rules to play paragliding

Landing involves lining up for an approach into wind and, just before touching down, flaring the wing to minimise vertical and or horizontal speed. This consists of gently going from 0% brake at around two meters to 100% brake when touching down on the ground. In light winds, some minor running is common. In moderate to medium headwinds, the landings can be without forward speed, or even going backwards with respect to the ground in strong winds, but this would usually mean that the conditions were too strong for that glider.

Additionally, at around four meters before touching ground, some momentary braking 50% for around two seconds can be applied then released, thus using forward pendular momentum to gain speed for flaring more effectively and approaching the ground with minimal vertical speed. For strong winds during landing, two techniques are common the first, flapping the wing to make it lose performance and thus descend faster by alternatively braking and releasing around once per second though the danger of inducing a stall during this manoeuvre makes it an experts only technique, and the second, collapsing the wing immediately after touchdown to avoid being dragged, by either braking at maximum or quickly turning around and pulling down the D risers the last set of risers from the leading edge.

Soaring flight is achieved by utilizing wind directed upwards by a fixed object such as a dune or ridge. In slope soaring, pilots fly along the length of a slope feature in the landscape, relying on the lift provided by the air, which is forced up as it passes over the slope. Slope soaring is highly dependent on a steady wind within a defined range the suitable range depends on the performance of the wing and the skill of the pilot. Too little wind, and insufficient lift is available to stay airborne pilots end up scratching along the slope. With more wind, gliders can fly well above and forward of the slope, but too much wind, and there is a risk of being blown back over the slope. A particular form of ridge soaring is condo soaring, where pilots soar a row of buildings that form an artificial ridge. This form of soaring is particularly used in flat lands where there are no natural ridges, but there are plenty of man made, building ridges.

When the sun warms the ground, it will warm some features more than others such as rock faces or large buildings, and these set off thermals which rise through the air. Sometimes these may be a simple rising column of air; more often, they are blown sideways in the wind and will break off from the source, with a new thermal forming later.

Once a pilot finds a thermal, he or she begins to fly in a circle, trying to center the circle on the strongest part of the thermal the core, where the air is rising the fastest. Most pilots use a vario altimeter vario, which indicates climb rate with beeps and or a visual display, to help core in on a thermal.Often there is strong sink surrounding thermals, and there is also strong turbulence resulting in wing collapses as a pilot tries to enter a strong thermal. Good thermal flying is a skill that takes time to learn, but a good pilot can often core a thermal all the way to cloud base.

Once the skills of using thermals to gain altitude have been mastered, pilots can glide from one thermal to the next to go cross country. Having gained altitude in a thermal, a pilot glides down to the next available thermal.Potential thermals can be identified by land features that typically generate thermals or by cumulus clouds, which mark the top of a rising column of warm, humid air as it reaches the dew point and condenses to form a cloud.In many flying areas, cross country pilots also need an intimate familiarity with air law, flying regulations, aviation maps indicating restricted airspace, etc.

Since the shape of the wing airfoil is formed by the moving air entering and inflating the wing, in turbulent air, part or all of the wing can deflate collapse. Piloting techniques referred to as active flying will greatly reduce the frequency and severity of deflations or collapses. On modern recreational wings, such deflations will normally recover without pilot intervention. In the event of a severe deflation, correct pilot input will speed recovery from a deflation, but incorrect pilot input may slow the return of the glider to normal flight, so pilot training and practice in correct response to deflations is necessary.

For the rare occasions when it is not possible to recover from a deflation or from other threatening situations such as a spin, most pilots carry a reserve rescue, emergency parachute; however, most pilots never have cause to throw their reserve. Should a wing deflation occur at low altitude, i.e., shortly after takeoff or just before landing, the wing paraglider may not recover its correct structure rapidly enough to prevent an accident, with the pilot often not having enough altitude remaining to deploy a reserve parachute [with the minimum altitude for this being approximately 60 m 200 ft, but typical deployment to stabilization periods using up 120 180 m 400 600 ft of altitude] successfully. Different packing methods of the reserve parachute affect its deploying time.

Low altitude wing failure can result in serious injury or death due to the subsequent velocity of a ground impact where, paradoxically, a higher altitude failure may allow more time to regain some degree of control in the descent rate and, critically, deploy the reserve if needed. In flight wing deflation and other hazards are minimized by flying a suitable glider and choosing appropriate weather conditions and locations for the pilots skill and experience level.

Paragliding, like any extreme sport, is a potentially dangerous activity. In the United States, for example, in 2010 the last year for which details are available, one paraglider pilot died. This is an equivalent rate of two in 10,000 pilots. Over the years 1994 2010, an average of seven in every 10,000 active paraglider pilots have been fatally injured, though with a marked improvement in recent years. In France with over 25,000 registered fliers, two of every 10,000 pilots were fatally injured in 2011 a rate that is not atypical of the years 2007 2011, although around six of every 1,000 pilots were seriously injured more than two day hospital stay.The potential for injury can be significantly reduced by training and risk management. The use of proper equipment such as a wing designed for the pilots size and skill level, as well as a helmet, a reserve parachute, and a cushioned harness also minimize risk. The pilots safety is influenced by his understanding of the site conditions such as air turbulence rotors, strong thermals, gusty wind, and ground obstacles such as power lines. Sufficient pilot training in wing control and emergency manoeuvres from competent instructors can minimize accidents. Many paragliding accidents are the result of a combination of pilot error and poor flying conditions.

Most popular paragliding regions have a number of schools, generally registered with and or organized by national associations. Certification systems vary widely between countries, though around 10 days instruction to basic certification is standard. andem Paragliding at Painan, Indonesia There are several key components to a paragliding pilot certification instruction program. Initial training for beginning pilots usually begins with some amount of ground school to discuss the basics, including elementary theories of flight as well as basic structure and operation of the paraglider. Students then learn how to control the glider on the ground, practicing take offs and controlling the wing overhead. Low, gentle hills are next where students get their first short flights, flying at very low altitudes, to get used to the handling of the wing over varied terrain. Special winches can be used to tow the glider to low altitude in areas that have no hills readily available.

This is fairly obvious for most situation. It is common sense. In a very light tail wind less than 2 or 3 MPH, it is possible to take off from a mountain launch in a Paraglider, but you need to have excellent running ability. If you attempt to take off in such conditions, you should make sure that the wind is not subdued because of blockage from Trees or obstructions. This means going to the upwind side of the Mountain or hill and confirming that the wind is truely light. For the most part, taking off in a tailwind is a bad idea.

Because of the tail wind and resultant high ground speed toward the cliff, doing a reversing turn downwind toward a cliff is a bad idea. Not only does it require more distance from the cliff or hill, but it is against standard protocol. Doing so can confuse other pilots. If one starts a turn this way without enough distance from the cliff, there is no exit and a crash may ensue.

Like on the road, in a car, pass on the right side. In ridge soaring, it is said, The glider with their right wing toward the hill has the Right of Way. This means that the glider with the ridge on their left, gives way to the right meaning, that glider moves to the right to allow the other glider the right of way.