BOERI PARAGLIDING HELMETS WITH RESCUE REFLECTOR
In constant pursuit of safety aspects of our sport we at Papillon Paragliding, have joined forces with RECCO and BOERI to produce most exciting helmet in sub 500gr range – BOERI MERCURY PAPILLON HELMET.
With only 470g it is one of the lightest flying helmets on the market and it comes just 16.408g heavier than a pint of beer that is 16 ounces or 453.592g.
It comes with an electronic transponder that weighs less than four grams sewn to the chin strap of your helmet.
RECCO Reflector technology makes you searchable to professional rescuers in the event of an accident. This RECCO reflector is a small, battery-free transponder which responds to signals from a RECCO detector to assist detection of the wearer in the case of an avalanches usually but can also be used for remote mountain climbers and very adventurous paragliders.
At 470g it is almost the same weight as your pint of beer.
Where is the RECCO device located?
The little label that is sewn on to the chin strap is not the passive reflector! It is just a marketing label.
Do I need it? Where and how does it work?
And here is the list of all the places.
https://recco.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/recco_detectors_worldwide_2019_v01.pdf
To answer in more details we need to educate ourselves about how RECCO works.
RECCO devices have been created mainly for the rescue missions for the stranded skiers by avalanches but then later on expanded as a very good search and rescue device for anyone else who is into the outdoor sports including us paragliders as well!
There are two scanning devices available:
a.) Hand held Avalanche Rescue Detectors which are used to scan the area on foot and their effective reach is approximately 20m.
b.) The second device, and a much more effective detector is the one that is mounted on the helicopters and can cover much bigger areas (Ø100m) at the time and is much faster. Hence much more expensive and less available – 14 locations.
Do you need it or not? Either way, it depends on you whether you want to be searchable in bad situations or not and whether you will ever go to any of the locations that are on the list at present. We know for certain that RECCO is working very hard to be recognised and to supply many more locations with the detectors.
Maybe now with the appearance of the “FIRST ON THE MARKET” PAPILLON MERCURY BOERI helmet specifically aimed at and certified for the air sports, many other resorts will jump on the bandwagon and obtain their detectors. And of course, there will be a surge of manufactures to implement the reflector devices into their products. Or maybe not! Maybe we are ahead of the times!? It remains to be seen!
Who is BOERI?
https://www.boericaschi.it/
Boeri has gone through the massive expense of certifying the MERCURY helmets for our sport and has issued the EU Conformity document to the same effect for airborne and paragliding sports. The helmets are in the norm EU EN 966: 2012 and certified the model MERCURY as UE type AIRBORNE HELMETS, Registration number DPI / 0497/1188 dated 26/09/2018.
https://www.boericaschi.it/dichiarazione-di-conformita-ue/
DIY - can I make it myself?
https://recco.com/shop-attachable-recco-reflector/…
and make yourself SEARCHABLE!
Sizes
MEASURES
it is very important to use a protective helmet of your size, as well as for shoes, the helmet must not tighten and hurt, but it must not even be large and move when on the head.
The measurements in centimetres are represented as follows:
XS = 53 cm; S = 55cm; M = 57 cm; L = 58 cm; XL = 59 cm; XXL=60+ cm;
HOW TO MEASURE YOUR SIZE
It is simple, just take a soft tape measure, like the tailor’s one, and measure the circumference of the head at the height of half the front; remember that longer or shorter hair can change the circumference measurement even by 1 or 2 cm.