
1997 Hang Gliding Magazine A Hang Glider Pilot's View of "La Cage" by Rich Pruett Standing in the local landing zone with a friend I noticed over her right shoulder a wing carving a perfect turn. I looked closer; it wasn't a paraglider - no, something new! I thought of the possibilities of perfect turns as I saw it flare like a hang glider to land, and kite more easily than a paraglider using a control frame to keep all those lines in order. I had been wanting something simple and safe for light wind and light thermal days to sky out over the lightly loaded "sky queens" in their hang gliders. I'm an intermediate pilot with 150 hours and 400 flights, and had tried kiting paragliders, but found line handling difficult and confusing. To most hang glider pilots the idea of frontal collapses, asymmetricals and negative spins evokes images of a plane going down in flames (more on that later). A combination of the best features of hang gliders and paragliders was what I wanted. What I saw demonstrated all the qualities I was looking for and more. This is the story of a love affair. I was hooked. I drove to San Francisco to meet Joel Greger of Cage USA for instruction at a coastal site near Fort Funston called Pacifica. In mid-summer the rest of the nation bakes at 100 degrees plus, but Pacifica stays fogged in most of the time and rarely reaches 80 degrees. Coming from Los Angeles it was wonderful. Joel taught me the setup procedure in a few minutes and had me kite the glider until I was proficient. You hook in to the aluminium frame just like a hang glider but in a supine harness, lean back, put your hands on the control bats and slip your feet in a comfortable hammock for support. It's not weight shift as in a hang glider, but requires mere ounces of pressure. Thermals are felt through your fingers and response is faster. If you stand at the nose of your hang glider in a 20-mph wind and hold onto the wires you will understand how simple control of the Cage is. In a four-mph wind, one step backward brings up the wing, and angle of attack and roll control are instantaneous. A few steps more and you launch - no need to turn around, just make sure the air traffic is clear. Joel said "go" and I flew from the cliff to the beach, making easy, quick turns and flaring effortlessly. I was so exhilarated that I packed up and ran all the way back up the hill. The next day I did more kiting practice and made 10 reverse and 10 forward launches. The most difficult adjustment for me was letting the harness pull the wing up, leaving my hands free for manoeuvring. (In a smooth breeze I later pulled up and took off without touching the controls - it's that stable.) Moving in small steps from flying the bunny hill to soaring the cliffs was easy. I was a beginner with new equipment at a new site, but in a few days I was keeping up with the local masters in their advanced wings. Hawks and eagles fold their wings inward in thigh winds to help them penetrate. In a similar fashion, the Cage can be launched in higher winds by pulling down the wing tips with a single control. I flew one day when others would not fly just by pulling a string. This makes the wing even more stable. When flying in those small thermals you just pull in your wings! I've experienced many precious moments soaring the Cage along the cliff tops overlooking San Francisco: flying with sparrow hawks, kites, redtails, ospreys, golden eagles, turkey vultures, cormorants, pelicans, swifts, gulls; taking in beautiful sunsets; watching dolphins dance just off the beach; looking down on people along the beach and the ridge line. The wing flies so slowly (15 mph) and is so easy to control that you feel comfortable taking photographs, enjoying the view, and even turning around and flying backwards (from the single hang point). I am now mountain thermalling and gaining confidence and trust in my new wing, despite having experienced the effects of turbulence. I've tried pushing the speed limit (28.2 mph) and inducing the outside wing to fold under at least 40%. This sounds bad, but I was still able to fly level and in control. I let the glider slow down and the wing unfolded immediately. I practice this now. On one occasion I was riding a thermal to the top e of a ride, and just as I topped out a shear came over the back, rotoring my wing through two 360's and dropping me 100 feet. The wing held its shape, and as it spun it turned me with it - no problem except for my shaking knees. On another occasion at the beach I was 1,000 feet up and 1,000 feet away from the cliff when some turbulence hit me from behind. The wing came forward to directly in front of me, but the forward edge sealed the air inside so the frontal collapse lasted only about half a second. I dropped just a few feet before recovering. On this subject it is important to remember that, just as in hang gliding, it's important to know your limits and those of your glider, and to practice handling turbulence and recovering from its effects. The wing is called the Lagon, and the system has been dubbed "La Cage." It underwent six years of extensive testing prior to production. Using the latest computer textile programs and CAD, they designed the glider with a "corrugated" under surface to allow for fewer lines and increased lateral stability. The frame has been structurally tested to six G's positive at the maximum wing loading. The frame uses over-center cams with cables for tensioning, and it folds up in 15 seconds. The wing, harness, and instruction come as a package, so plan a trip to San Francisco to check it out. Every time Joel let's on of his instructor friends demo his wing he gets an order, so keep in mind that they might be backordered for a while. My love affair with the Cage is ongoing, as I continue to make new discoveries.
This is from the CageUSA site at http://www.cageusa.com/cageusa/home.htm
I have
tidied up the spelling and grammar but the content is untouched.
(original available) By Joel Greger
The wind is about 5 mph at the "Dumps" launch 250 feet over the ocean just south of Westlake. 700 feet higher at the top of the Westlake cliffs, conditions are easily soarable due to the wind gradient. I launch a conventional paraglider and head north along the lower cliffs, striving to fly efficiently. I am getting farther and farther from an easy hike back, yet I know that with the altitude loss of one braking turn I will be forced to land on the beach. Finally, realizing that I am slowly losing altitude, I resign myself to the inevitable, turn, and land. Paragliders evolved from the foot launching of ram-air skydiving parachutes. Modern paragliders are vastly improved from the early designs, however, although the increase in performance has been significant, the basic control system inherited from skydiving remains the same. In many ways the conventional paraglider behaves as two separate wings. We pull brakes, which slightly increase lift and massively increase drag. The wing is slowed by the increased drag and a turn is initiated. Both brakes are employed to fly straight ahead at slower speeds. Trim tabs allow modifying the angle of attack of the canopy but are not used in active, dynamic control or for turning. Speed bars are more of an active control system but again are for straight and level pitch control only. Feedback from the wing to the pilot is felt only in a muted form through the harness. The limitations of braking and creating drag for canopy control show up in kiting, in high wind launching and landing, and in turning performance. We learn to weight-shift and to use rear risers, which give a hint of a "cleaner" mode of flight. Under ideal conditions with enough body English we can do weight shift turns. Use of the rear risers works better than brakes for high wind kiting and pull downs. But what if we could pilot our canopies with fingertip control of all suspension lines and no loss of efficiency? Well you can, it's been under development since 1990 and is now in production - it's called the "Cage." The real advances in technology seem to occur when designers "start from scratch," throwing out all the old assumptions. The first published material on what has come to be known as "la Cage" was in the December 1990/Jan. 91 issue of Cross Country which showed the French designer Jean-Louis Darlet and a prototype Cage wing.. Darlet, after a long testing problem and a series of prototypes, has created a unique system that maximizes the potential of the Cage concept. The production wing, by the company NERVURES, is called the Lagon, and is available in three sizes for a wide range of pilot weights. NERVURES was formed in 1994 by Jean-Louis Darlet and Xavier Demouray. Jean-Louis started flying hang gliders in 1973, flew the first UP Comet in Europe, and later worked with La Mouette. In the early 1980's he was telling hang glider manufacturers to eliminate the keel pocket and move the hang point higher towards the center of lift - years later this became commonplace. In the mean time Jean-Louis designed the French Connection (floating hang point), which simulated the higher hang point and improved control. His design approach focussing on better control systems is also evident in the "Cage." NERVURES is the model of efficient design and production using CAD and textile computer programs. The company designs and cuts paragliders for other manufacturers (Ibis and other ADG gliders) and also has a product line of unique paragliders, including the EREBUS tandem glider, a paraglider for light pilots called the ETNA, and a 12 pound (with harness and bag!) glider called the KENYA, especially useful in mountaineering. A skydiving canopy design project is achieving intermediate paraglider performance with about half the opening shock of ram-air parachutes. No more landing in a "drop zone," there will be a new sport of skydivers flying cross-country! The first comprehensive articles on the Cage appeared in Cross Country in 1995, written by long-time Sylmar pilot Karl Stice, now living in France. I wrote to Karl to inquire about the Cage and reminded him that I had loaned him a hang glider almost 20 years ago during a shear condition at Fort Funston. Several weeks later we met in France and headed for the Pyrenees to be trained by Darlet on the Cage. The pilot is attached to a single hang point in the Cage. Pitch and roll are controlled and felt directly and instantly, rather than indirectly controlled through varying the drag during braking. With the single hang point, yaw and roll movements of the harness and pilot like in a conventional paraglider in turbulence are eliminated. The tendency of the conventional paraglider to behave as two wing halves in turbulence if one riser set is unloaded is also eliminated. Cross-bracing straps on conventional paraglider harnesses have attempted to address this problem but end up taking away the limited weight shifting capability in trade for increased stability. In the Cage, feedback from the wing is transmitted to the pilots hands rather than to the harness, allowing more precise piloting. The advantage of roll authority by weight shift beneath the Cage is significant. When you kite a conventional paraglider, if it moves laterally away from you, it is necessary to try to move towards it and re-center under it, which is not always possible. The Cage wing is easily brought back overhead. In thermalling, the control authority allows more precise piloting with significantly less fatigue, while retaining the efficiency of the wing. The spacing of the suspension lines and the special canopy design creates an airfoil shape that varies to the most efficient profile for each speed as the angle of attack changes. As in other recent designs but taken even farther, the design of the under surface allows for a reduction in suspension lines and less drag while retaining a clean top surface. In the Pyrenees I was put through a phased instruction program starting with kiting on flat ground, simulated takeoffs and landings, and short flights on a training hill. I watched Jean-Louis soar the wing, effortlessly carving turns like a hang glider. Finally I am poised at the launch of the 1500-meter launch at the Caballeros site in the Pyrenees, ready for my first high flight in the Cage. I am instructed by Jean-Louis to launch only when I have demonstrated complete control of the wing. Putting my weight on the harness, I find that only slight movements on the Cage handles rotate the wing around the central hang point and are enough to center the canopy overhead. The launch technique for the Cage in soaring conditions is unique. The single attachment point allows you to stay reversed and clear the hill before turning to face forward. It all seems very natural; and I launch, turn, and make my first pass along the face of the ridge in the Cage. The wing flies by itself at slightly faster than minimum sink, and I relax and lay back in the harness. The landing area is a plateau several hundred feet below launch, about 2,000 over the valley. On my first landing approach I am concerned about overshooting because of the performance of the wing. I pull the central overhead handle and apply "Big Ears." I find that I can quickly adjust the "ears" from slightly on to full on for glide path control. Letting the ears out, I pull in slightly, raise my hands on the Cage, and flare for a soft landing. As Jean-Louis arrives, I try to convey my excitement about the wing to him in pidgin French. In the following days, I practice no-wind and high wind launches, top-landings and soar the wing in moderately turbulent thermal conditions. The wing is significantly more comfortable and less tiring than either paragliders or hang gliders, and the feedback through the Cage to my hands convinces me I can feel the thermals better. I watch Jean-Louis help a paraplegic hang glider pilot on his first flights with a special wheel chair/harness. The Cage has been structurally tested to 6 Gs positive and the wing to 8Gs positive at the maximum wing loading. The weight shift control and single hang point has a significant advantage for towing. The towline is attached to the same karabiner the pilot hooks into the Cage with. Pilots who have towed the Cage find it much safer than with their paragliders since roll control is direct and effective. The Cage has also been "paramotored" successfully. The single hang point allows cross wind takeoffs and the wing finds equilibrium without transmitting turbulence to the pilot, allowing flight in a wider range of conditions. I return to the US in early May with a Lagon 27, 16 hours of Cage time, and a level excitement I remember from hang gliding over 20 years ago. I am amazed at the new things to learn about flying the wing and the fun I am having doing it. Shortly after my return, launching in mid-morning from the 600 foot hill at Ed Levin Park in Milpitas, I am able to thermal to cloud base. These are from two emails I received from a Pilot called Brett Snellgrove who heard of my wish to learn cage. I have tidied up the spelling and grammar but the content is untouched. (original available) Mark, And: Mark, Below are brief comments from Andre Amyot a French cage pilot about the training program taken from an email to myself. “It is difficult to say how long this training
is. It mainly depends on
The next page contains the training program that Jean Louis Darlet uses to train new cage pilots. I have left this “as is”.
TRAINING FOR THE CAGE
PROGRESSION FORM FIRST NAME : ............................... LAST NAME : .......................................
r OPENING
OF THE CAGE AND PRE-FLIGHT CHECK
r FOLDING
OF THE CAGE AND POST-FLIGHT CHECK GROUND
HANDLING WITHOUT HARNESS WITH LIGHT WIND (<10 KM/H) ON FLAT GROUND :
r HANDS POSITIONS ON
THE CAGE
r PRE-INFLATION OFTHE
WING. POSITIONNING ON THE GROUND
r PILOT'S BODY POSITION
FOR INFLATION
r HANDS CHANGING AND
PITCH CONTROL
r DEFLATION OF THE WING
WITH EXTRADOS DEPRESSION CONTROL HARNESS
ADJUSTMENTS (FLYING POSITION - HEIGHT DURING RUNNING AND FLYING)
r HANGING ON CROSSBEAM
r TURNING EXERCICES
UNDER THE HANGPOINT
r GROUND
HANDLING WITH HARNESS :
WITHOUT WIND, OR WITH LIGHT WIND, ON FLAT GROUND AND VARIOUS
SLOPES
r PREPARATION TO
FORWARD LAUNCH, HANDS POSITION
r INFLATION
r PITCH CONTROL
r PROGRESSIVE RUN WITH
AERIAL STEPS
r ABORTING LAUNCH AND
DEFLATING THE WING
WITH WIND UP TO 15/20 KM/H, FACING THE WING, FLAT GROUND OR LIGHT
SLOPE :
r HANDS POSITIONS AND
HANDS CHANGING
r SIMULTANEOUS PITCH
AND ROLL CONTROL
r PITCH LIMITS (FRONTAL
COLLAPSE AND STALL)
r SAME EXERCICES
WITHOUT WATCHING THE WING
r TURNING, BODY AND
HANDS POSITIONS
r PROGRESSIVE RUN,
PITCH CONTROL AND AERIAL STEPS
r ABORTING LAUNCH,
TURNING BACK AND DEFLATING THE WING
r WING CONTROL (MOVING
BACKWARDS)
r COLLAPSES CONTROL
WITH LIGHT WIND :
r INFLATION AND DYNAMIC
TURN DEFALTION
OF THE CANOPY
r WITH LIGHT WIND
r SAFETY POSITION WITH
STRONG WIND (VARIOUS HANDS POSITIONS)
r LOWER THE BODY THEN
SUDDENLY STAND UP TO UNLOAD THE WING
r ON ONE SIDE r
WITH A FRONTAL COLLAPSE
r WITH BIG EARS TAKE-OFF
WITH LIGHT WIND AND VARIOUS SLOPES
r FORWARD LAUNCH
r INFLATION AND DYNAMIC
TURNING
r WITHOUT WIND (FORWARD
LAUNCH, VARIOUS SLOPES)
r WITH SIDE WIND (ALL
KINDS OF TAKE-OFF)
r HAND
CHANGING ON TAKE-OFF
r INSTALLATION
IN THE HARNESS
WITH STRONG WIND (>20 KM/H) AVERAGE OR STEEP SLOPE
r REVERSE
LAUNCH
r TURNING
AFTER TAKE OFF PILOTING
(NEVER HANGLE THE CAGE EXCEPT
FOR FINAL FLARING)
PITCH CONTROL
r CAGE
ROTATION AROUND ANCHOR POINT
r BODY
ROTATION AROUND HANGLING POINT (FLYING BACKWARDS)
r MINIMUM
SINK RATE AND BEST GLIDE RATIO RESEARCH
PITCH LIMITS
r
FEELING
OF COMING FRONTAL COLLAPSE (PITCH DOWN)
r
FEELING
OF COMING STALL (PITCH DOWN)
r TURN : PROGRESSIVE
PITCH UP DURING TURN
TURBULENCE CONTROL
r FREEING
OF THE CAGE IN TURBULENCE -
RECLINED BODY POSITION
r HANDS
POSITIONS
r USE OF BIG EARS
r SOARING, PILOTING IN
THERMALS
r COLLAPSES CONTROL LANDING
FINAL APPROACH
r
-
PREPARATION TO GETTING OUT OF THE HARNESS
r -
SPEEDING UP BEFORE FLARING (HANDS POSITION)
r * PREPARATION TO
FLARING (HANDS POSITION)
r * HANGLING FOR
FLARING
r * TURNING BACK TO
FACE THE WING AND DEFLATION I undersigned ................................. certifies that this pilot has been trained to fly the Cage on a ............. size ...... and that he is capable of flying this type of aircraft. Location ....................................... Date : ............................... Signature : ...................... These are answers to the most common questions (FAQ’s) asked by people not familiar with the cage method of flying. FAQ Question: "Could brakes be replaced with something better?", Response: Yes, it already exists, highly tested and developed since 1990, and under full production since 1994, an elegant solution and real advancement of our sport, and a real pleasure to fly: that is, the CAGE, from French company JLDCAGE, from one of the most intelligent and serious designers in the sports of free flight, Jean-Louis DARLET. All of those things that brakes do for you on a traditional paraglider, are all taken care of much more efficiently on the CAGE controlled wings. And without the limitations imposed by brakes, these canopies specifically designed for the application are allowed great performance as well as extraordinary manoeuvrability. Rather than trying to remain in the framework of the classic paraglider design (which is the brilliant child of the skydiving 'chute), and incrementally evolving that concept, Darlet, a recognized genius in the field of mechanics of flight, chose long ago to lift his head out of the rut and look for a more elegant and efficient solution to the mechanical problems involved in paraglider flight. FAQ: "Which type of pilots is the CAGE designed for?" Karl Stice responds: " When, in 1995, I first saw a video presentation of the Cage Lagon wing, it just simply clicked in my mind that this was a marvellous way to fly, a real advance over ordinary paragliders. I've been flying hang gliders since 1974, and paragliding since 1990, and in my own introduction to flying the Cage Lagon, after an hour of ground handling instruction, and a first short gliding flight, my second flight was in light thermal conditions at our Pyrenees mountain site and I stayed up for an hour, just overjoyed at the ease and pleasure of flying it. Since then I have not much desire to go back to the old brakeline/accelerator/trimtabs/seatpants rigmarole, I feel the aerology in my fingertips, and remain steady-as-she-goes in my warm, comfortable cocoon harness" FAQ: "If it does improve on the concept of "weight shift" steering, and angle of attack is easily adjustable (maybe too easily?), Does then the addition of a rigid structure add complexity (and might tangle or break lines?). Also, if it lacks independent control of the two wing halves, is recovery of a collapsed wing more prone to rotation? Responses: The CAGE is not some prototype, experimental, "crackpot" idea: it is fully tested; with rigorous testing having been done and videotaped at the same site, over water, where the "certified" paragliders are tested, to observe it's comportment in radical flight situations. The initial idea and prototype was created by Darlet 10 years ago, is fully patented in Europe, and commercially available since 1994. Darlet is one of the most intelligent and proficient designers in the sport of paragliding, and has even conceived wings for other paraglider manufacturers. His grasp of flight mechanics is of the highest order, and he has mastered and created the computer programming to allow him to create wings that fly beautifully. He personally test flies his wings, with thousands of hours of personal flying of them, in a great variety of conditions. To answer these questions above, point by point: Why would you think that the structure adds complexity? It was designed to ELIMINATE the complexity of brakes, accelerators, trim tabs, seat steering, hand wrapping, "big ears” steering problems, complex body gests in turbulence. It's true, there is a "control bar" structure (a very light weight tensegrity structure); however, with paragliders you’re talking about adding accelerator bars and pulleys...! Rather than hinder the suspension lines, the Cage structure when unfolding, arranges them in clean, ready to launch order. It takes very little schooling to keep from tangling a line on set-up or launch, no more chance of doing that, than of stepping on and crushing your suspension lines of your paraglider as you try to untangle all those lines. By the way, you rarely see a paraglider pilot walk back UP a slope or around a takeoff area on a gusty, windy day, without an infernal dance under his wing, trying to keep it flying while ground handling, because those brakes serve to YAW a paraglider, and this creates the typical swaying and dancing around during windy ground handling. With the CAGE, and its extraordinary manoeuvrability, you can keep the wing precisely where you want it under those same conditions: Roll, Yaw and Pitch are easily mastered. In the air, the sensitivity to the aerology through your hands is precise: the wing follows the Cage movements and the pilot has direct and immediate control over his wing. The logical thing to do when discovering the pleasure of this sensitivity is to follow through with the idea of direct multiaxis control (without the trappings of a multitude of gadgets to achieve it, and the needless complexity of assigning different body parts to different functions.). In other words, the logical finished product of such a search is: the CAGE. In turbulence, and in the inevitable (inevitable to all soft wings) collapse situation, you couldn't be more wrong about your thought that the Cage wing would be MORE prone to rotation! The Cage pilot who suddenly finds himself flying a drastically reduced -in-size wing, simply and automatically shifts the equilibrium of suspension lines/wing loading to the part of the wing still flying, and flies straight ahead. Think about it: in a massive collapse of your paraglider wing, the left 51% for example, what good does it do you to flail your arms about "pumping" on lines that are de-tensioned to the point of inactivity? Another technical detail: modern paragliders, in order to achieve efficiency in braking, have gone to using straight trailing edges, so that the brakes activate efficiently perpendicular to the airflow. In a 50% wing collapse (one side) situation, the rapid change of centre of lift (which was already located more rearwards due to this modern design) PROVOKES a more rapid auto-rotation. Which leads me to the next reflection: why would you think of the regular paraglider's curse, of being divided into two separate halves, as being an advantage??? Most designers realize that it's just "one of those things you have to live with", and design around, and exploit as much as (little) can be done. One important thing to consider with the limits of two sets of suspension lines -right and left - was very well describe by Darlet in an article in 1997 in Cross Country Magazine, called "Regrets: Fatal Wing Loading" (CC#51 June 1997). The main point of the article being that with "seat steering" in a paraglider you are loading up more weight than just 50% of your weight on one side, and there are situations (surprisingly easy to achieve) wherein you can exceed the load factor of that side and rupture your lines (which is exactly what happened to a friend of his on a "competition class" glider in fairly mild conditions, showing off his seat-steering spiral capability, and eventually overstressing one side of lines which came unbuttoned, leading to his death.....) . FAQ: "And how about getting out of major collapse situations?" Response: You ask about piloting it out of major collapse situations: obviously you're not supposed to let go of the control bars! But the ease of roll control means that correcting for keeping on track with hands on the bars, and making the quick, light effort needed, becomes an automatic response. A nice thing about the pitch control is that the bar pressure becomes regularly more resistant as you speed up, and then when the frontal collapse speed (which is the absolute upper limit of speed on any paraglider) and angle of attack, is reached, you feel it coming on by a slight softening feel on the control bar, enough to give you a warning. However, if you insist to cross the line of frontal collapse in straight and level flight, the wing can rapidly be put back flying correctly with a quick push on the bars, rotating the Cage forward, increasing angle of attack. In thermalling, the Cage wings can be slowed down to a very slow speed, while still retaining the roll control. In fact, due to the spacing on the cage structure of the " A,B,C,D" suspension lines , the wing camber changes, increasing as you slow down; the wing profile becomes a slow, high lift airfoil, with high lift coefficients. (Conversely, when flying fast, the under surface flattens out for a different airfoil , a higher speed airfoil .) FAQ "So why isn’t it certified to DHV and ACPUL standards?" Response: THE CERTIFICATION PROBLEM: There is only one manufacturer of the Cage wing, JLDCAGE; Darlet would have to be the one to write the rules for what would be tested, as the "official" organizations responsible for paraglider tests, both in France and in Germany, seem incapable of even making the effort to understand how it works. (The DHV, for example, asked if they could just put a Cage structure onto a current certified paraglider! ...This is a question often asked anyway; it takes patience to explain the mechanics of paraglider flight, and why that idea of "caging" regular paragliders is worthless.) Bit of a "Catch 22", eh?... And yet, the flight characteristics of the Cage wings are sufficiently different from paragliders in radical conditions (for example: getting out of collapses), that the "standard" test procedures of the DHV have no meaning for testing the Cage comportment. But what validity is there, legally and in the public eye, for the manufacturer of a wing to "Certify" his OWN wing design? Darlet has certified his wings, to his own rigorous standards with documented pull tests on the cage structure, and load tests on the wing, and full, video documented tests at the Monaco (over the water) site where other "official " organizations conduct their tests. The Cage wings passed with the results expected by Darlet; but of what use are the results? They won't be recognized by the DHV or the French organizations, because they are not "independent". But that's funny! The test pilots for these organizations won’t even take the time to learn how to fly the Cage, so how could THEY be expected to conduct tests? It becomes obvious that the Cage wings are designed to be actively piloted, and training is necessary to learn how to fly them. In a massive collapse situation (50%+), the pilot cannot just let go and wait for the wing to sort itself out. Most paragliders run through the DHV tests should allow the pilot to be suspended like a sack of potatoes, and through whatever this "dead weight" flies it will come out intact, as long as there's enough altitude. But nowadays, it could be said, the paragliders that have the kind of performance/manoeuvrability that the Cage wings have, are generally understood to require active piloting too, in the "real world" flying situations. Darlet, and other Cage pilots, have flown quite often in extreme turbulence and happy to be under a Cage wing rather than a paraglider. He's been hit with turbulence that he's sure would have sent a paraglider to the ground, and been very happy with the comportment of the Cage wing (all models). He is extremely concerned about the pilots of CAGE wings having the proper training and realization that they are not just flying a "standard type “ paraglider. Of course, because the first death in a CAGE wing would be disaster commercially for him, seeing as he is the ONLY manufacturer of this type of wing. (You get the point, of course...) So it was only after nearly 5 years of extensive research, and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of hours personally proving the concept before he went ahead with the commercialisation of the wing. Perhaps the CAGE concept will never take over the paragliding scene, and remain a special domain of those pilots who are seeking the type of flying it offers. (By the way, there are more CAGE pilots in France than SWIFT pilots, if that fact has any meaning). Cage pilots and enthusiasts attempt to provide accurate explanations to the public about how it works; that is, given the limited advertising budget of JLDCAGE, that's about all that CAN be done. There aren’t the Korean (for example) millions of dollars investment deals in the works like there were to launch paragliding. (Remember the THOUSANDS of paraglider prototypes and production models that didn't sell, that were shredded in the dump? Who paid for those?). Where does all the advertising money poured into the paragliding industry come from? Well, Darlet has just barely enough to get a nice little 2 1/2 minute video professionally made. He would like nothing better than to sell licenses to major manufacturers to produce and promote Cage wings...To date, no word as yet from the major paraglider manufacturers. Who knows? Perhaps they are waiting for Darlet to let his patent payments lapse... " FAQ: "So what's wrong with brakes?" Response: "Paraglider brakes, at least the brakes of current models, are designed to do just that: BRAKE. It is not really accurate to compare them to ailerons; it would even be more accurate to compare them with spoilers, when talking about turning a sailplane vs. turning a paraglider, if the spoilers were available in a differential configuration (left and right side independently activated). Then it could be said that these two types of "brake-to -turn" controls would have basically the same effect: The sailplane, upon activating a left only spoiler, would destroy lift of part of the left wing, causing the glider to tilt down to the left, effectively starting a roll. But that's a fairly inefficient way to turn a sailplane! The paraglider brake is designed to drag the side deployed, back in a yaw motion, and because of the "plumb-bob" inertia of the pilot weight which by inertia continues on its forward motion, a roll is INDUCED. (Think that through in 3-D, if you will...) Thus, after a fashion, these two comparable control surfaces, nothing to do with ailerons, bring about: a turn in the same direction. It could also be noted that, one of the unfortunate side effects of brakes, on paragliders which are not made with relatively straight trailing edges to exploit efficiently the BRAKING effect (like on the Advance brand wings); one of the side effects of brakes, is that if you give just a little, progressively and not sharply, the result can be a change in the centre of lift of the wing, with the annoying effect of the wing seeking another trim, that is: changing its position over your head, with adverse results from what you are seeking. Which calls for complex piloting skills, to properly steer a paraglider. " FAQ: "How does the CAGE wing compare with paragliders in safety in major collapses?" Response: "The spin response following low altitude collapse seems to be the bane of paragliding no matter what the DHV rating of the wing or the experience or training of the pilot. Yet in similar situations with the Cage I've found with a little simple input it doesn't rotate a degree - even with enormous spontaneous collapses. It's hard to believe the answer is so simple yet so limited in it's acceptance. This feature alone should make the Cage the most widely utilized wing in the world especially since it adds stability and safety WITHOUT compromising performance. " Brett Snellgrove, Cage pilot from Maui, Hawaii, has some more things to say about this safety feature of the Cage: "I've been reviewing some video I have of guys taking large spontaneous asymmetrical collapses and going in hard (gruesome, I know, but you know what they say about people who ignore history...), and I reread some stuff I had on collapse recovery. All the books say: feel the pressure through the brake lines and respond to imminent collapses by maintaining a given pressure on the brake lines (that is : the "Fisherman" technique.). You then "weight shift" to the collapsed side with minimal opposite brake. Sounds good in theory, but videos don't lie. These guys were experienced pilots, but the collapses happen so quickly, half the wing just folds like a pack of cards. There's no time to feel any change in pressure, by the time the pilot's even aware he has a collapse he's turned 90 degrees and has fallen hard on the collapsed side riser. Then he starts to correct, and boom hits the hill hard with a tail wind pushing him in. I believe the feedback is too vague and slow for the average pilot to react quickly enough (as countless incidents demonstrate), then the control response to slow and inadequate. "But in the CAGE, the feedback is strong and immediate. The cage structure tilts in your hands very obviously - no vague pressure to feel - so you can react before the turn even starts. Furthermore, you don't exacerbate the problem by falling into, and accelerating, the turn. Your control response immediately loads the remaining wing facilitating recovery, and since you don't have brakes (for example ,like in the common paraglider practice of using opposite brake , and this on an effectively smaller wing with higher stall risk) , there is less risk of stall. But there's something else. I've noticed the wing turns even faster with "ears" on (smaller wing area means faster roll rate?) , so your control in a collapse is actually significantly greater at the precise time you need it. What a concept! " Flying Report for the cage
If my application for registration is successful, and I complete the training required for the cage, I would be delighted to offer, on-going, a day-by-day account of my flying experiences with the cage (good and bad) and would consider it an honour to do so. This could be in whatever format is desired, sent to the FSC either electronically or via royal mail (or both). This would be part of my continuing commitment to the cage as even for my own reasons I would like this form of flying to become successful in the UK. The following pages contain information supplied by existing cage pilots as to current cage experience etc. I have also included some information on reported accidents involving cage. Unfortunately, due to time pressures and the fact that Jean-Francois Clape is on his way to the PWC in Brazil and I have not been able to contact him, I have not been able to supply more detailed statistics. He can normally be contacted at jf.clape@wanadoo.fr and if required I will obtain more information when I am able. His role is as an FFVL doctor and he holds all accident statistical data concerning the cage. Andre Amyot has supplied a little more insight into the accidents supplied: Number 1 and 5 are not really Cage related
accidents. I have also
enclosed an additional training program (in French) purely to illustrate
that jean Louis Darlet is not the only school in France teaching cage. Kind Regards Mark Chamberlain
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