Airwave’s Laminar Controls low-drag paraglider steering system
Airwave Laminar Controls paraglider steering system
Airwave have patented a new paraglider steering system, ‘Laminar Controls‘, designed to keep the pilot’s hands off the standard steering toggles and out of the airflow and thus to reduce parasitic drag, improving performance. It also keeps your hands warm, as they will be nestling behind a neoprene cover.
The system was developed by Airwave boss Markus Villinger, who also designed the inflatable fairing pod, of which it could be considered a kind of extension.
With this system, your glider’s brake handles are still used for launching and landing, but you would then switch to Laminar Controls for the rest of the flight. Airwave have been testing the system for a year, and say you soon get used to the new method. You can very quickly get your hands back on the original steering toggles if need be, but Airwave say the more you use the new system, the less likely you are to want to do that.
Because your hands are lower and in a more relaxed position, your arms get less tired.
Paraglider using Airwave's Laminar Controls system, seen from below
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February 23rd, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Luc Armant was flying with just such a system in 2007. I don’t see how Airwave can claim a patent on this with such obvious prior art.
February 23rd, 2010 at 3:29 pm
If the system is patented, it should be possible to put a few diagrams to illustrate how it works.
It’s a bit hard to understand what this is about.
February 25th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
99% of any new invention or design feature in a glider either came from Pro-Design Paragliders or Ozone Paragliders. Everyone else simply rips them off. Period!