Is it the right manoeuvre for landing on narrow fields?
• Is it necessary to review the certification processes? To find out more about these questions we have surfed through the most active and arguer paragliding forums on the web, gathering al lot of info and comparing it with our own experience in free flying, to get a better understanding of this manoeuvre and its risks. What are they? We should start by saying that “Big Ears” is a manoeuvre for fast descent in paragliding, in which the pilot pulls the outer lines of both A risers to fold down the wingtips of the glider. This way, we put the glider out of its normal flying configuration and we obtain a higher sink rate, since the glider’s span is shortened and we have a smaller flying surface. Also, the glider’s speed lowers down due, in part, to the added drag induced by the folded tips and the smaller surface. It is a manoeuvre particularly used to stay under and out of a cloud, whilst still keeping some glide and speed, or when you want to lose some altitude. Big Ears are popular bec
