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Innovations on Firebird Paragliders:
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All 2005 Firebird gliders and onwards feature our flashy new design, the striking swept-back planform and technical innovations such as Speed Loops and Laser Cut Technology. These new technologies help us to achieve higher levels of quality, allowing Firebird to be the only producer in the world to offer a 5-year-warranty on all new paragliders. Many design studies, innumerable prototypes, and the development of a new sewing method were necessary to make this new Firebird Design Wing a reality and bring a paraglider with a truly exceptional look to the market. Besides eyecatching appeal, the new Firebird paragliders also have very convincing flight characteristics. The new swept-back planform provides high safety while thermalling through a narrow turn radius, improved slow flight characteristics and excellent handling. It also prevents locked spirals and greatly reduces the risk of cravats. Firebird has combined proven materials with the latest innovations, painstakingly applied from wingtip to comfortable harness, to guarantee the highest quality and longest lasting equipment. For example, the innovative line attachment points called Speed Loops have many advantages over usual tapes, and Dacron tape, called Edge Protect, replaces webbing to reinforce both leading and trailing edges. This avoids shrinkage even in extreme temperatures and humidity to enhance dimensional stability and protect the most exposed parts of the glider. |
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Firebird is the first manufacturer in the world to use Laser Cut Technology to cut all fabric pieces for the paraglider. This technology produces the highest cutting precision and a minimum of material waste. All the different parts of the wing are precisely cut with a laser plotter and automatically "burned" with an individual number. Through Laser Cut Technology, production planning is improved, quality control optimized, material waste minimized, and an unimagined accuracy of 0.15 mm achieved. Moreover, a further advantage of the laser cut is that it automatically seals the edge. Thanks to these new technologies Firebird is the only producer in the world to offer a 5-year warranty on our paragliders. |
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Firebird calls its line attachment points Speed Loop Technology. These thin sheathed lines, instead of the usual tapes, can hold 30% more than conventional attachment points due to the improved inside sewing. Plus, the air flow on the bottom sail is less disturbed and the profile is more stable during accelerated flight, so a gain in performance is achieved without any loss of safety.
So the new Firebird Speed Loops not only offer sensible aerodynamic advantages but also the benefit of holding 30% more load, which contributes to the high quality and longevity of the |
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On leading and trailing edge, a Dacron tape is used instead of a webbing tape. The Dacron material provides especially good form stability, preventing changes in line length even in extreme temperatures and humidity, to avoid changes in flight behavior. In addition, the most exposed parts of the glider are well protected. |
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Regularly removing dirt and foreign matter from a paragliding canopy will improve its service life. To make this easier, all Firebird gliders are outfitted with a velcro opening situated on the wing tip. Through this Dirt Hole things like sand, leaves etc. can be removed with ease at regular intervals to prevent the internal abrasion of the canopy fabric. The Dirt Hole itself is covered by a protective flap, pulled over the pile velcro, so that the finest sand is removed without soiling the velcro. |
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When Firebird sponsored a market research study into paraglider-pilots' wishes and suggestions for improvement, one of the most common remarks was the similarity and relative blandness of the design of many paragliders on the market. In response, Firebird embarked on an intensive and ambitious project. After many design studies and innumerable prototypes, Firebird was the first producer to lead the way to a new paraglider Design Wing. This new design posed manufacturing challenges as well. The innovative three-color design was only possible after the development of a costly new sewing method. |
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