While flying along in mellow air, an out-of-place bump signals that something’s amiss. Next, the wing contorts, twists, surges forward, folds, and finally returns overhead with a mighty “pop!” That’s when the real disaster unfolds: leading edge lines or tabs have broken and the glider becomes uncontrollable. The “pop” imposes a huge snap load that can easily double or triple line stresses.
Our gear is pretty good overall, especially the wings, which are quite durable. It’s surprising when you think of how much stress they regularly absorb in steep manoeuvres. Even among acro pilots, failure is rare. We just don’t hear about wings coming apart very often despite frequent neglect. That same reliability breeds complacency about flying over placard weights, especially with motors, and even more often on carts. Wheels…
