Maintenance & Care

Storage


Ultraviolet light, heat, humidity, sea water, aggressive cleaning agents, unsuitable storing and physical abuse ( dragging across the ground ) speed up the ageing process.

HintAlways store your harness uncompressed in a dry and dark place.
HintAllow a wet or damp harness to dry by leaving it completely unpacked at room temperature, or outside in the shade.
HintAllow a wet or damp reserve to dry by leaving it completely unpacked at room temperature, or outside in the shade, then always repack it.

Maintenance

Cleaning


All rubbing and sliding action speeds up the harness fabric ageing process.

If your harness gets heavily soiled with dirt, grass stains, grease, cow dung, mold, resin or other dirt, just clean the fabric with a soft, damp cloth. Then allow the harness to dry thoroughly before packing it away.

It is best to use baby powder gently on adhesive residues.

HintClean the harness only with fresh water. Do not use solvents under any circumstances.
HintIf the harness gets wet with salt ( sea ) water rinse it thoroughly with fresh water.
HintIf the rescue gets wet with salt ( sea ) water rinse it thoroughly with fresh water. Always repack it.


Visual Inspection

Like any flying device, every harness should be routinely inspected by its pilot so that any damage to seams, straps etc. can be quickly detected and repaired. . Especially after a tree landing or a hard emergency landing on the protector, the harness must be visually inspected in detail for damage, before it flies again..

WarningDo not make any modifications to your harness and never fly with a harness whose straps are damaged in any way.
WarningIf the harness was used as part of a rescue emergency opening, the harness must then be inspected by the manufacturer or an authorized service center.
HintCheck the harness regularly for damaged seams and straps. In particular, check the reserve connection / main connection straps and the seams on the main carabiners loops.

Packing the reserve parachute

Most reserve parachute manufacturers recommend maintenance or repacking of the reserve parachute every 6 months to ensure reliable and quick opening at all times. If the reserve gets wet, damp or overheated, it must be definitely repacked. We strongly recommend that you let a qualified person pack your reserve. ADVANCE also strongly recommends that you regularly check the yellow locking cables in the locking loops of your harness. It is sufficient to move the cables slightly.

Carabiner service life

EDELRID ALIAS Speed

Maximum 5 years or 1500 flight hours

The main support carabiners are high quality ALIAS Speed Alu Carabiners (58 g, 23 kN). Aluminium carabiners must be regularly visually inspected for metal discolourations, dents, obvious scratches or cracks. In addition you must be careful that a carabiner is always loaded vertically – along its major axis. If a carabiner shows any of the above visually evident conditions or has been incorrectly loaded, both carabiners must be replaced immediately. In any case the carabiners must be replaced no later than 5 years after being put into service (time period starts with the first flight) or after 1500 flight hours and may not be used again.


Foam protector

The foam protector does not require any special care, but it should definitely be inspected for possible damage after an impact. In case of damage to the outer shell/s, the protector must be replaced.

Removing & replacing components

General

The LIGHTNESS 4 is delivered with a built-in main protector, SAS-TEC, comfort foam, mounted speedbag incl. acceleration system, footboard and step-in-aid. All individual parts can be easily removed, e.g. to carry out any repairs or to replace them.

1. SAS-TEC

The SAS-TEC is stored in a separate compartment. To remove it, open a horizontal zip on the left-hand side of the harness at about the height of the air inlet and pull the SAS-TEC out of its compartment. To reinstall, proceed in reverse order.

2. Comfort foam

The comfort foam is stored in a separate compartment. To remove it, open the side compartment in the same way as the SAS-TEC and pull out the SAS-TEC first, then open the horizontal zip in the middle to pull the comfort foam out of its compartment. To reinstall, proceed in reverse order.

3. Main protector

The main protector compartment is located under the seat area. Open the zipper at the bottom of the harness. Then pull out the foam protector. When reinstalling, make sure that the protector is installed correctly. The areas are marked in green. Then close all zippers correctly.


Footboard

To replace the carbon footboard, remove it from its compartment in the nose pocket of the leg bag (open twice a zip) and insert the new one. Make sure to insert the footboard in the center.

Speed system

Unloop the Brummel hooks and pull the speed bar lines out of the Ronstan pulleys on either side of the harness. To reinstall, reverse the procedure.

{INFO.}The elastic tensioner in the foot area can be replaced separately.
WarningCheck the routing of the speed bar lines and the speedbag lines. These must not cross each other, danger of chafing!
WarningUse only the original accelerator lines. A different line or even an accelerator bar could damage the leg bag and the harness considerably due to friction.

4. Speedbag

The LIGHTNESS 4 is delivered with a mounted speedbag as standard. To mount a new speedbag you have to remove the old one first. Proceed as follows:

WarningWhen replacing a speedbag, always use the speedbag lines belonging to the respective speedbag.

Remove speedbag

  1. Detach the foot accelerator.
  2. Detach the suspension loops from the main carabiners.
  3. Open the zippers on both sides.
  4. Open the Velcro on the bottom of the harness.
  5. Loosen the two lower gray speedbag lines that connect the speedbag to the harness.
  6. To do this, loosen the anchor stitch knot under the adjustment tube and release the gray line completely from the black tab on the edge of the seat shell.

Installing the speedbag

  1. Pull the upper end of the gray speedbag line through the black loop at the edge of the seat shell.
  2. Form an anchor stitch with the upper loop of the leash and pull the lower, red sewn part of the leash through it.
  3. Tighten the anchor stitch behind the adjustment tube.
  4. Close the zippers that attach the speedbag to the harness.
  5. Attach the speedbag cover to the bottom of the harness.
  6. Fix the suspension loops in the main carabiners.
WarningIt is mandatory to fix the suspension loops in the main carabiners otherwise the speedbag zippers will be damaged. Attach the foot accelerator as described in the manual.

5. Windshield

See instructions in the "Flight preparation" chapter.

Inspection

Inspect your harness regularly for damage and have it thoroughly visually inspected by a professional every 24 months. The inspection includes a visual assessment of the fabric, straps and connections, major stitching and main carabiners. All parts are inspected for tears, kinks, pre-damaged seams, damage and severe wear. Detected damage requires the harness to be professionally repaired before the next flight.


You can find more information about the check in the "Service" chapter of this manual or at www.advance.swiss.

Repairs

You should never carry out harness repairs yourself. The various seams are prepared with the greatest precision. Only the manufacturer or an authorised Service Centre should carry out repairs with original materials.

Disposal

Environmental protection plays an important role in the selection of materials and the manufacture of an ADVANCE product. We use only non-toxic materials and fabrics that are subjected to continuous quality and environmental impact assessments. When your equipment reaches the end of its useful life, please remove all metal parts (recycling) and dispose of straps and material in the designated facilities.