Q.
What is it like to paraglide, what is a paraglider?
A. Paragliding is
the simplest form of human flight. A paraglider is a non-motorized,
foot-launched inflatable wing that fits in a backpack. It is easy to transport,
easy to launch, and easy to land. The paraglider itself is constructed of
rip-stop nylon from which the pilot is suspended by sturdy Kevlar lines. The
pilot is hooked into a harness and oriented in a sitting position for maximum
comfort. With a paraglider, you actually fly like a bird, soaring upwards on
currents of air. Paraglider pilots routinely stay aloft for many hours and can
climb up to the clouds, sometimes as high at 18,000 feet, and fly cross-country
for hundreds of miles.
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Q. Is paragliding
the same as parasailing or parachuting?
A. No on all counts.
Parasailing is what you do at a beach, in a modified parachute tied to a boat.
You get drug around like a sack of potatoes and you have no piloting control.
Parachutes are designed to be deployed during free-fall from an airplane and to
then descend to the ground. In contrast, paraglider pilots launch from gentle
hillsides with their gliders already opened for flight like giant kites.
If a paraglider is not flying properly the launch is aborted before
leaving the ground. The other major difference is that a paraglider is designed
to fly up in air currents and is therefore much more efficient and aerodynamic
than a parachute that is designed only to come down.
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Q. How is
paragliding different from hang gliding?
A. Paragliding and hang
gliding are very similar in terms of the pure joy of flight. The sensation of
flying either craft is very bird-like. Many pilots enjoy both sports equally and
you might enjoy trying both. There are aspects that make each a little easier in
some situations and more difficult in others. A paraglider is a bit faster to
set up and put away, it folds up into a 30 lbs. backpack in about five minutes
and can be easily transported in the trunk of a car, whereas a hang glider
requires a roof rack for transport and takes at least twice as long to set up
and take down, they generally weigh twice as much as a paraglider. Pilots
commonly carry their paragliders to the tops of mountains that would be
difficult or impossible to reach with a hang glider. And after you land
you can throw a paraglider in a bus or the back of a car to get back to
launch. Because hang gliders fly slightly faster, they can cover greater
distances more easily and can fly up-wind more easily. But paragliders, which
have advanced rapidly over the last few years, can now cover distances almost as
great and, due to their tighter turning radius, can often stay aloft in light
lift when hang gliders can't. Paragliders can more easily be landed back on top
of a mountain use much smaller landing areas, This makes cross country flying
less stressful because there are more potential places to land safely. A hang
glider is controlled through weight shift and the feeling of carving turns is
similar to riding a roller-coaster head first. A paraglider is controlled
through weight shift and application of brakes which deform the back edge of the
glider, there is a similar feeling of carving turns, but there's not as much
speed and you're upright in a sitting position. They both have similar safety
records.
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Q. What
can I do with a paraglider?
A. Paragliders are designed to soar. The
duration record is over 11 hours and the distance record is over 400 kilometers.
In training you will start out just skimming the ground. As you progress and
become more skilled and confident you will probably want to go higher and use
the wing for its designed purpose -- soaring! Average recreational pilots,
utilizing thermal and ridge lift, routinely stay aloft for many hours and can
soar up to the clouds. On a good day a pilot can fly many miles drifting
from could to cloud. In addition, paragliders can be easily carried and
launched off of most mountains. Paragliders have been flown off of almost every
major peak in the United States and Europe as well as off of Mt. Everest.
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Q.
Is it safe to paraglide?
A. You can make paragliding, like most
adventure sports, as safe or dangerous as you want. It is of course crucial that
you receive instruction from a certified professional and use safe
equipment. Professional schools will create as controlled and safe a
learning environment as possible. But paragliding is still an outdoor sport and
Mother Nature is unpredictable. The primary safety factors are personal
judgment, attitude, and experience. You must be willing to learn gradually
and to keep your ego in check. If you don't, then you can get injured or killed;
if you do, then you can paraglide until you're 90. Statistically the
accident rate in paragliding is similar to motorcycling.
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Q.
Is it scary to paraglide?
A. Paragliding is the simplest and most
serene way to fulfill humankind's oldest dream -- free flight! The pilot runs
down a gentle slope and glides away from the mountain. There is no free-falling
or jumping off of cliffs. The launches and landings are slow and gentle and,
once in the air, most people are surprised by how quiet and peaceful the
experience is. Even a fear of heights is rarely a factor, as there is no
sensation of falling. The solo lesson requires more effort (physical and mental)
than the tandem lesson, but it lays the basic groundwork necessary to become a
safe solo pilot. If the idea of watching the sunset from a comfortable
seat in the air, supported by the buoyant evening air, with perhaps an eagle or
hawk joining you off your wing tip, appeals to you, then paragliding is for you.
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Q. Who can
do paragliding?
A. Paragliding is about finesse and serenity, not
strength and adrenaline. As in rock climbing, women often do much better than
men because they don't try to muscle the paraglider around. In Europe, where the
sport is immensely popular, you will see pilots as young as 10 and as old as 80.
If you choose to hike to launch then you'll want to be in good physical
condition, but you can also drive to most popular flying sites. More important
than physical conditioning, however, is being physically and mentally alert and
prepared. To be a successful paragliding student and pilot you need to be able
to think clearly, listen well, and make consistently good judgment calls.
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Q. How much
does a paraglider cost? How long does a paraglider last?
A. A new
paraglider, harness and reserve parachute will cost somewhere between $4,500 and
$5,500. Depending on the amount and intensity of the sunlight UV exposure a
paraglider will need to be replaced after about 300 hours of use, which for most
pilots is around 3-4 years of flying. It's easy to test your lines
and sailcloth for strength and thus determine your need to replace your
paraglider long before it becomes unsafe. Harnesses and reserves should last
indefinitely with good care. Most pilots who get into the sport also purchase a
two-way radio, a GPS and a variometer (which is an altimeter that which tells
you whether and how fast you are going up or down) for an additional
$500-$1,000. Good used equipment is often available at much lower prices and
your instructor can help you select appropriate equipment to assure your safety.
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Q. What
do I need to know when purchasing my first paraglider?
A. First, you
need to know how to fly. No would-be pilot should purchase a wing before
learning at least the basics of paragliding. It is your instructor's job to help
you select your first wing. Different paragliders have different characteristics
and require different skill levels; your instructor will match the glider to
your particular interests, strengths, weaknesses, and skill level. Develop a
solid relationship with an instructor you trust before purchasing equipment.
"Good deals" generally end up costing the naive new pilot a great deal
of money. Most instructors rely on referrals and repeat business so they are
very determined to help you make the right decisions.
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Q. How
do I get started?
A. The best way to start is with an either a tandem
flight or an introductory course designed to give you a taste of real flying.
Under radio supervision, you will fly solo from a training hill and progress to
higher flights. The basic techniques of paragliding -- launching, turning,
landing -- are fairly easy to learn. If, after your introductory flights,
you want to continue with paragliding, the next step is to enroll in a Novice
(P2) Certification Course which will teach you about micrometeorology, different
launch and flying techniques, safety procedures, etc. Paragliding has been
called the easiest form of aviation to learn, but the most difficult to master
and you should expect to continue throughout your flying career.
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Q. Do I
need a license to fly?
A. Paragliders are regulated under the Federal
Aviation Regulations Section 103 and therefore a license is not required to
paraglide. In essence, paragliding is a self-regulated sport under the auspices
of the United States Hang Gliding and
Paragliding Association (USHPA) To keep it self-regulated,
pilots and instructors alike adhere to the policies and guidelines of the USHPA.
Local flying regulations may require a pilot to have certain USHPA ratings, such
as Novice (P2) or Intermediate (P3) in order to fly a particular site. When
purchasing equipment, a responsible dealer will always require some proof of
certified rating.
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Q. How
long does it take to learn to fly?
A. You will generally be flying
solo during your first day of paragliding instruction, which is one of the
advantages of the sport. However, in order to acquire the basic skills necessary
to fly on your own without instructor supervision, you need to complete a Novice
(P2) Certification Course, which generally takes at least 7 to 10 days and a
minimum of 25 flights. During such a course, you will complete the USHPA-mandated
amount of ground-school time, flights, and flying days, and will learn about
high altitude flight, advanced maneuvers and reserve parachute deployment.
Whether you complete your training in consecutive days or spread out over
several months is up to you, although the more concentrated your training, the
better.
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Q.
What is motorized paragliding or powered paragliding?
A. With a
gas-fueled motor unit attached to the pilot's back by means of a special
harness, it is possible to paraglide in areas where, and at times when, flying
sites or conditions are limited or non-existent. With thorough training a
backpack motor pilot can use the motor to launch and then spend the rest of the
day ridge soaring or riding thermals, using the motor only when necessary to
keep from landing. All of the same general considerations discussed about
paragliders apply to motor units. Since the pilot will be launching and landing
with 45 lbs. to 100 lbs. of additional weight, it is extremely important that
the pilot be competent in evaluating the conditions and have the appropriate
skills. You should secure a USHPA Novice license before using a motor unit. The
information and training provided is crucial to your long term success with a
motor.
