What is Paragliding?

About Paragliding

Paragliding (known in some countries as parapenting) is a recreational and competitive windsport that is best described as a hybrid of hang gliding and parachuting. A paraglider is free-flying, unlike the parachutes used in parasailing, which is generally a passive amusement ride rather than an active sport.

Gliders

A paraglider closely resembles the modern parachutes used in parachuting competitions, but with a higher aspect ratio (to increase its glide angle) and a lighter construction (it does not have to deal with the sudden opening shock when deployed at terminal velocity). These paragliders have reasonable gliding characteristics and are quite controllable by use of cords which are held in the pilot's hand as he or she sits in the harness. Shifting one's weight also steers the paraglider. Typically, paragliders are launched from slopes at, or close to, the summit of hills. The paraglider wing is an inflatable structure. It consists of a row of cells, most of them open at the front and all closed at the back, joined together side by side. Moving through the air keeps them inflated because air goes in the front but can't get out the back. The cells are cut into the same cross-sectional shape as an aeroplane wing and it is this "aerofoil" section that produces the lift. The pilot is supported underneath the wing from a web of lines, each with the strength to support the pilot. The lines are then attached to risers, straplike devices, that are attached to the pilot's harness. Solo paragliders typically have an area of 20-30m2 and weigh 5-7kg. Glide angles range from 7:1 to 10:1 and top speeds from 45 to 65km/h.

Flying

Launching is usually done in anabatic wind, which blows uphill, or zero wind. Generally speaking, a launch in more than a very light tail-wind is not possible. Paragliding offers many of the joys of gliding, hang gliding and parachuting in a less intimidating and more accessible package. It avoids the initial fright (but perhaps also some of the thrill) of the plane-jump of parachuting, and gives much of the exhilaration of the controllable gliding of gliding and hang gliding. There is a greater ease of control, (due to the lower speeds, greater stability, lower stall speeds and lesser physical demands) with correspondingly less acrobatic manoeuvrability and range. A paraglider can also be landed in a much smaller space than a glider or a hang glider and can easily be carried in a car, unlike a glider that requires a large trailer, or a hang glider that requires, at least, a roof-rack. It is also easy to climb a mountain carrying a paraglider to fly from the top to the bottom.

Conditions

Paragliders (or "Parapentes" in French) have a low top speed, hence are suited to light winds of under 25 km/h and smooth air conditions. The non-rigid structure of paragliders relies on a constant angle of attack to maintain the shape and profile of the wing section. Turbulent air changes the angle of attack and can deflate part or all of a wing while in flight. "Collapses" are typically easy to deal with but require some training to manage correctly. Paragliders are suitable for mountain flying in low-wind conditions, and are best suited to thermally active areas or coastal locations where a sea-breeze is prevalent.

History

The origin of paragliding has roots in the sport of parachuting. In the early 1960’s, American parachutist Pierre Lemoigne was successful in cutting slots in the round parachute canopy to allow for air to flow through the canopy. This had a dramatic effect on the lift to drag ratio and allowed the pilot to steer the chute in a predictable manner.

In 1962, Walter Newmark of England took note of Lemoigne’s design and modified it so that the chute could be towed aloft. During the 60’s, parascending became a popular sport among the English. Newmark was responsible for the creation of the British Association of Parascending in the early 1970’s.

In 1964, Domina Jalbert of Florida invented a square canopy called the Ram Air Para Foil. The Ram Air worked by allowing air to pass through the double surface glider allowing for better maneuverability and increased lift. Walter Newmark soon adopted this canopy for his parascending activities.

Using specially designed ram-air parachute canopies, instead of wings of aluminium and dacron, paraglider pilots launch, glide and soar in much the same way that hang-glider pilots do. Not until the 1970’s did the sport take off.  Gerard Bosson introduced paragliding at the 1979 World Hang Gliding Championships.

The first pioneering foot-launched flights on gliding parachutes were made during the mid-1960’s by David Barish in the U.S. The sport of recreational paragliding as we know it today was born in Mieussy, France, in 1978 and grew rapidly during the mid-1980’s in the French and Swiss Alps as commercial manufacturers improved the glider designs to optimize them for soaring flight.