Imagine parking your car at a beautiful upland vantage point on a sparkling spring day. You open the boot and don flying suit and boots, then lift out your incredibly light flying machine in its carrying rucksack and trek off a few yards to where your friends are preparing to fly. After a few minutes spent inspecting your equipment you put on your helmet and harness, look around, allow the wind to raise the canopy of your glider and launch off into space. This is paragliding!
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What exactly is it?
Developed from parachuting canopies, modern paragliders can be soared effortlessly on windward slopes and across country in good conditions. It is the same freedom that hang glider and sailplane pilots have, but a paraglider is more portable and a little easier to learn to fly.
In the UK paragliding is a thriving sport. British equipment manufacturers rival numerous importers of similar products, and the country-wide network of BHPA clubs offers literally hundreds of flying sites and a supportive flying and social environment.
What can you do with one?
Many paraglider pilots strive to perfect their skills in cross-country flying. A summer sky filled with fluffy cumulus clouds provides abundant - but invisible - lifting currents which pilots use to gain altitude. Setting off on such a day, either towards a pre-selected goal or just drifting where the wind will take you, is one of the most breathtaking experiences available today. Most pilots will talk of the sense of privilege they feel when drifting from cloud to cloud, in almost total silence, watching the landscape unfold beneath them as they navigate across the sky.
Flights of over 200 kilometres have been made by paraglider pilots in this country. Abroad, especially in the Alpine regions, the potential is infinitely greater, and many British pilots take advantage of their paraglider¹s portability to visit Europe and more exotic locations further afield. For those of a competitive bent, local, national and international competitions offer challenges to novice and experienced pilots alike. British pilots are an emerging force in international competitions and have a growing tally of contest wins.
Do they always need a hill?
Paragliding is not limited to upland environments. A growing element of the sport is tow launching, using an engine-driven winch to pull pilots aloft where they search for lift like their hill flying friends. Parascending pilots use a vehicle to tow up and then descend onto a chosen point, displaying incredible skill in regularly landing within centimetres of their target.
How much does it cost?
Paragliders are not cheap, although they represent one of the least expensive ways to get into the air. A new paraglider suitable for a recently trained pilot will cost from around £1,500; top-of-the range gliders cost a bit more and secondhand canopies can be obtained for much less. Training to the level at which you can fly your own canopy in a club environment costs around £6 - 800; introductory courses cost around half that. Apart from a glider you need a harness, helmet, flight suit and boots; later in your flying career you may choose to buy instruments and other useful accessories.
Paragliding is a great community. You¹ll often find championship-winning pilots comparing notes with novices; both know that theirs is perhaps the simplest and most intuitive way of flying yet devised. If you want to enjoy the challenges that only being truly at one with the elements can provide, book a training course today!
Learning to fly a paraglider
Expect a full course to take seven to ten days of flyable weather; you might also consider a two-day Otaster¹ course or a limited Elementary Pilot certificate.
Training is usually conducted on the gentle slopes of a small hill. Your instructor will explain how the canopy is laid out, inflated and controlled by its brake lines; you¹ll then take it in turns with other members of your group to have your first short training hops.
When you¹ve become adept at ground handling, controlling airspeed and making gentle turns, you¹ll probably go to a higher hill for longer flights. The instructor may even take you up dual on a special canopy to demonstrate an exercise. As things fall into place you¹ll learn to soar - to stay up in favourable winds and make longer flights.
In the classroom you¹ll cover flight theory, meteorology and basic airlaw and sit a simple exam. With a positive assessment from your instructor on your flying, normally on your own canopy, you¹ll be given a BHPA Club Pilot rating enabling you to fly in the club environment. You¹ll find that DIY takes a back seat when you¹ve discovered the unlimited freedom of the sky!
You can also learn to fly paragliders in an airfield environment, using a winch or vehicle to tow you aloft. Training takes less time and you can convert to hill flying later if you choose to.
For more information on learning to fly see www.BHPA.co.uk
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