La CAGE is an aircraft different from all others, and nevertheless
allowing you to learn to fly it in an easy, intuitive manner, because
you have the direct control over the sail, in both Pitch and Roll, with
a minimum of effort. You feel precisely the small changes in the mass of
air through which you are flying, directly through your hands. You will
appreciate its active security and an exceptional comfort, even in
strong winds.
strong wind takeoffs:
It is precisely in such conditions that you can understand the advantages of la CAGE : the dragging,
twisting effect encountered by paragliders using brakes to drag the wing
into line on strong wind takeoffs, is eliminated with la CAGE, since
the pilot has such direct and immediate control of the pitch and roll of the wing.
Flight into turbulences:
First of all, when la CAGE wing flys into
moderate turbulence, the pilot is not disturbed. The freeing up of the
wing in its pitch and roll axis allows the wing to instantly adapt to
the changing conditions, to follow the currents of air. The pilot stays
relaxed in his cocoon harness, and with a light touch
allows the cage structure to follow the movements of the wing, only adding
control inputs when needed. This is one of the advantages
of la CAGE wing : instead of resisting the turbulence (as is the case with
the rather important inertia of a standard paraglider ),
la CAGE allows the wing to be liberated to follow the air
currents.
Collapse situation
In the case of greater turbulence, in an important assymetric
collapse situation; the side of the wing that has collapsed, will instantly create
more drag. You continue piloting the other, inflated side,....well,
naturally, the dragging side is going to yaw you a bit into a "slip ".
So, the idea is that the air entering at a slight angle to the leading
edge will flow over towards the collapsed side, through the inner cell
wall openings, and rapidly re-inflate the collapsed side. A very
important security feature of la CAGE is that, in large collapse
situations, the pilot naturally and instantly remains piloting the rest
of the wing which remains opened (in effect just piloting a reduced sail
area !). No need to flail arms in a frantic manoeuvre of "pumping "
brakelines, or to try to readjust his weight in the seat.
The
Cage pilot is always suspended in his harness from a Single Point, and
thus he simply reacts with the appropriate hand movements of the cage
structure, to continue flying straight.
An uncontrolled spiral
is possible with the CAGE wing only in the complete absence
of pilot input. In this case, or in case of a wingtip tucked into the
lines (cravate), there is a centrally located and easily accessed handle
that hangs just above the pilot's nose, that allows him to pull
immediate "Big Ears ", to regain the wing's symmetry and to return to
straight and level flight. Once the handle is gripped and pulled, which
pulls symetrically on both wing tips, the "Big Ears" reamin applied and
the pilot can return both hands to the control bar to pilot the wing
entirely normally.
Safety :
Flying is not a natural activity for a human being. It
always have its part of risk....
The Cage however, has original
solutions to reduce certain risks:
- The "ears handle"
This handle allows the pilot to pull ears with one hand only, while keeping full control of the
wing in pitch and roll. It's right in front and above the pilot's
head. It can also be used for inflating and ground handling in
strong winds. It is a real "magic handle".
- Fast spiral diving
A combined use of big ears,
moderate spiral and down pitch action allows the pilot to reach high
diving speeds up to 12 m/s and safely lose 100 m per turn without
excessive centrifugation !.
- Pilot stability
Thanks to the single hang point,
flying in turbulent conditions is much more comfortable. All
informations about the air mass are transmitted to the cage and
pilot's hands, rather than to the harness and pilot's body.
Air-sickness is virtually eliminated. ...
All about la Cage
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