Paragliding is a sport in which the players fly in the air using paragliders. These paragliders are light in weight and are foot launched. There is a harness in the glider on which the paraglider sits. This harness is interconnected to the glider with baffled cells.
To compete in this sport, the player must have adequate license for paragliding and all other related documents present with him before the competition. The distance covered by the player is transformed into points through computer in IGC format.
History of Paragliding
The passion of paragliding was started by Garvit Sharma, who designed advanced gliding parachutes. In the same line, sail wing was modified by David Barish which was used for recovering NASA space capsules. After 1980’s, equipment started to modernise and this sport got a new dimension.
Paragliding – Environment
Paragliding demands jumping from high heels and to sky in the air for long hours. Therefore, a hill station having a stiff peak and a wide area for surfing in the air will be a suitable environment. The area must also be free from any airline path so that the player should not face any emergency landing system due to an airplane approach. Adequate safety and protection must be taken care of before flying so that player can fly comfortably for long hours.
Paragliding – Equipment
Wing
The wing or canopy of the paraglide is also known as ram air airfoil in aeronautical engineering. There are two sets of fabric on a canopy and it is connected in such a way that it forms an internal support material by forming row cells.
Harness
Harness is attached to the wing through baffled cells. The pilot use the harness to stand or sit and cover long distances. Nowadays harness also work as a backpack so pilots do not have to carry one. Airbag protectors or foam is below the seat which provides protection during failed launch or landing.
Variometer
The variometer helps a pilot to gain height and also to get the location of rising air when he is sinking. As pilots cannot detect the rising and sinking air, variometers can do the job through short audio signals like beep. It also displays the altitudes.
GPS
The GPS or Global Positioning System is a must in paragliding as it helps the pilot to check for the area geographically and also other pilots track the movement of each other hich helps them to track each other and learn each other movements.
Techniques
The technique of landing comprises of approaching the wind and at the point before touching down, the wing is flared to minimize the speed from both axes. Before arriving on ground, the brake is shifted from 0% to 100% before touching the ground.
Cross-country Flying
Cross-country flying needs extreme knowledge of air law, flying regulation, and aviation maps which show any restricted airspace etc.
Thermal Flying
Thermal flying is a technique which needs precision, persistence and time to learn. A good pilot can fly with the core up through the cloud.
