Paragliding?
What is a paraglider?
A lightweight aircraft that you launch on foot and fly freely.
Paragliding is a sport in which a paraglider — a lightweight aircraft you launch on foot — is flown for recreation and in competition. The pilot sits in a harness hanging below a fabric wing. The wing keeps its shape thanks to its lines, the air pressure entering through the cells at its leading edge, and the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing over it.
Even without a motor, a paraglider can stay up for hours and cover hundreds of kilometres. Flying several dozen kilometres in one or two hours has become almost routine, and by using sources of lift skilfully a pilot can climb to several thousand metres.
History
The origins of paragliding are often traced to Leonardo da Vinci’s parachute sketches from the Renaissance, and to attempts to improve the parachute during the Second World War. David Barish, who designed a wing to bring NASA space capsules back to Earth and flew it from ski resorts in the United States in the mid-1960s, could perhaps be called the father of the paraglider.
Paragliding as the recreational sport we know today began in 1978 in Mieussy, France. In the mid-1980s manufacturers improved their designs so wings could soar, and the sport spread quickly through the French and Swiss Alps. By the late 1980s it had reached many parts of the United States, and it was at its most widespread in the 1990s.
Depending on your choices, a complete wing and harness weigh 11–22 kg and fit in a backpack, which is why paragliding has spread all over the world. Pack everything you need into a rucksack and fly anywhere you can reach by plane or car — the light gear is ideal for hiking up a mountain and launching from the top. But like every air sport, paragliding depends heavily on the weather and on the pilot’s skill, maturity and judgement. Anyone aged 12 to 80 can take it up.
Circling above the mountain ridges and gazing into the distance — isn’t that a memory you will never forget?
Hang gliding and paragliding can be enjoyed at many levels. Some love gliding from a hilltop down to its foot, others prefer soaring in thermals, and some climb thousands of metres and fly hundreds of kilometres. As of January 2018 the world distance records stood at 564 km by paraglider and 764 km by hang glider. It is a sport in which you keep progressing — something you can learn and enjoy for a lifetime.
