Following a “fortunately inconsequential incident” occurred during aerobatic manoeuvres with a Bulldog tandem wing flying a heavy trike, French manufacturer ITV published the following safety information:
“We want to reiterate that acrobatic manoeuvres while flying a tandem paramotor wing are totally proscribed and dangerous.
Indeed, this type of wing (all brands combined) is certified for a maximum positive load factor of 5.25G.
Although the various certification tests at the time did show greater structural strength, it is obvious that during aerobatic manoeuvres the load factor can go well beyond 5.25G when entering full 360° spiral dives, Wingovers, aggressive inversions, etc.
acrobatic manoeuvres while flying a tandem paramotor wing are totally proscribed and dangerous
A very strong acceleration can quickly reach 8G. The risk for deformation or even rupture of the structure is then high.
For example, the Bulldog 38 is certified at 380kg for 5.25G, or 1995 DAN.
For the same total (380 kg) hooking weight, if we go up to 8G, we reach a load of 3040 DAN, or more than 50% above the approval threshold.
This type of incident is extremely rare, and acrobatic practices with this type of aircraft are not common, yet some pilots tend to forget those fundamentals.
We want to remind you that gear methodical and regular maintenance, as well as an annual check or every 100 flight hours are your safety guarantors.
Our customer service department is at your disposal for equipment maintenance related questions. The entire ITV team wishes you happy and safe flights.”
ITV has a complete range of paramotor gliders, and the Bulldog is perhaps the most popular thanks to its flying qualities for tandem paramotors and paratrikes, available in 3 sizes: 35, 38 and 40.
+Info: www.itv-wings.com/
