In flight wing deflation

Since the shape of the wing airfoil is formed by the moving air entering and inflating the wing, in turbulent air, part or all of the wing can deflate collapse. Piloting techniques referred to as active flying will greatly reduce the frequency and severity of deflations or collapses. On modern recreational wings, such deflations will normally recover without pilot intervention. In the event of a severe deflation, correct pilot input will speed recovery from a deflation, but incorrect pilot input may slow the return of the glider to normal flight, so pilot training and practice in correct response to deflations is necessary.

For the rare occasions when it is not possible to recover from a deflation or from other threatening situations such as a spin, most pilots carry a reserve rescue, emergency parachute; however, most pilots never have cause to throw their reserve. Should a wing deflation occur at low altitude, i.e., shortly after takeoff or just before landing, the wing paraglider may not recover its correct structure rapidly enough to prevent an accident, with the pilot often not having enough altitude remaining to deploy a reserve parachute [with the minimum altitude for this being approximately 60 m 200 ft, but typical deployment to stabilization periods using up 120 180 m 400 600 ft of altitude] successfully. Different packing methods of the reserve parachute affect its deploying time.

Low altitude wing failure can result in serious injury or death due to the subsequent velocity of a ground impact where, paradoxically, a higher altitude failure may allow more time to regain some degree of control in the descent rate and, critically, deploy the reserve if needed. In flight wing deflation and other hazards are minimized by flying a suitable glider and choosing appropriate weather conditions and locations for the pilots skill and experience level.