finsterwalder-charly.de - Finsterwalder & Charly - Hanggliding and Paragliding Equipment since 1974

RETROFITTING DIRECTIVE FOR FINSTERWALDER PARALOCK 3 SEPARATION CARABINERS

According to the manufacturer's instructions, all Paralock 3 separation carabiners must be retrofitted with line guards. Without this retrofit, the carabiners lose their operational approval.

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the retrofitting directive:

Do the two boreholes in the web of the Paralock cause a reduction in the strength of the Paralock?
No, the holes are not in the area of a weak point. The breaking load of the retrofitted Paralock 3 is higher than that of conventional paragliding carabiners, regardless of whether they are made of aluminium or stainless steel. We have, of course, carried out load tests. These showed that at a load of approximately 2.8 t, the pin on the lock begins to deform the swivel lever and eventually tears through it.

Does retrofitting the Paralock 3 with line guards remove the restriction of the Paralock in tandem use?
Tandem flights with passengers holding a paraglider pilot's licence are permitted with the retrofitted Paralock 3.
Training flights to obtain a passenger pilot licence and tandem flights with passengers who do not hold a paraglider pilot licence are still not permitted. We do not intend to lift this ban on commercial tandem use until the remaining possibility of incorrect operation has been eliminated by design.

Is the operation of the Paralock affected by the line guards?
No, the release button is easy to grip and unlock, even when wearing thick gloves. Operation is not affected by the retrofit.

Can the Paralock 1 still be used?
There have been no unintentional openings of the Paralock 1 so far, so the approval remains valid. However, it cannot be completely ruled out that paraglider foot accelerator lines could come into conflict with the release lever or that paraglider lines could get caught under the release lever in the event of a violent collapse. We therefore recommend switching to the retrofitted Paralock 3.

Important: Please ensure that the instruction manual for the retrofitted Paralock 3 is carefully observed.

Preview:: Paralock 4

As previously reported, the securing pin of the Paralock 3 can be operated incorrectly, so that it is moved to the blocking position while the swivel lever is not in the fully closed position. This makes it possible to block the swivel lever in the open position.

The successor model, Paralock 4, which is expected to be released in 2027, is designed in such a way that incorrect operation of the optional blocking mechanism using the securing pin is constructively prevented.

To activate the blocking mechanism, a latch attached to the Paralock 4 must be pushed and held upwards against spring force. This latch can only be operated when the swivel lever is in the correct locking position.

To unblock the Paralock 4, there is no need to operate the latch again. It is a matter of seconds via the Blue Disc and the latch is automatically reset.

The construction drawing shows the technical solution integrated inside the Paralock. The additional weight is only approx. 5 g.

Paralock separation carabiner

Many features of separation carabiners offer increased safety, but a safety check is essential when attaching the risers.

In the past there have been several unintentional Paralock releases that have ended without serious consequences. Recently, however, there was a fatal accident during a tandem flight in Italy, yet no evidence of product failure has been found.

The German air sports association DHV has carried out investigations in this regard and concluded that the Paralock 3 can be used safely provided that the prescribed safety check is carried out when attaching the risers.
However, design improvements are required and planned to reduce future risks when using the Paralock.

The cause of some of the unintentional releases of the Paralock 3 was that the foot accelerator lines were wrapped around the release button and the swivel lever was opened when the accelerator was operated. Our instructions in a safety notice to use the Paralock 3 only in blocked mode, even in mono use, were not followed in two cases. We will offer a good retrofit solution to prevent wrappings in early 2025. Paralocks that have not been retrofitted can be safely operated with the swivel lever blocked.

The Paralock's swivel lever principle requires the user to apply counter-pressure to the release button when attaching the glider in order to check that it is securely engaged. The fact that the Paralock swivel lever engages automatically in the locking position is a temptation to use the karabiner carelessly, and it cannot be ruled out that, for example, jammed lines or webbing will prevent it from locking automatically. The safety check is therefore essential. The DHV investigation makes this clear.

View the investigation report in the DHV website

Safety note Paralock 3 !

All users of the Paralock 3 are requested to carry out a functional check before the next flight. This is due to several unintentional openings in flight, which are probably due to incorrect operation. However, in order to rule out a malfunction, a check by the user is necessary. This consists of releasing the swivel lever at a deflection of about 45°. It should then lock automatically. Afterwards, correct locking must be checked by applying counter-pressure.
This function check must be carried out regularly. If the function check is negative, the Paralock must be returned to the manufacturer.

We would also like to point out that the safety instructions in the Paralock 3 operating instructions must be observed.
In particular, the secure engagement of the swivel lever must be checked immediately before each launch by pushing against the release button.

In addition, the Paralock 3 may only be flown with the additional blocking mechanism activated. This applies not only to tandem use, but also to mono use.

Furthermore, the pilot must not unblock the carabiner during flight (except after an emergency parachute deployment).

Anniversary article about Thomas Finsterwalder in Cross Country Magazine

To mark our 50th anniversary, Cross Country Magazine published an article about Thomas Finsterwalder's hike & fly revolution. Read the full article here…

Safety Note Paralock 3

During the use of the Paralock 3 without the additional activation of the release blocking mechanism by means of the securing pin, it has happened that the risers have been released unintentionally. Loose hanging lines of the speed system wrapped around the release button in such a way that when the speed system was subsequently operated, the release lever was turned to the open position. The incident had no serious consequences.

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