Knowledge about paragliding

Paragliding is a flying sport invented by a group of pilots who love skydiving and hang gliding. It is currently very popular in Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries, and has also set off a whirlwind in Taiwan. A paraglider is different from a traditional parachute in that it is an aircraft.

How is a glider controlled?

A glider is controlled by moving the pilot's center of gravity relative to the wing body. The pilot hangs under the glider through a sling (hence the name "hang gliding"), and drives the end of the sling to move forward, backward, left, and right, thereby changing the center of gravity of the entire glider. In this way, the glider will pitch forward and backward or tilt left and right according to the pilot's wishes, and these actions can control the flight speed and direction of the glider.

How high (and how far) can a hang glider generally fly?

This largely depends on the flying conditions of the hang glider at the time. The current flight record is as far as 480 kilometers and as high as 6,000 meters. The above records have been confirmed by the FAA. To be more clear, in the western United States in summer, you can generally fly between 1,500 meters and 3,000 meters, and the flight distance can exceed 160 kilometers.

How long can a flight last?

This also depends on the flight conditions at the time. High-altitude flights usually last several hours. On a good day, pilots don't need to land until the sun goes down.

Where should the take-off and landing sites for hang gliders be selected?

Generally speaking, any slope with few obstacles, a slope of more than 6:1, and a windward slope can be used as a take-off site. When the wind speed is between 25-32 km/h, the pilot only needs to run down the hillside to take off. Where there are no hillsides, a truck, winch or light aircraft can be used to tow and take off.

The selection criteria for a hang glider’s landing site vary depending on the pilot’s flying skills. An experienced pilot should be able to land safely on a flat surface of 15x20 meters with no obstacles. Of course, this requirement will vary depending on prevailing wind speeds and surrounding conditions.

Is it safe to fly a hang glider?

Like any aviation sport, flying a hang glider can also be dangerous if you are careless. That said, hang gliding is a fairly safe sport. All hang gliders produced in the United States now need to be certified for flight resistance by HGMA (Hang Glider Manufacturers Association) before they can be sold. Therefore, as long as they are used within the flight specifications published by the manufacturer, these current hang gliders will never suffer structural damage. In addition, a backup parachute is used in all high-altitude hang glider flights, so even in the event of serious damage to the glider or complete loss of control, the pilot's personal safety can be guaranteed.

In addition, the rules of gliding flight have been gradually improved, and most students are guided by qualified instructors and practice step by step. As a result, unsafe drills conducted by untrained people in dangerous locations are largely a thing of the past.

Despite this, pilots will still make errors of judgment of one kind or another, and Lan Tian will never forgive these errors. In the United States, for every 10,000 hang glider pilots, 5 to 10 have serious flying accidents every year, and about 50 to 100 suffer injuries that require medical treatment. The vast majority of pilots are safe throughout their entire sporting careers and rarely suffer any major trauma.

Does it have to be very windy when taking off, gliding and landing?

Hang gliders can take off, glide and land safely in wind speeds of 0 to 50 km/h . When wind speeds exceed 65 km/h, the airflow becomes turbulent and irregular, and all types of flying begin to become uncomfortable. Generally speaking, the optimal wind speed during takeoff and landing is 8-32 km/h (depending on site conditions). Once the glider takes off, wind speed becomes less important because the pilot can now control the glider's airspeed.

How does a hang glider rise?

In nature, in addition to horizontal wind, there is also vertical wind blowing from the ground to the sky. If a hang glider encounters this updraft, it will rise with it. The basic rule for soaring with a hang glider (and any other aircraft that uses updrafts) is to look for the updrafts and fly into them. Updrafts have many causes, the most common being ridge currents and thermals. When horizontal wind hits an obstacle (in this case, a ridge), it is forced upward. This is the ridge flow. When the ground (water surface) somewhere is heated by the sun and conducts heat to the nearby air, the hot air rises, forming a thermal airflow.

Paragliding safety regulations:

1) It is strictly prohibited to fly alone

2) It is strictly prohibited to fly when overtired

3 ) It is strictly prohibited to fly while having a reaction after taking medicine (including drinking)

4) Always wear a helmet during flight

5) No matter taking off or landing, you must face the wind

< p>6) Exhaust the parachute immediately after landing

7) You cannot add more than one new content in one flight (such as new parachute equipment, new flying venues, etc.

8) Wind will complicate the entire flight - the stronger the wind, the greater the complexity

9) In order to master all aspects of aviation flight, it must take a long time Judgment training

10) Always take a step back and perform flying activities within the scope of your flying skills.