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You can see the test reports of any of our current gliders under ‘More about . . ‘ for the particular model, in the section Certification.
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Our own factory in Vietnam is an important feature of the manufacture of ADVANCE products, and all our paragliders, harnesses, bags and accessories have been made there exclusively since 1994.
Most of our 150 production staff have been working for ADVANCE for many years and have built up a lot of experience. Many of them gained their skills at the factory. Permanent checking of the production process and the supervision of working procedures guarantee a consistently high quality of work.
All materials arriving at the factory are subject to an on-going inspection process. During manufacture every product goes through a series of checks at each stage of production. The quality control process finishes when a new ADVANCE paraglider is flown by the dealer prior to handover to the customer.
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It is our intention that pilots of all heights will feel equally at home under all of our products. That is why we supply our two smaller paraglider sizes with the smaller (M) brake handles, so that women, for example, will find them comfortable in the hand. If this size is not to your liking just contact your ADVANCE dealer. There are two sizes of brake handle, L and M. The lengths of the risers vary similarly with paraglider size, so that the lines are easier to reach for shorter pilots, should they need to apply big ears or clear cravats. The risers are not interchangeable however, as the wing was certified with the risers as supplied.
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Actually it’s not necessary! The length of the brake lines is set up at the factory so that there is about 8 cm of free travel with brakes released at trim speed. This setting should really be kept. The free run of the brake line is there to ensure that, along with some other things, the trailing edge is not being braked in fully accelerated flight.
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No! ADVANCE paragliders are supplied in the trimmed set-up that the ADVANCE test team have found to be best. The glider received its certification in this condition. Any modification by the owner - for example altering the line lengths or using different risers or quicklinks - will invalidate the certification.
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If you carry water for increasing your weight it should be supported as near your own centre of gravity as possible. A waterbag hung from the main carabiners can have the same effect as cross bracing, and this can massively affect the glider’s behaviour. The iMRESS 2 has a centrally positioned stowage under the seatboard, with straps for securing a water bag. The compact combination of pilot and harness then allows for an easy takeoff, and the harness behaviour remains unchanged.
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ADVANCE considers it important that all its glider sizes have the same speed range. It is not fair that lighter pilots should be at a disadvantage, and speed is very much a safety feature as well. That is why our smaller models tend to be of a smaller area than our competitors’ equivalent gliders. It’s also very much the intention of our development team that all our sizes really are the same glider, with the same flying characteristics and the same performance.
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There’s a risk of parachutal stall. Parachutal stall is often the result of a combination of factors. The water adds to the weight of the glider. The additional weight causes a higher angle of attack, putting the glider closer to the stall. Then again, water drops on the wing surface disturb the laminar airflow near the front of the wing, significantly reducing the maximum lift coefficient available. If the wet glider is also being flown at its lower weight limit it will be flying at a slightly higher angle of attack anyway, as well as at the lower speeds consistent with the lower wing loading.
In order to guard against the risk of parachutal stall with a wet wing the glider should braked as little as possible and big ears should not be used under any circumstances. A moderate application of speedbar (25-40%) is a further safety measure. All these actions play a small part in reducing the angle of attack. If the glider was still to go into parachutal stall recovery should be achieved by use of the accelerate system (speedbar) only.
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So far ADVANCE have not used folding lines running from additional tabs on the wing when carrying out the certification of serial wings. Instead, an additional line is fixed on an existing A-Line, leading to the upper or middle gallery on the other side. This folding line is only used for the “75% (exactly!) collapse” certification exercise. All other manoeuvres are flown without folding lines. This applies to all ADVANCE serial wings.
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For certification flights all the manoeuvres – except the aforementioned 75% collapse – are flown without folding lines, so there’s no restriction for safety training. The said 75% collapse is a special case: when this is carried out without a folding line the pilot should expect a more dynamic reaction from the wing than that described in the certification report.
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Most ADVANCE dealers have a large choice of our clothes and accessories in their shops. You can find the complete collection at an ADVANCE Centre. If you can’t find an item in your size please contact ADVANCE direct on info@advance.ch.
Dealer List
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Even though ADVANCE has thorough quality control procedures at its factory, a final check at the point of delivery ensures that the glider is handed over in perfect condition. Every ADVANCE paraglider also has to be flown by the dealer to check that its set-up and trim are correct. The dealer then enters the date of this first flight on the placard fastened to one of the ribs in the wing.
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The completed warranty card received by ADVANCE – together with the first flight date on the placard – confirms that defects in the glider, attributable to the manufacturer, will be covered by the ADVANCE warranty. ADVANCE will then also automatically send you any safety-relevant information for your glider.
