Goal: Trust your gear. Lean back and enjoy the show.
A frontal collapse is a simple event if we catch the dive late. The reason frontal collapses tend to lead to cascade events is because pilots misjudge the timing of the catch and release. After a frontal collapse, there is a moment where the wing is trying to recover and has very little airspeed. If we apply brake at this moment, it will easily stall. This is one of the reasons why a late catch is so important.
Exercise:
To become comfortable with frontal collapses, follow these steps:
- Release your brake handles and clip them back into their position.
- Reach up to grab all A lines symmetrically.
- Ensure that you are sitting naturally in your harness.
- Make sure everything is symmetrical.
- When ready, give a quick, strong pull and release the moment the wing collapses.
- Lean back and enjoy the show.
Here’s a video of how it will look during the course