Nova BION User manual

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MANUAL
Version 1.0 / 01.02.2011

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NOVA....................................................................................... 6
The BION ................................................................................ 7
Short technical description......................................................... 7
Safety ............................................................................................ 7
Handling Characteristics............................................................ 7
Performance................................................................................. 7
New Features: .............................................................................. 8
Target Group............................................................................... 8
General information bevor implementing................................. 9
First flight.................................................................................. 9
Registration................................................................................ 9
Scope of delivery.......................................................................... 9
Modifications on the glider......................................................... 9
Adjusting the length of the main brake line.............................. 9
Suited harnesses......................................................................... 10
Weight range.............................................................................. 10
Flying the BION.................................................................... 11
Launch........................................................................................ 11
Normal flight.............................................................................. 12
Turning....................................................................................... 13
Landing....................................................................................... 13
Manoeuvres for fast decent....................................................... 14
Big ears.................................................................................... 14
B-Stall...................................................................................... 14

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Deep spiral............................................................................... 14
C-Stall...................................................................................... 16
Collapses..................................................................................... 16
Asymmetric collapse ............................................................... 16
Front tuck................................................................................. 16
Stall manoeuvres........................................................................ 17
Spin.......................................................................................... 17
Fullstall.................................................................................... 17
Deep/Parachutal stall............................................................... 17
Cravates...................................................................................... 18
Winch launch............................................................................. 19
Speed system .............................................................................. 19
Using the accelerator in flight ................................................. 19
Service and maintenance......................................................20
General advice ........................................................................... 20
Cleaning...................................................................................... 21
Repair......................................................................................... 21
Check.......................................................................................... 21
Environment friendly behaviour:........................................22
Disposal:.................................................................................22
Technical data .......................................................................23
Übersicht Schirm...................................................................25
Line plans...............................................................................26
Over all line lengths:.............................................................31

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Manual Tandembar: ............................................................ 31

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Congratulations, for choosing to fly a NOVA BION. You have got a glider, to
experience exiting and safe flights for many years.
This manual contains important information and instructions to use your glider.
Please read the following pages carefully before your first flight. For questions
and suggestions please contact us: [e-mail].
To find further information about this or other products please visit our
website: www.nova-wings.com
To fully use all our maintainance and guarantee services you have to register
your glider on our website. (click LOGIN & REGISTRATION)
For more information on our guarantee services have a look here:
http://www.nova-wings.com/english/nova/guarantee.html
Now we wish you many nice ours in the air and a safe landing at the end of
every flight.
NOVA Team

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NOVA
Since the company was founded in 1989, NOVA has become one of the
world’s leading paraglider manufacturers with their head office in
Terfens/Austria.
NOVA consists of a highly qualified team and most of the team members share
the passion of flying with those pilots, who decided to fly a NOVA glider.
This passion and our Know-How are the fundamental parts of our work. By
now, the passion and the Know-How are continuously growing. This is why we
are for example pioneers in the area of air flow simulations, which allows us to
predict certain properties of a new wing quite accurately on the computer.
Last but not least we have outstanding test pilots who provide a substantial
contribution to make every new wing an unmistakable NOVA glider, which
impresses in every aspect.
But NOVA doesn’t only just stand for the development and the design of
paragliders. We also want to take the responsibility for the manufacture of our
gliders. That’s why the production of NOVA-gliders takes place in our factory
in the Hungarian town of Pecs. This allows us to influence important factors,
for example quality assurance during the whole production process.
Furthermore we can guarantee fair working conditions for about 100 NOVA-
employees in Hungary.
We are convinced that the customer benefits from better employee working
conditions, in terms of high-quality products.
What we want to achieve are happy and enthusiastic pilots, because the future
of our sport depends on the enthusiasm of the people who are part of this
wonderful sport.

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The BION
The BION is a complete new development and is suitable for professional
tandem pilots as well as recreational pilots in search of maximum safety, high
performance and minimum stress.
Short technical description
The BION has 43 cells. Four of those cells are closed stabilo cells on each side.
There are four layers of lines. The first layer, the A-lines are red. B, C and D
lines are yellow. The brake layer, which is not one of the four line layers, is
orange. (The stabilo lines are orange as well.)
The risers consist of 5 belts. On the first two belts (red) both A stem lines are
attached. On the next three belts the B, C, and D stem lines are attached.
Further more the trim system and a “Big Ears” fixation is mounted on the D-
belt.
Safety
The BION stands out for its easy launch behaviour, its high stability and the
very smooth handling characteristics. This leads to a very high safety level in
any situation. The EN / LTF test protocols show the very big safety margins of
the glider. The BION is definitely not at the limit of its certification class. (EN
B)
Handling Characteristics
We are especially proud of the balanced handling characteristics. The BION
stands out for its smooth and agile handling characteristics. Even with a low
wing loading, the glider will precisely follow the pilots steering inputs.
The combination of well balanced handling behavior and high stability allows
enjoying long thermal flights without tiring the pilot.
Performance
In best tradition of Nova, the BION offers a very good glide ratio. Due to the
high stability the glide performance can be comfortably used also in rough

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conditions. When thermalling, the smooth handling makes it easy to climb
efficiently. Even with a high wing loading, the BION doesn’t tend to „dive“ in
sharp turns.
New Features:
Split A-risers with magnet fixation.
Dirt holes on the stabile.
New position and fixation of the brake pulleys for better ergonomics
A vector band behind the cell openings maintains a very good shape of
this important part of the wing.
New developed carbon spreader bar.
Target Group
The BION aims to appeal to a wide range of pilots. On one side there are
professional tandem pilots who want an easy launch behaviour and maximum
longevity. On the other hand there are recreational pilots who are looking for a
glider to enjoy nice and long thermal flights. These pilots will like the BION
for its smooth handling, its speed and its glider performance.
The high safety level is important for both groups of pilots.
Pilots requirements:
The BION is very easy to fly. Due to the high responsibility of every tandem
pilot we think that a superior flying technique and a solid level of experience
are essential. Further more it is important question before each take off, if it is
safe to fly in the given conditions.
This means, that the pilots have to be able to decide if their skills and
equipment is adequate for the respective conditions. The BION offers superior
safety but even on such a glider with maximum passive safety, misjudgements
may have serious consequences.
The best way to avoid misjudgements is a defensive approach to the sport.
Some times it makes sense to pass on a flight, instead of getting yourself into

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conditions you cannot handle. Regular training improves your skills and
enables you to enjoy your flights, even in more difficult conditions.
Please consider these thoughts!
General information bevor implementing
First flight
Every NOVA glider has to be flown and checked through a NOVA dealer. This
flight (date and pilot) has to be entered on the stabilo of the wing.
Registration
To get all warranty and service features, you have to register your glider on our
Homepage. Please choose “LOGIN” and follow the advice for registration
Scope of delivery
The BION is shipped with a rucksack, an inner pack sack, a riserbag, a tandem
spreader bar, a windsock, the manual and a patch.
Modifications on the glider
Any modification (e.g. change of line lengths, changes on the speed system)
causes a loss of certification. We recommend that you contact NOVA before
performing any kind of change.
Adjusting the length of the main brake line
Especially if you use your glider with a motor it might be necessary to lengthen
your main brake line. You have to make sure, that the length of both brakes is
always the same. Further more you have to use a palstek to mount the brake
handle to the brake line. (see picture below)
If you adjust the brake lengths for motor use, do not forget to shorten it again
before flying the wing without a motor. Otherwise you might experience
serious problems at take off.

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The brake line must not be shorter than the original length. The black mark has
to be always visible like shown in the picture below.
If the brake line is shorter, this might affect the safety of your glider.
Palstek:
Suited harnesses
The BION is approved for any harness of the class “GH” (without diagonal
bracing). This means almost every harness which is currently available.
The choice of the harness has a big influence on the flight characteristics of the
BION. There are harnesses which allow very effective weight shifting on the
one hand, but which tip to the side in turbulences quite undamped on the other
hand.
Other harnesses don’t allow extreme weight shifting, but they will give the pilot
a calmer feel in turbulent conditions.
A good flying school can help on this topic with individual advice.
Weight range
Each size of the BION is certified for a certain weight range. The weight refers
to the “overall take off weight”. This means the weight of the pilot, the
passenger, the glider, the harnesses and all other equipment.
If you fly the BION on the lower half of the weight range, the agility decreases
and the glider will be more damped. In strong turbulences the wing tends to

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deform and to collapse slightly more than with a higher wing loading. If you fly
the BION with very little wing loading, we recommend to not completely close
the trim system. (open it by at least 2cm)
If you fly the BION on the upper half of the weight range, the agility and the
stability in turbulences will increase. Also the speed will increase slightly. The
self damping will decrease in turns, as well as after collapses.
Flying the BION
We suggest performing your first flights with a new wing in calm conditions to
get used to the flight behaviour without any stress.
Launch
Before every take off the pilot has to ensure that the equipment is in a proper
condition, especially the glider, the harness and the reserve system.
Just before launch we recommend a check routine, which should be performed
carefully. (Many accidents at take off could be avoided by a proper check!)
We recommend the following routine:
1.) Strapped up (Leg strap and chest strap on the harness and helmet strap
all done up. Pilot and Passenger)
2.) Clipped in (Risers untwisted and connected to the karabiners, speed
system attached and karabiners properly closed, tandem bar properly
connected)
3.) Lines (A lines on top, all lines sorted, brake line unlooped between
brake handle and pulley)
4.) Glider (glider lies arched with opened cell openings at take off.)
5.) Wind and airspace (wind suitable for launch and airspace in front of
take off free of other gliders)
The BION has a very well balanced and easy take off behaviour. Corrections
are easy to perform at any time and no special advice is needed for forward or

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reverse launches. We recommend performing launches with closed trimmers.
(So with the slowest setting)
Normal flight
If you release both brakes (“Hands up”) and if you close the trimmers the
BION glides at the so called “trim speed”. At this speed, the glide ratio reaches
its maximum.
If you fly into a headwind or through sinking air, you should use the trim
system. If you use the trim system in very turbulent conditions, you have to
consider more demanding reactions in the case of a collapse. This is why you
should keep more distance to the ground if you fly accelerated.
If you fly in strong turbulences we recommend applying both brakes slightly.
This increases the stability and you get good feedback through the brakes,
which is necessary to fly your wing actively.
Flying actively means permanent control and correction of the angle of attack
in turbulent air. If you fly from lift into an area of sinking air, the angle of
attack will decrease and the wing will pitch down. A good pilot will realise this
even before the wing pitches down, by a reduced brake pressure. The right
reaction would be to apply the brakes more and thereby increase brake pressure
to prevent the wing from pitching down or even from collapsing in turbulent
conditions.
Flying from sinking air into lift is just the opposite: Without any pilot action,
the angle of attack would increase and the wing would pitch up. The pilot can
feel this, by an increased brake pressure. In this situation, the pilot should
release the brakes to reduce the pitch movement.
To generalize:
If the brake pressure decreases and if the wing pitches down, the pilot should
apply more brakes. If the brake pressure increases and if the wing pitches up,
the brakes should be released.
With proper active flight control, the pilot can avoid most of the collapses and
keep control in every moment. The best way to learn this is of course flying,

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but ground handling definitely helps to improve the feeling for the glider. A
good training exercise is to stabilise the wing above your head with the brakes,
without looking at it. This helps as well for improving the forward launch.
Turning
A smooth turn is an interaction of inner brake, outer brake and weight shifting.
The difficulty is finding the right amount, which is important if you want to
climb efficiently in thermals.
The BION turns quite sensitively, so only small inputs are needed for
performing precise turns. Tight and quick turns or fast changes of turning
direction without unwanted pendulum movement are quite complex and take
some training. It should be the goal of every pilot to master these skills
perfectly.
Attention:
If you can’t use the brakes for steering the glider you can use the D-risers
instead. (This might be necessary for example, if the brake lines tangled up due
to a bad pre-launch check or less likely, if the main brake line tears).
The BION can be turned quite well with the D-risers combined with weight
shifting. You can also land the glider nice and smooth just with the D-risers.
Don’t pull the D-risers too much, to avoid a deep stall!
Landing
Landing the BION is very easy. In turbulent conditions we recommend
applying brakes (approximately 20% of the available brake travel) during the
whole approach. This will increase the stability of the glider and the feeling of
the wing.
Just before touch down you should apply more brake. Many times it makes
sense to induce a stall.
Attention:
A deep stall in just 2 meters height can cause a quite violent touch down. Make
sure to not fully apply the brakes until you are close enough to the ground.

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Manoeuvres for fast decent
Big ears
To do big ears, pull the outer A-line (attached on a separate belt) on both sides.
Clamps on the D-risers allow fixing the ears effortless for a long time. Before
using the clamp you have to remove the neoprene cover from the clamp.
As long as you keep both outer A-risers pulled, the wingtips will be folded and
the sink speed will increase. We recommend to additionally opening the
trimmers to increase the sink speed further and to also increase forward speed.
The drag of the folded wingtips increases the angle of attack. By opening the
trim system, this effect is compensated.
To end the manoeuvre, release the A-risers. If the wingtips don’t open
automatically, you can inflate them by applying the brakes with a short impulse
movement.
Caution:
You have to make sure before every take off that the neoprene-cover
completely covers the clamp. Otherwise it might happen, that the brake line
gets fixed in the clamp, which might lead to serious accidents.
B-Stall
Due to the short B-risers and due to the high load on the B-riser, the B-stall is
not practicable.
Deep spiral
The deep spiral is the most demanding of the three manoeuvres for fast descent.
(Ears, B-Stall and Deep Spiral) You should only fly deep spirals with the BION
if you perfectly perform the manoeuvre with your solo glider. Due to the longer
lines on a tandem glider, the g-force tends to be higher, than on a solo wing.
Entering a deep spiral can be divided into two phases:
First, you fly a turn by applying one brake and by shifting your weight to the
same side, the glider will bank up and increase its turning speed. This phase
ends at a sink rate of roughly 8m/s –10m/s. (depending on the wing loading)

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Then at the beginning of the second phase the g-forces increase rapidly and the
leading edge will lean towards the ground. In a fully developed deep spiral, the
leading edge is almost parallel to the ground. The maximum sink rate with the
BION can get up to 25m/s and more.
The first attempts to fly a deep spiral should be stopped clearly before reaching
the second phase to get used to the quick rotation and to practice the exit
without pendulum swinging. The exit should be performed by simply releasing
the inner brake with a neutral weight-shift. The BION will then decrease its
bank angle and go back to normal flight. To avoid a pendulum movement, the
inner brake has to be pulled in the moment the wing wants to reduce its bank
rapidly.
By applying the inner brake again, you force the glider to exit the spiral
movement not rapidly but during two or three rotations. It is very important to
master this exercise before continuing to the second phase of the deep spiral.
The pilot will feel the entering of this phase by the suddenly increased g-force.
In this moment, the pilot is being pushed to the outer side of the harness. It is
important to not counteract. So the pilot should lean to the outer side to avoid a
stable spiral. (See below)
If the pilot weight shifts to the outer side, the spiral movement will get slower
as soon as the pilot releases the inner brake. The rest of the exit works as
explained above for the first phase of the deep spiral.
If the pilot shifts his weight clearly to the inner side, the BION might stay in a
deep spiral, even when releasing both brakes. In this case, it helps to apply the
outer brake, or both brakes and of course to shift the weight to the outer side.
Please don’t underestimate the difficulty of learning the deep spiral. The sink
rates are a lot higher than what you are used to from other manoeuvres and the
fast rotation might lead to disorientation. The high g-loads of up to 3g make the
manoeuvre even more demanding as you might have problems like the so
called “black out”, where you temporarily lose your vision due to the g-load. It
is very important to get a feeling for the reactions of your body to this
manoeuvre.
If you practice it well, it is a fun manoeuvre that enables you to loose height
faster than with any other manoeuvre.

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C-Stall
This manoeuvre can be found sporadically in some paragliding literature. This
manoeuvre can’t be performed with the BION.
Collapses
Asymmetric collapse
If you fly in strong turbulences, one side of the glider might collapse. This
happens if one side of the wing doesn’t produce lift anymore, due to a low
angle of attack. If there is no lift, the lines get loose and the wing deforms or
collapses.
Most of these collapses are rather small –they only affect a small part of the
wingspan. In such a case, the BION continues to fly almost unaffected. If the
collapse affects 50% of the wingspan or more, the wing will react considerably:
Due to the increased drag of the collapsed wing, the glider will turn to the
collapsed side. Furthermore, the glider will pitch down because of the increased
wing loading. (The glider has to increase its speed because of the reduced area
–that’s what causes the pitching down.)
The pilot can prevent the glider from pitching and turning, by applying the
brake on the non collapsed side of the wing. If a collapse occurs close to the
ground it is essential to react properly. The proper reaction should be taught at
high altitude, ideally under professional guidance.
As explained above, most of the collapses can be prevented, if you fly actively!
Front tuck
A front tuck occurs, if the angle of attack gets too low on the whole wingspan,
then the whole leading edge will collapse. After the asymmetric tuck, the BION
will go back to normal flight automatically. The pilot can expedite the opening
process by slightly applying both brakes.

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Stall manoeuvres
Spin
If you pull one brake too much, you might induce a so called spin. The centre
of rotation is no longer far outside the wing (like during a normal turn), but it
moves inside the wing. Furthermore the rotation speed increases. The BION
will go back to normal flight, if the pilot releases both brakes. The BION’s spin
behaviour is easily manageable: It takes a lot of brake travel to induce the spin,
and then the pilot has quite some time to react and release both brakes.
Fullstall
If you pull both brakes too far, the wing will perform a so called full stall. The
wing suddenly stops its forward motion, but the pilot is still moving forward.
So from the pilots view, the glider will tilt backwards. It is very important to
not release the brakes in this moment. Otherwise the glider might surge forward
below the pilot.
The Full Stall is a complex manoeuvre and the perfect execution can not be
explained in this manual. If you want to learn a proper full stall, it makes sense
to do this under professional guidance.
The available brake travel before stalling the wing depends on the size. It is
approximately 60cm for the BION 19, 63cm for the BION 21, 66cm for the
BION 23, 70cm for the BION 25, and 73cm for the BION 27. Those numbers
are just a rough indication. (The publication of the brake travel is claimed by
the EN 926.)
It would be dangerous to use the brake travel according to those numbers,
because it is not practicable to measure the brake travel during flight, and in
turbulences the stall might occur with less brake travel. If you want to use the
whole brake travel of your glider safely, it is necessary do many intended spins
and full stalls to get a feeling for the stall behaviour.
Deep/Parachutal stall
The Deep Stall, or Parachutal Stall is kind of the pre stage to a Full Stall. The
wing has no forward motion and a high sink speed, but it is almost fully
inflated. The pilot can enter the Deep Stall by applying both brakes. It is very
difficult to keep the wing in a Deep Stall: If you pull the brakes a little too

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much, the glider will enter a Full Stall. If you release the brakes too much, the
glider will go back to normal flight. To practice a Deep Stall, it is necessary to
master the Full Stall first.
A very old or worn out glider with a porous cloth or with a changed trim (due
to many winch launches, or deep spirals) might stay in a deep stall even after
releasing both brakes. Do not apply the brakes in such a situation, because the
wing would then enter a full stall ! You can exit the deep stall by pushing the
speed bar, or by simply pushing the A-risers forward. If you fly through rain,
the risk of a deep stall is higher. We strongly advice against flying in rainy
conditions. If it happens, that you get into rainfall, we recommend not
performing a B-stall or Big Ears. Our recommendation is to leave the rain as
soon as possible and to fly with both brakes released, or even accelerated, as
this reduces the risk of a deep stall. (The available brake travel before entering
a deep stall may be reduced significantly.)
Cravates
After a big collapse or after a badly executed Full Stall, a part of the wing
might be tangled up in the lines, and won’t reopen automatically. This is what
you call a cravate. During our extensive test flights with the BION we never
experienced a cravate but this situation can not be eliminated with any
paraglider.
In case of a cravate we recommend the following actions:
1.) Counter steer: Probably the wing wants to turn to the side of the
cravate. In some cases, the turning happens quickly and will end in a
stable deep spiral without the pilot’s action. So it is important to react
quickly by counter steering.
2.) Opening the cravate by applying the brake with an impulse movement:
Some cravats can be opened with this method. It is important to keep
the wing in straight flight by pulling the other brake all the time.
3.) Pulling the stabilo line: Some cravats can be opened by strongly
pulling the stabilo line. (It is the orange line on the B-riser. Have a
look at it or grab it every once in a while and you will be able to react
quicker in a moment of danger.)

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4.) Full stall: Many cravats can be opened by using the Full Stall. But of
course you have to have solid experience with this manoeuvre to be
able to use it properly.
5.) Reserve: If you loose control or if you are not absolutely sure that you
have enough height for further attempts to recover, immediately use
your reserve!
Many pilots wait way too long before using their reserve. Some don’t use the
reserve at all if they lose control of their glider. We strongly recommend to at
least mentally practice the use of the reserve from time to time: Grab the handle
of the reserve in flight, like you would do it in case of emergency. Many clubs
or schools offer to throw the rescue for example in a gym. The most realistic
way of training is to use the reserve in real flight. Many SIV Clinics offer that
as part of their training.
Please use these possibilities: There are already too many pilots, who almost
forgot that they have a reserve they could use, which is a very bad precondition
to use it without hesitating in a dangerous moment.
Winch launch
The BION is very easy to launch on the winch. You should start to climb at a
flat angle.
We recommend the use of a towing device which accelerates the glider during
the winch launch.
Speed system
The Bion has a trim system. The standard setting is a “closed” trimmer. This
means that all risers have the same length. To accelerate, you can open the
trimmers.
Using the accelerator in flight
If you fully apply the trim system, the angle of attack decreases and the speed
increases by about 10km/h. This is helpful to cover more distance in headwind
or in sinking air.

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Please consider, that the wing behaves more dynamic if a collapse occurs in
accelerated flight. You should be aware, that you might need more height to
recover to normal flight!
Measurements of the speed systems (publication required by EN 926)
A
A1
B
C
D
Trimmers closed
370
370
370
370
370
Trimmers open
370
370
400
445
490
Service and maintenance
General advice
To keep your glider in good condition for many years, please consider the
following advice:
Don’t expose your glider to unnecessary UV radiation –for example
by leaving it on the landing site unpacked.
Don’t fold the nylon rod reinforcements at the cell openings too hard.
If you pack the glider when it is wet or just damp, it has to be dried
later. Don’t leave it packed in a wet condition!
When you practice ground handling, avoid crashing the glider hard on
the ground with the leading edge, as this might lead to damage.
Avoid unnecessary dirt or sharp stones touching the lines and the
cloth. Don’t step on the lines if they are laying on a stony surface!
Humidity combined with dirt can lead to shrinking of the lines and
thereby to the wrong trim on your glider.
Sand and Saltwater (sweat) may damage the lines in the long run.