SIV Course
The following is an extract taken from the BHPA, and some of the principles that Active Flight Paragliding bases our SIV courses on.
A possible way of learning to deal with unstable situations would be to attend an SIV course ran by experienced SIV instructors. SIV stands for ‘Simulation d’Incident en Vol’ and roughly translated means simulating unstable situations in flight. Here you can learn about the way your particular canopy handles and how to make the correct control inputs in unstable situations, progressively building up to more complicated maneuvers. This must all be done over water with the use of buoyancy aids, radios, video equipment and support boats etc. NB. Landing in water is never 100 per cent safe, even in controlled situations.
It is arguable whether attending an SIV course is fundamental to a pilots’ development. Establishing good ‘active flying’ skills is more important as this will prevent the majority of collapses in the first place. Having said that, a good SIV course that is both progressive and well run, with plenty of feedback, can teach you a lot about your wing and how it feels at the onset of a spin or stall etc. The course should be geared to your individual needs and experience, and the man oeuvres should be progressive. A badly run course will teach you nothing and may have a detrimental effect on your development as a pilot
Be clear as to why you want to attend an SIV course and what you hope to achieve by the end of it. The aim of SIV is to teach you about the handling characteristics of your wing at the edges of its flight envelope. What it feels like just prior to an unstable situation and how to make the correct inputs if it does become unstable. SIV should also teach you to recognise when a situation is hopeless and the only option is to deploy your reserve. SIV IS NOT designed to teach you how to fly beyond the normal flight envelope of the glider. Paragliders are not designed for aerobatics. Discuss with the course provider what you hope to achieve and ensure that they can provide what you require. Depending on your level of experience it may take a number of SIV courses to cover all the unstable man oeuvres
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