One day you will be in the air when the wind picks up, or the
Both are simple to use. Each has one rule that, broken, turns it into trouble.
The speed bar
Push the bar with your feet and it shortens the
Setting it up
Set the bar’s length with your instructor, hanging in a simulator. Released, it must not pull the front risers, so start long and shorten it after your first flights. At full bar, with the riser pulleys touching, your legs should be straight4. Check it is connected on both sides before every launch5.
The bar is not a footrest for getting into the seat4. In one Swiss case a pilot hurrying into a pod harness caught it with a heel and pushed it fully; the wing collapsed close to the terrain6.
Using it
Your first pushes are with your instructor, in smooth air and well away from the ground. Push progressively with your feet7. Keep the brake handles in your hands but do not brake; steer with your weight. The wind noise rises, you tilt back a little as the wing goes forward, and the ground moves faster. Come off the bar smoothly too3.
| Use the bar | Keep it off |
|---|---|
| Into a headwind, to make progress7 | Close to the ground or terrain7 |
| Through sinking air7 | In turbulence3 |
| To leave strong lift or a rising wind, often with big ears8 | Whenever you need the brakes9 |
Fly only in conditions where you can make progress into wind without the bar3. It is a tool, not a licence for stronger wind.
Safety-critical Bar and brakes, never together
Never brake while on the bar: it distorts the wing and makes a collapse more likely. If the wing collapses or the air turns rough, release the bar first, then make any brake correction9.
Big ears
Big ears fold the
Figure: Seen from in front, so the pilot’s right is on the left. Hands keep the brake handles while they pull the outer A lines; the tips fold; the pilot steers by leaning; then both lines go together and the tips reopen.
Big ears in and out
On the ground, find the outer A lines on your own risers, with your instructor.
Why Riser layouts differ between wings11.
In the air, when your instructor asks, check for traffic and room. Keeping the brake handles in your hands, pull the outer A lines out and down until the tips fold.
Cue The tips fold under, the wing looks narrower and you feel yourself sink.
Why Manuals differ on one line at a time, both evenly or both briskly; follow yours12.
Hold them, and steer by weight shift only.
Cue A calm wing, a steeper glide, brakes untouched.
Why The brake lines must not be shortened or wrapped12.
To exit, let go of both lines together.
Cue The tips reopen and the wind noise returns.
If a tip stays folded after you let go, brake gently on that side, one side at a time, never deep on both.
Why Deep symmetric brake can cause a parachutal or full stall12.
Ears and the stall
Never brake with ears in. Airspeed is already lower and the stall margin smaller, so deep symmetric brake can drop the wing into a
Avoid big ears with a wet wing15, and do not spiral or turn sharply with them in: it overloads the remaining lines13. If your instructor has you use big ears to lose height before landing, let them out well before your final glide, so both tips have reopened and the wing has its speed back; the tips can take a few seconds to reopen16. Never fly the final glide or
Descent rates compared
Hands up, a school wing sinks at about 1.2 m/s240 ft/min; one maker’s trim speed and glide ratio give that figure18. In DHV tests of 15 older school wings, big ears sank at 2.5–3 m/s500–600 ft/min on most, from under 2.5 m/s500 ft/min to 4 m/s780 ft/min across all of them, flying 0–5 km/h0–3 mph slower than trim, depending on the wing. With the bar added, most sank at 3.5–4 m/s680–780 ft/min19. So big ears roughly double or triple your descent, and the wing keeps flying.
Figure: Typical sink rates of school wings: each bar is the typical range (for big ears, where most measured wings fell) and the dot the typical value. Off the chart, a spiral dive can sink at 14–27 m/s (2,760–5,320 ft/min).
Ears and bar together
Adding the bar to big ears restores some speed and adds sink1319. Manufacturers disagree about the order21:
| Source | Order |
|---|---|
| Gin, Ozone | Ears first, then the bar; never pull ears with the bar already pushed. Ozone warns of a major collapse. |
| Skywalk, following the DHV method | Half bar first, then the ears, then full bar |
Follow your wing’s manual and your instructor’s method.
Spirals and B-stalls wait for an SIV course
Big ears, with or without the bar, is the descent technique of basic training.
The reasons are serious. A spiral can sink at 14–27 m/s2,760–5,320 ft/min with loads of 3–4 g, enough to disorient a pilot, and may not stop by itself when you release the brakes20. A slow release from a B-stall is a known cause of parachutal stall23. This guide does not describe how to fly either.
Common mistake Braking on the bar
- Symptom
- The wing feels twitchy, or folds, while you are accelerated.
- Cause
- A brake input with the bar pushed, often to steer or steady the wing.
- Fix
- Steer with your weight on the bar. Release the bar first, then brake9.
Common mistake Brakes with ears in
- Symptom
- The wind noise fades and the wing feels soft; you seem to sink almost straight down.
- Cause
- Braking, or
wrapping the brakes , while holding big ears. - Fix
- Prevent it by steering on weight shift alone. If the wing goes quiet and soft, release the brakes fully24; see stall and parachutal stall.
Common mistake Ears on a windy final
- Symptom
- Low on final with ears in, the wing feels slow and the landing is hard.
- Cause
- Using big ears late and low, or holding them too long.
- Fix
- Lose height earlier and higher. Release the ears and let both tips reopen well before the final glide1716.
Instructor's note Blown back? Prevention first
Sources disagree on big ears when you are struggling to make progress into a strong wind. The German federation says they are no escape, because depending on the wing they cut forward speed by 3–8 km/h2–5 mph. Gin and Skywalk describe ears plus bar as a way to come down while keeping penetration, and the BHPA syllabus lists the combination for a faster descent, with its limits. Nobody recommends ears alone25. The real answer is not to be there: fly only in wind within your limits, and leave early.
Standards differ Speed bar and big ears in the syllabus
Common ground: Big ears and the speed bar are taught at or soon after the first rating everywhere; spirals and B-stalls are not22.
- USHPA (USA)
- P2 pilots show symmetric and asymmetric tip folds (one-sided big ears, learned with your instructor) for descent, and speed-bar use26.
- BHPA (UK)
- Club Pilot training includes
rapid descent in its instability and emergencies phase27. The post-Club Pilot syllabus adds big ears with speed bar, and awareness of its limits25. - APPI (international)
- Adventure-level pilots judge their glide by a still point, also with big ears28. Spirals are taught on APPI’s SIV course22.
- FAI/CIVL SafePro (international reference)
- Stage 3 skills include big ears and the speed bar; a spiral dive is optional, flown in tandem with an instructor2922.
Summarised from each body’s published material, which changes over time. Check the current official documents and follow your school.
Questions students ask
Can big ears get me away from strong lift or a growing cloud?
Leave early. Big ears, often with the bar, and a heading towards sinking air are the usual way out; better still, stay well away from big clouds. Never throw your
How much bar should I use?
Start with a little, then as much as the conditions and your training allow. Full bar is when the riser pulleys touch1.
Why not just spiral down? It looks quicker.
It is far quicker, and that is the problem. Spirals are learned on an SIV course with qualified instructors2220.
Key points
- The bar lowers the angle of attack: faster, more sink, less resistance to collapse.
- Use it into wind, through sink and to leave lift; keep it off near the ground, in turbulence and whenever you brake.
- If the wing collapses on the bar, release the bar first, then brake.
- Big ears: pull the outer A lines, steer by weight shift, never brake; release both together, well before the final glide.
- Ears roughly double or triple your sink, and the bar adds more. Manuals disagree on the order, so follow yours.
- Spirals and B-stalls are SIV material, not descent techniques for students.