It is not as simple as that unfortunately. A paraglider's collapseresistance does not have any bearing on its rating in the certification test. In the EN test, the collapses performed on gliders equipped with RAST must be across the same area as other paragliders and they behave in just the same way as traditional gliders if there is a collapse of the same size.
Having said that, with our RAST gliders, to some extent it is no longer even possible to collapse the canopy using the methods described by the EN/LTF standard within the measurement fields specified!
Thus the glider must be 'pitched' or auxiliary lines must be incorporated in order to produce a collapse within the measurement field.
This in turn can have negative implications for the test results, as the glider is often preaccelerated by tricks or ploys such as these.
Some further discussion on this with the type-testing bodies is still needed given that RAST is designed primarily to prevent collapses and not to improve reactions to large-scale collapses.
21 сен 2017
