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.
View the retrofitting directive
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.
