DHV report questions pod harnesses

Recreational paraglider pilots who don’t need top performance should “carefully consider” whether they need to fly a pod harness, the DHV has said.

In a report published on the DHV website the German Hang Gliding and Paragliding Union say they have tested six models of pod harnesses and found “several systemic safety problems” in the concept.

The report discusses reserve deployment, harness closure systems and back protection in six harnesses, including:

Advance Impress 3

Woody Valley X-Alps GTO

Gin Genie Lite

Ava Sport Tanto Lite

Sup Air Sypper

Sup Air Delight

The DHV say:

The latest pod harnesses are generally very expensive, are heavy and voluminous, more complicated to setup and adjust, and require more attention to detail when checking for airworthiness due to their complexity and the use of fiddly components. In addition, pod harnesses can hinder pilots during takeoff and severely influence (increased twist danger) reactions to collapses and extreme flight manoeuvres

And add:

Performance gains while flying through reduced wind resistance are only possible when pod harnesses are carefully setup and aligned to the direction of travel. At a glance the advantages may appear clear, but the non-trivial setup is often ignored and results in no effective gain.

The full report is on the DHV website here.