After engine shutdown and the passenger exits the cart, the pilot should accomplish a postflight inspection. This includes checking the general condition of the aircraft. For additional departures, the oil should be rechecked and fuel added if required. If the PPC is going to be inactive for a period of time, put the wing properly back in the bag to keep it out of the sun.

As discussed earlier in this chapter, packing the wing back into the wing bag at the end of the flight is a necessary task. The care and method the pilot employs for this critical task directly affects whether or not the wing is easy to unpack for the next flight. The process of folding the wing and returning it safely to its wing bag takes little time and the powered parachute passenger can lend a hand to the pilot in the process. If the pilot is flying solo the process will take a little longer, but the overall results will be the same and this gives the pilot an opportunity to do a thorough postflight inspection of both the wing itself and the suspension lines.

After disembarking from the cart, the wing should be repositioned in the inverted layout with the exception that the cart/prop hoop will be positioned very close to the trailing edge of the wing. At that time the line sleeves should both be replaced on each set of suspension lines. When the line sleeves are in place, the two bundles and any suspension lines left showing are placed on the exposed lower surface of the wing where they will be neatly packaged for storage during the folding process of the wing.

Starting with one outer trailing edge of the wing, draw the wing surface up and over the surface of the wing fabric to the very center of the wing. The same action will then be completed on the leading edge of the wing on the same side. The process is then completed two more times on the same side. Then the wing is folded from the other side three times in the same manner, resulting in a long rectangle of wing lying directly behind the prop line of the cart. This is one example; it is important for you to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for your PPC.

The pilot then starts at the edge closest to the cart and folds the sides of the folded wing alternately in on each other, depressing the trapped air out of the fabric, all the way to the farthest area away from the cart. [Figure 5-22] Once this is complete, the wing package size is established by taking the farthest edge and folding it toward the cart over and over until a neat square is obtained on the last fold.

After the wing is folded and lying on the ground behind the cart, the wing bag is placed on the ground next to the wing (on the side away from the cart). [Figure 5-23] It is advised to have a “marked” side of the bag and always keep the marked side facing up or in the same direction every time you load the wing into the bag and onto the cart. The wing is then neatly pulled into the bag. The pilot then picks the bag up on end and gathers the line sleeves on top of the wing. [Figure 5-24] Refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations for loading the wing in its bag on the cart for taxi and storage.