Paragliding Communities
Aeroclubul Turbulencia (Romania)
Four Links, z.s. (Czech Republic)
Ifjúsági Nomád Klub Nonprofit Kft. (Hungary) Obciansky Spolok o.z. (Slovakia) Young Europe Society (Romania) 2019
The European Commission support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
ISBN: 978-606-93838-6-5
Table of Contents Context........................................................................................................................................................................... 4 Aim of our project...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Specific objectives...................................................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction to Paragliding ............................................................................................................................................ 8 Advantages of Paragliding as a Leisure Activity ......................................................................................................... 8 Protection and Safety .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Passive protection.................................................................................................................................................... 12 Choosing Equipment .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Paraglider wing .................................................................................................................................................... 13 Paraglider harness ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Reserve parachute ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Paragliding helmet ............................................................................................................................................... 16 Flight instrument ................................................................................................................................................. 16 Costs of Learning.......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Beginner equipment ................................................................................................................................................ 17 Training courses ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 Learning Nature ........................................................................................................................................................... 18 Reading Nature ........................................................................................................................................................ 18 To Fly or Not to Fly ................................................................................................................................................... 20 Aerology ................................................................................................................................................................... 22 Meteorology ............................................................................................................................................................ 25 Stay Safe - Basic Rules .................................................................................................................................................. 26 Learning Paragliding .................................................................................................................................................... 28 Choose Your School ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Paragliding schools in the region: ........................................................................................................................ 30 Paragliding as a Sport .................................................................................................................................................. 31 Certification ............................................................................................................................................................. 31 Paragliding Disciplines ............................................................................................................................................. 32 Insurance ................................................................................................................................................................. 35 Resources ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Infobox ..................................................................................................................................................................... 36 Links ......................................................................................................................................................................... 38
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Context The brochure is the result of a collaborative work of five organisations from four programme countries: ·
Young Europe Society (Romania),
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Aeroclubul Turbulencia (Romania),
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Obciansky Spolok o.z. (Slovakia),
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Ifjusagi Nomad Klub Nonprofit kft. (Hungary),
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Four Links, z.s. (Czech Republic)
Four of our partners have less than two years’ experience in providing paragliding courses for beginners, while one, Aeroclubul Turbulencia is a fullyfledged sports club active in paragliding since 2008 with a membership of 45 active pilots, two paragliding instructors and two paragliding assistant instructors. A common problem for all five partners is the very low number of pupils interested in taking paragliding lessons in the five programme countries where our partners organize training in paragliding. All the five partner organisations and their local partnering paragliding schools are faced with very limited number of interested new students. However, it is also important to mention that none of the pupils registered in the previous two years in any of the five paragliding schools dropped out. Moreover, all the new pupils found out about our schools based on word of mouth information about paragliding. In all cases the new pupils are relatives, friends or acquaintances of a pilot in the club. This indicates that the local population in the four regions knows little to nothing about the opportunities of practicing paragliding in their region.
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The main factor for this problem is disinformation transmitted to the general public, media coverage in paragliding being usually negative, mostly related to accidents. Aspects of paragliding such as performance in paragliding, altitude records, amazing cross-country flights, possibilities of connecting people with nature and how paragliding provides social inclusion in communities remain unknown to the general public. The basis of this project consists in the limited accessibility to accurate information about the process of learning how to paraglide, how safe it is to fly, the costs incurred, understanding the environment and weather conditions, among the local population (especially young people 16 to 30 years old). Our project sprung from the common need of five sport organisations to increase the number of people interested in paragliding in the four regions, and increasing the number of pupils in the five partner paragliding schools. Therefore, a vital aspect in attracting more people to paragliding is to provide accurate information to the potential public interested in learning paragliding and to promote paragliding as an active leisure sport. There are numerous people interested in outdoor activities in the four regions and paragliding is an activity that has the capacity to connect people with nature. To address this need, the five partners are collaborating with local institutions (schools and universities), sport clubs and the media.
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The common need addressed here is transnational in nature, it is of real interest and present in all four regions of our partners. The need is quantifiable and caused by a real impediment for the development of the five sports organisations. The cost-analysis benefit indicates that this EU supported two-year project will have the capacity to correctly inform the local population in the five regions about the benefits of paragliding. We also expect to increase the number of pupils in paragliding schools by at least two times. Moreover, we will have the capacity to promote voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion, equal opportunities and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through increased participation in, and equal access to, sports for all – paragliding being an inclusive sport promoted to people over 16 years old. This sport has an excellent effect in encouraging intergenerational and interethnic dialogue.
An added value of successfully implementing the project will be the encouragement of sport tourism: paragliding pilots from the four regions will visit each other to experience the extraordinary flying locations in the five regions – thus contributing to intercultural understanding and development of the European spirit.
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Aim of our project To Raise awareness in the four regions of our five partners about the opportunities offered by practicing paragliding to at least 450 people and for the duration of the project to encourage the local population to find out more about performance in paragliding, altitude records, amazing cross-country flights, possibilities of connecting people with nature and how paragliding provides social inclusion in communities.
Specific objectives O.1 Create a common approach for the five partners on when, to whom and how to promote paragliding as an active leisure sport; O.2 Set up a unified structure containing structured information on the topics of: 1. Advantages of paragliding. Equipment. Stay safe; 2. Connect with nature and aerology; 3. Learning how to paraglide; O.3 Build-up synergies with local institutions (schools, universities, sport organisations/clubs and media) to promote paragliding as an active leisure sport, until the end of the project. Our objectives are aligned with general objective of promoting voluntary activities in sport, together with social inclusion, equal opportunities and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity through increased participation in, and equal access to, sports for all. The video, the presentations and this brochure are available free of charge to everyone. These results are uploaded to the website of the project as well as to the website of our partners. Moreover, these results are also available on the European Platform for Dissemination. Our project is expected to produce impact for many years to come because the partner organisations are using the three results created in this project (the Video, the presentations structure and content as well as this brochure) every year in attracting new people to learn how to paraglide. The synergies created between the five partner organisations, public institutions (schools and universities) remain solid, and the promotion of paragliding as an active leisure activity in these institutions is becoming a recurring custom.
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Introduction to Paragliding Advantages of Paragliding as a Leisure Activity Paragliding is generally deemed an extreme sport. Although you will read later that it is possible and indeed advantageous to reduce the level of risk to a minimum, paragliding certainly gives you adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, and it is essential to survive in an emergency situation. Adrenaline increases blood flow to muscles and the heart, while the nervous system transmits only the information that is essential to survive. This alternated working system of the body causes people to experience a different mind-set where they are absolutely and solely focused on what they are doing there and then. Also landing after a successful flight gives you endorphin, a chemical produced by the body in response to experienced stress and fear. Endorphin blocks the nerves from transmitting pain and puts the body in a state of euphoria. This all sounds good so far, but is paragliding limited only to these benefits? Facing fear in order to get the satisfying feeling of a completed flight? Pilots would argue‌
Paragliding is more than a sport. It is a lifestyle. It takes you to nature week by week, makes you climb mountains, travel, meet people and share experiences. Paragliding brings you closer to mother Earth, teaches you how to read the weather and helps you understand more and more 8
about the amazing world of physics that surrounds us.
Paragliding is a tool for your selfdevelopment. It allows you to go beyond your fears and push your limits further and further.
Paragliding teaches you. It teaches you to be patient, when you have to sit for long hours on top of a hill waiting for the optimal weather conditions. It teaches you to be insistent every time when you fail and try repeatedly to fly longer and higher. It teaches you to be responsible – for yourself, for the others and for nature. It teaches you to remain humble, even when you reach an advanced level. It teaches you to be organised and focused.
The beauty of paragliding hides in its dual nature: it is extremely complex and simple at the same time. Simple, because all you have to do literally is to turn the glider left and right with pulling two thin strings. That’s all. After a few days of practice on the ground, you can easily have you first flight on your own with an instructor helping you over a radio. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?
Well, this is just the very beginning of a life-long learning and love affair. As you start growing as a pilot, you start to see the incredible complexity of flying. You need to be a weather expert to decide when and where to
go flying. You need to be a hiker to reach the top of the hill. You have to be well organised and focused to prepare yourself for the flight. All the little details of your equipment – a well-set variometer, a charged GPS, 9
optimal warm clothing – can make or break your flight. You need to pay attention to every sign of nature – wind, sunshine, clouds and the ground – to be able to make the best decision minute by minute. If you make the right decisions, you will find yourself in places where people rarely go, you will reach the clouds
and fly with the birds as you have always dreamed. Paragliding is hands-on and accessible. It is affordable and available to learn for anyone. Paragliding is magical. Therefore, being grateful for every minute we spend in the sky is essential.
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Protection and Safety Safety is a key element in air sports. In order to avoid unpleasant incidents or accidents of any nature, it is necessary to keep in mind a minimum set of basic rules. Compliance with these basic rules of aviation and discipline gives the pilot the proper safety net in paragliding.
- Beginner pilots should only fly accompanied with more experienced pilots and at flying sites recommended for school flights. 7. Never stop studying aerology and piloting techniques. 8. Always fly with other people. Flying alone is extremely risky.
The most important thing is that pilots realize that protection and safety are based on a clear way of thinking and proper attitude. Here are some basic elements that lead to protection and safety in paragliding: 1. Do not fly if you are tired . 2. Use the equipment that fits the skill level of the pilot: - choosing inappropriate equipment can result in poor pilot performance or may result in serious injury. 3. Use the equipment properly: - using the equipment in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. 4. Transpose the basic techniques learnt while handling the wing on the ground to airtime scenario thus increasing instinctive response and safety during paragliding. 5. Fly in proper weather conditions and avoid getting exposed to risks of any nature. - Do proper flight planning based on the weather forecast. - Select the location of flight according to the level of training. - Do not fly in risky conditions, close to patches of heavy rain or overdeveloped clouds. 6. Choose the location of flying according to the skill level of the pilot. 11
- The paragliding harness may have multiple protection systems for the spine and pelvis . - Perform periodic checks of the equipment as recommended by the manufacturer - Replace worn or damaged parts - Use online tracking tools when flying alone, flying cross-country or when flying in isolated areas
Passive protection Wearing the equipment listed below is recommended for passive safety purposes: - Hiking boots - Windproof clothing providing proper weather protection - Helmet with mandibular protection and visor (protects against UV and insects, dust, etc.)
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Choosing Equipment When choosing equipment, we recommend consulting a flight instructor or flight school.
complicated task of critical importance for the future student. The complete paragliding equipment consists of:
There are many different types of paragliding equipment and a beginner pilot can easily make an inappropriate selection without the proper information. Paraglider wings have different sizes and they are designed for different skill levels. Choosing a fitting paraglider is a EN.A certificated glider for beginners
Paraglider wing, harness, reserve parachute, helmet, flight instrument for paragliding, two-way radio, windstopper clothing, boots, gloves, sunglasses. High performance glider for experts
Paraglider wing School (basic) equipment is recommended for learning. School gliders are built with a high degree of passive safety, thicker suspensions lines and they are easy to handle.
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prototype
Paraglider harness The most common type is with airbag protection or bumpair (foam ) protection. Beginner pilots should not use a harness without protector. Harnesses to learn paragliding
A - dorsal reserve parachute container with right or left reserve parachute handle locations B - airbag under the seat C - large dorsal storage pocket
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Harness for XC flying & competition
Reserve parachute The reserve parachute is packed with the paraglider harness and serves as a secondary decent mechanism for the pilot if he/she gets into trouble with the main wing.
The reserve parachute is packed with the paraglider harness and serves as a second chance for the pilot if he/she gets into trouble with the main wing.
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Paragliding helmet We recommend a certified helmet according to the EC-966 standard with or without mandibular protection.
Flight instrument A modern dedicated paragliding flight instrument is a GPS and barometric altimeter to show the essential information during free flight.
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Costs of Learning Beginner equipment
Training courses
Complete equipment: between 2500 and 3750 Euro comprised of Paraglider: between 1750 - 2500 Euro Harness: between 175 - 1275 Euro Reserve parachute: between 315 and 750 Euro Helmet: between 150 - 275 Euro Paragliding suit: between 100 250 Euro Flight instrument: between 3501500 Euro Costs vary depending on the manufacturer. Generally, the cost of second-hand equipment is less than 50% of the price of new equipment. Note that the paraglider equipment has a fairly short useful life of between 350 and 500 flying hours, after which it doesn’t provides proper levels of safety.
A training course is essential for safety. The future paraglider pilot must attend a paragliding course and pass a pilot certification exam at the end of the course. A beginner course usually takes between 2-6 months in time and costs between 500-1000 Euro. Additional training courses available for pilots including: - SIV (flight incidents) course, - Thermal flying course, - Cross-country course.
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are
Learning Nature experience are key to successful and safe flights. Pilots with a big ego, who are always sure about what they are doing (or at least think that they are) are usually less successful than the ones who observe and adapt.
Reading Nature Paraglider pilots do not have an engine but they can still stay in the air for several hours at a time, reach the clouds and cover significant distance over ground. To do all these without an engine, pilots need to observe, understand and use what nature offers to their advantage. Paragliding relies solely on the forces of nature, so the better someone understands and adapts to the conditions, the more successful they become. The sport is also termed three-dimensional chess, just like they played in Star Trek. You observe and connect the pieces to create your path and story.
But how do we read nature? These are the skills that everybody develops over time by spending time in nature. Coming from a big city doesn't help. I still remember a girl from the metropolis. Her instructor told her to watch the smokestacks to check the wind speed and direction. She was really surprised that there are smokestacks out there in this wide world. In the city, in her world, when there was smoke, firefighters always rushed in and extinguished the fire. The ultimate power source in nature is the sun. The first thing to observe is sunshine: where it shines, for how long and how strong it is. When flying high, pilots usually navigate to places with lots of sunshine.
3D chess on Star Trek (from the episode "Court Martial")
Paragliding is a mental rather than physical sport. You stay suspended between the Earth and the Sun and constantly make decisions how to best use whatever nature throws at you.
When it shines, the sun heats up the ground, which in turn heats up the air above it. The hot air is lighter than the cold air so it starts moving upwards. As the hot air moves
Adaptability, practical intelligence, inquisitiveness and a huge stack of 18
upwards, cold air rushes in to replace the subsequent void. These two are the horizontal and vertical movement of the air, the engine of the paraglider.
Pilots need to be aware that weather conditions change during the course of their flight. The most obvious hazard is getting caught in the air by a thunderstorm with strong and turbulent wind, rain and hail. Though evident to all, many (some) pilots have been caught in the air by thunderstorms.
Paraglider pilots use the air moving upward (thermals) to gain height, and the wind moving horizontally to cover distance. Observing the wind and thermals directly influences the success and safety of the flying adventure.
When talking about nature and paragliding, large birds deserve a section of their own. Sharing the sky with birds is an extraordinary experience for most pilots. Large birds (birds of prey, scavengers, waterfowl - pelicans, storks) have very similar flying technique to paragliders. They gain height by circling up in thermals and then go on long glides without a flap of their wings. Paraglider pilots use the same thermals and they often share them with birds. Birds have been doing this for millions of years, so they developed an acute sense of finding and using the strongest lift. When a pilot sees a bird circling and gaining height within flyable reach, they rush there, because it is certain that the best lift is located there.
Wind is invisible by nature, so it is best observed through its effect on objects in nature. You can see wind by the rising dust and smoke, shape and color of trees blown by the wind, ripples on the surface of lakes, shape and movement of clouds. Wind turbines are excellent indicators of the wind because they show both the direction and speed of the wind from far away. Pilots don't only observe nature to harness its powers. They also need to constantly monitor and recognize the hazards to be safe. Especially when flying cross-country pilots need to consider whether to fly over large forests or large bodies of water (no landing place), the lee side of mountains, gorges and other places with unpredictable and turbulent wind. 19
made a mistake the day before the accident by not checking or not paying attention to the overdevelopment forecasted. In a weather forecast, with respect to security in flight, you should check first and foremost:
To Fly or Not to Fly The most important decision in your flying activities is whether to take off or stay on the ground. Once you have taken off, you can't just stop it and walk away, you need to act and react to whatever conditions nature throws at you. It is best to plan ahead and anticipate.
- wind speed (that it is not ‘blown out’); - wind direction (never make the mistake of taking off and climbing in a light headwind and then finding yourself in the rotor of a strong meteo wind coming from the back);
Flying is not Nintendo. You don't push a button and start over.
When you are at the takeoff, facing the wind and inspecting the conditions, you must take your time and exercise due care to make this important and conscious decision whether to fly or not. In this process, there is one piece of folk wisdom that should be taken to heart:
- wind gusts (strong gusts may indicate strong thermals with the associated turbulence and downdraughts); - overdevelopment (try not to get sucked up by a cumulonimbus);
It's better to be down here wishing you were up there, than up there wishing you were down here.
But how do you acquire the skills and experience to make this important decision? Your attitude can guide you in this process, especially when you are a novice pilot. Ask and listen to the advice of local or more experienced pilots, never try to show off. There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.
The second most important aspect to consider is the experience of local pilots. They know a lot about local conditions that you cannot find in any textbook or weather forecast. Be humble and always ask them what they think about the day, what they look out for before and during flying. At your home site, talk to the more skilled pilots and learn from them. You will be amazed: the more experience they have, the more they like to share it with you.
On the practical side, there are certain aspects to consider for making an informed decision about takeoff. The first is the weather forecast. We usually check the weather forecast the day before flying and in the morning before leaving for takeoff. The pilot who ends up at 10,000 m sucked up in a cumulonimbus cloud has actually 20
You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
level. A proper landing place should also be within reach even in sinking air. Remember: Flying is better than walking. Walking is better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of these however, are better than extraction by a Med-Evac helicopter, even if this is technically a form of flying.
You should also check your personal contribution to flying to make an informed decision about taking off. Y You shouldn't have consumed alcohol or anything else altering your judgement or reaction time, you should be well rested, wear proper clothing and have your flying equipment in proper working order. You should also weigh up if your skill level and equipment are a match for the flying conditions. An experienced pilot may enjoy a certain day when the novice only finds turbulence, strong wind and misery.
And just one more: Takeoffs are optional. Landings are mandatory.
Considering all these are your contribution to a successful and enjoyable flight. You should also check the takeoff site: if it has any obstacles (usually trees) around it to ensure that you can take off safely with your skill 21
Aerology Air is a gas, which belongs to the fluids family, thus the association of air flow dynamics with water flow dynamics, and this helps us understand some basic terms in aerology. This chapter is not intended to dig deep in the aerology theory, it’s just a sum of basic elements of aerology, which helps paraglider pilots to be safer and to use the best available part of the air in one specific day.
on days with stronger wind, the air can be laminar in the upper part of the air mass- away from the terrain and/or obstacles.
Coastal flying conditions
If the airflow is irregular, we call it turbulent. The turbulence can be induced by the:
Laminar flow versus turbulent flow If the airflow is calm, we call it laminar. Imagine a big river that flows gently, without any disturbances on the surface or in deeper water. Flying in such of parcel of air, that has a laminar flow, feels very safe and comfortable. This type of especially in:
air
can
be
found
The autumn and winter;
in the morning and evenings, regardless of the season;
On days with nil wind or light winds ;
days with no frontal systems or no gusty winds;
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meteorological conditions of the day- frontal systems, gusty winds, etc;
at the inversion level- where the temperature doesn’t drop in relation to the increase in altitude;
mechanical turbulence, which is terrain related turbulence in significant wind.
The biggest danger is the mechanical turbulence, because it is close to the ground and is the most drastic. In aviation, the most dangerous part of the flight is close to the terrain. This is because of the so-called mechanical turbulences and the fact that any aircraft has less space to recover at low altitude. If a paraglider gets a deflation at low altitude, the paraglider pilot must react promptly and exactly to the deflation, otherwise the deflation could lead to an incident/accident. The use of the reserve parachute makes no sense at altitudes under 50 meters above the ground. The most common mechanical turbulence which could lead to a deflation at low altitude is the so-called ROTOR.
present on the windward side of obstacles. Anabatic flow, Katabatic flow, Valley winds, Convergence and Magic Air Anabatic flow is a warm wind which blows up a steep slope or a mountain side, driven by the heating of the slope by the sun. These winds typically occur during daytime in calm sunny weather. Conversely, Katabatic flow is a downslope wind, frequently produced at night by the opposite effect. During the day, because the sun generates strong thermals and the anabatic wind flows toward the mountain ranges, the huge amount of the rising air is replaced with air from the lower levels, generating Valley winds. If the valley is deep and narrow, there is a danger to be blown back by the strong valley wind, so if a pilot wants or is forced to land in strong valley breeze, he must do a landing approach in such a manner, that he can land safely also in a blown-back situation. A convergence zone, is an area in which two or more air flows are meeting, generating an updraft current. Convergences can be found in mountain passes, where typically 2 valley winds meet, or be generated by one valley wind meeting a meteo wind at a certain level, or in other similar situations. Convergences are very useful to soaring pilots, because they can use them in cross country flying. A particular case of convergence is the magic air, which is an updraft evening current usually found in a valley, where the 2 katabatic flows of the mountain ranges meet on the valley floor, allowing the pilot to gain altitude in
This is why a paraglider pilot should never get in the rotor area, thus avoiding a possible deflation at low altitude. Rotor is a strong turbulence, created downwind of a terrain obstacle. The rotor is present in the downwind area of an obstacle- called the lee area- subject to significant wind. The obstacle can be a mountain, a hill, a house and even a tree. In strong wind, the rotor can extend behind the obstacle, on a distance of 10 times the height of the obstacle. In some cases rotor can be
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calm air, flying straight along the valley.
which is generated by the friction of the air with the ground, creating a layer of slower wind close to the ground. So, the ground effect acting upon a glider may be described as a sudden loss of altitude combined with a forward pitch of the glider and an increase of the relative velocity to the ground, all caused by the transition from higher wind to less wind and the need of the paraglider to regain the airspeed (relative to the air). Every pilot should be aware of the possibility of the presence of the above-mentioned glider behaviour close to the ground and should do the landing approach not only opposing to the wind direction, but also with high velocity, in order to prevent a deep stall or even a full stall situation during the requisite pitch control in this situation
Another aerology element, that can be a danger in significant wind, is the Venturi effect, which is the increase in velocity of the wind due to a reduction in area available for the wind to travel through. The Venturi effect is created, for example, by the presence of a hollow in the mountain ridge where the wind blows perpendicular to the ridge. The localised increase of the wind speed to values that a paraglider might find too strong can be prevented by passing the ridge hollow significantly in the front of the hollow and by crossing the Venturi area with high altitude, in this way we avoid the accelerated part of the wind. The Venturi effect also explains why we always meet stronger winds on the top of the hills or mountains. The last basic aerology element described here, is Ground effect,
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days. Most forecasts available to the general public do not include information about higher layers of the atmosphere, because most people never venture there and are not aware or interested about phenomena in those layers.
Meteorology Paragliding is totally dependent on the weather, maybe more than any other air sports. In order to fly well, pilots need the right mixture of wind direction, wind speed, sunshine, temperature and pressure. It is not a surprise therefore that paraglider pilots are crazy about weather and forecasting.
Besides general weather forecasting sites, pilots therefore check special sites and mobile apps with information about upper atmospheric layers.
Paragliding takes you up high up to the clouds, so pilots are interested in weather conditions in higher layers of the atmosphere. They need to understand winds at higher altitudes. Another key aspect for pilots is the vertical change of air temperature. The difference in temperature between lower and higher layers of air determine the upward and downward movement of air currents. Paraglider pilots rely on these upward moving air currents to gain height and stay in the air.
For reading, understanding and planning with this special information, paraglider pilots should become aware of the many aspects of meteorology and forecasting as an applied field of science. These skills are crucial building blocks for pilots to have successful and safe flights.
.
Paraglider pilots frequently check weather forecasts from several sources (available on different websites) to assess conditions and plan for paragliding for the following 25
Stay Safe - Basic Rules Choose equipment that matches your training level.
Learn all take-off techniques and be able to use when needed. Poorly advised pilots ignore some take-off styles because they are more complex, but when they need to launch at a technical take-off they have higher stress levels.
Be in good physical and mental form. Always follow basic rules and do not expose yourself to risk unnecessarily. Check forecasts and be cautious if storms are reported in your area of activity.
In flight try to be always active and try to hold the wing balanced over you.
Make a flight plan always taking into account the weather conditions.
In case of a collapse, try to stay calm and resolve the situation according to manufacturers recommendations or as you have learned at courses.
Always have a reserve-landing place if something unforeseen could make it impossible to land at the first choice landing option. Physically and mentally, train yourself for crisis situations (strong wind, turbulence, stalls). Comprehensive study and meteorology.
of
aerology
Always be updated with the latest equipment and piloting news.
Be attentive when your glider collapsed, do not make sudden commands on the glider.
Always discuss the situations that you have encountered in flight with more experienced pilots and try to find logical explanations for difficult flight situations in which you were involved.
If you fly a new glider, be a lot more cautious than flying your usual glider . During a flight try only one new flying technique.
Do not take off if the weather or terrain seems dangerous. Do not take off with a back wind, even if it is weak.
Learn how to use quick descend procedures and practise these techniques from time to time.
Comprehensive understanding of groundhandling techniques significantly contribute to total control of the glider in extreme situations.
At first try to exercise the wing-over technique with small balancing, and as you get some experience with the wing try to increase the inclinations. Also try the spiral manoeuvre to become accustomed to G Forces. 26
Always choose the easiest landing place.
Fly on the windward side of the mountain.
Prepare for landing in good time, and position yourself correctly into the landing area.
Avoid the areas of leeside on the relief, for example behind buildings or trees.
Always keep in mind the speed and direction of the wind during the flight.
If wind is stronger than 5 m / s, dangerous turbulence may occur in the areas of leeward sides (areas behind the windswept slopes).
Always take into account the speed and direction of the wind in the landing zone (which may differ from the take-off wind or may change during the duration of flight).
If there are strong bursts and sudden changes in wind directions at the take-off, it means it is turbulent in the air as well.
Be aware of the flight limits of the equipment that you use for flying and always respect the manufacturer's indications regarding the loading margins and the required level of the pilot.
Do not fly if the difference between the basic wind and gust is more than 10 km/h.
Unproperly loaded equipment may be dangerous.
If you fly in a new location, study the relief before taking off and try to consider where are the climbing areas and where there may be the dangers.
Flight performance can be highly influenced if the glider is incorrectly loaded.
Avoid areas where the valleys are narrowing, because there may be an accelerating effect (Venturi effect). In very deep valleys it is possible to have very strong valley winds, even if on the ridge the wind is weak. Practice landing precision to be aware of your piloting- and landing skill levels. Participate in organized events (festivals, competitions of different levels) because these events are a good opportunity to change experience with other pilots and to learn new flying techniques.
Always follow the flight rules on the slope and whilst thermalling. Keep a distance of at least 30 m from other pilots or any other obstacles. Increase the safety distance if the air in which you fly is turbulent, the more turbulent it is, the better is to have higher safety margins.
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Learning Paragliding Choose Your School
After these limited trainings you need to keep on visiting a longer course in order to reach an advanced level in flying. Don’t forget! It might be easy to get to the stage to be able to take off, but flying safely requires a lot of time and practice.
The first step when you decide to learn to fly is to commit to the process. You need to be aware that during the next couple of months you will need to sacrifice time, effort and money on your development. If you have made that decision now you have to choose a school. There are plenty of clubs all over Europe that offer training courses with different features. In some schools you can visit the courses whenever you need as long as the fee is payed. This is a clever and valuable choice if you are to fully extend your skills. It is also convenient in case you have limited free time and you can’t visit the courses on weekly basis.
Flying is seldom predictable. Count on it that if you go flying, it means that you are off for the whole day. It is likely that you choose a school based near where you live, but you have to be aware of that you might have to travel 1-2 hours to get to a launch that is optimal for the actual weather conditions. When you are about to choose your school, you need to know how often they go flying . It is always better to choose a school that is out on a daily basis, so you can join them whenever your schedule and the weather permits . Most of the schools provide you an appropriate gear while you are learning. This allows you to take your time to buy your own equipment. You might also use their accessories like helmet, radio and vario.
There are schools that you contract for a certain time-period or number of occasions. This can be a good choice if you are still not certain that you are fully committed and you would like to gain more experience to make your decision. You can also find intense courses that offers you consecutive day training for a short time. This can suit you well if your time schedule allows you to be out on the field every day for 1-2 weeks.
Usually you find well-known, talented pilots as the chief instructors of the schools, who do great cross-country flights or are very good in acro manoeuvres. You might consider to choose the instructor who stands out in the skills which you are interested 28
in the most. Learning from excellent pilots can be a lifetime experience. Still it is worth to check how much time they literally have to teach. Of course, ordinary pilots who has not achieved any spectacular result can also be extremely good teachers. Some useful tips for choosing a school: - Figure out your time schedule and find a school that fits your possibilities - Ask the opinion of pilots who have been learning in the same school - Research about the instructors of the school to see what they have achieved in paragliding - Go for a trial day to check out if the style of the instructors meets your expectations
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Paragliding schools in the region: Czech Republic:
El Speedo (https://elspeedo.cz/en/) HNÍZDO - studentský klub paraglidingu (http://www.pghnizdo.cz/zakla dni-kurz-paraglidingu/) MAC škola paraglidingu (http://www.macskola.cz/en/oskole)
Hungary: Airborne (www.airborneclub.hu) Cloudbase (www.cloudbase.com) Fair-Play (www.sikloernyozes.com) Fly Away (www.flyaway.hu) Free Air (www.freeair.hu) Romania:
Aeroclubul Turbulencia (http://turbulencia.nextra.ro/ ) Centrul de Parapanta Paramania (https://www.paramania.ro/) Clubul Sportiv SKY FLY (http://skyfly.ro/) Clubul Sportiv Air Adrenaline (http://www.airadrenaline.ro/p arapanta-sibiu) Clubul Sportiv Airsports (http://www.airsports.ro/ro/) Slovakia:
El Speedo (https://elspeedo.cz/en/) X – air adventure s.r.o. (www.x-air.sk) JUSTFLY, s.r.o. (www.justfly.sk)
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Paragliding as a Sport
Certification
Paraglider equipment is certified using the EN (european norms). This is valid for paragliders, harnesses and rescue parachutes. There are 2 main certifying brands worldwide: Air Turquoise and DHV. The following norms apply for testing the paraglider equipment: EN 926-1/2015- specifies test methods and requirements for the resistance of the paraglider to static and dynamic loads and sets the minimum strength threshold for its qualification; EN 926-2/2013- specifies test methods and requirements for classifying flight safety characteristics of the paragliders; EN 192491/2015specifies requirements and test methods for emergency parachutes (rescues); EN 1651/1999specifies requirements and test methods for harnesses; LTF NFL II-91/09.
Paragliders follows:
are
classified
as
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Class A (EN/LTF A)- paragliders with simple and very forgiving flying characteristics; Class B (EN/LTF B)- paragliders with good-natured flying characteristics; Class C (EN/LTF C)- paragliders with demanding flying characteristics and potentially dynamic reactions to turbulence or pilot errors. Recommended to regularly flying pilots; Class D (EN/LTF D)paragliders with very demanding flying characteristics and potentially violent reactions to turbulence or pilot errors. Recommended to experienced and regularly flying pilots; Class CCC- only for competition flying- load tests, shock tests and other requirements specified by FAI Hang Gliding and Paragliding Commission.
Paragliding Disciplines At the beginning, paragliding was only intended to be used as a fast descent method after climbing a mountain. Nowadays, after a few decades, paragliding is divided in the following disciplines:
Leisure flying
Cross country free flying
Cross country competition flying - best time on a given route
Accuracy landing
Acrobatic flying
Speed flying
Leisure flying is the most used discipline in paragliding and is done mostly by a typical so-called weekend pilot, which is a regular pilot, with approx. 50 hours of flying time/year, and who is flying mostly in nil/light wind conditions and in light thermal conditions. Usually, the flight does not exceed 1 hour and the leisure pilot- in fact I think every pilot- likes the social part of paragliding- chatting with his friends before/after flight.
Cross country free flying is a discipline in which a pilot is starting from any place and his goal is to fly as far as possible on a given day. There are a lot of websites that are hosting free flying cross country competitions, like: https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/,
http://www.leonardoxc.net/, https://xcglobe.com/flights, etc. Also, some pilots use free online tracking services as https://www.livetrack24.com/, https://airtribune.com/feed, etc. Although, the first impression is that cross country free flying is easier 32
than cross-country competition flying because you don’t have to follow a course line and so you can fly directly downwind or you can use the best part of the sky/terrain- in fact there are some points which are more difficult compared to cross country comps:
You must make your homework regarding the airspaces you are going to fly in;
You are responsible for the weather forecast;
If you didn’t fly in the area before, you must gather every available info about possible routes, large forests areas, uninhabited areas etc.;
If the weather deteriorates, you must be able to notice and react in due time, you have no safety committee to help you;
You have usually no other pilots around you, thus demarcating what the air is doing;
Usually you have no retrieve service arranged in advance.
In accuracy landing, pilots try to land as close as possible to a set point on the ground. The desired accuracy is 0 cm, and many pilots repeatedly reach this performance.
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Speed flying is a relative new discipline in paragliding and can be done on skis or without skis. Basically you fly a paraglider with reduced surface area in relation to your size and normal wing thus generating a higher speed and lower performance. This permits the pilot to be able to do tricks over the ski slopes or in the mountain canyons or ranges.
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Insurance Insurance has gradually become ever more important in our countries. There are mainly three types of insurance that you may want or need: - accident insurance for extreme sports for yourself which covers paragliding - third party liability insurance for any damage you may cause. - sports equipment insurance for your flying gear. Some of these may be mandatory in your country or in the country you are visiting, especially if you travel to Western Europe or if youdo competitions, so plan ahead. In Romania, none of these insurances is required, and pilots usually rely on their regular state health insurance in case of any accidents. In Hungary your paragliding club usually arranges for your third-party liability insurance and sports equipment insurance at a modest cost (in the range of HUF 10,000).
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Resources Infobox The longest flight has been achieved by three Brazilian pilots on 13 October 2016. Donizete Lemos „Bigote”, Rafael Saladini and Samuel Nascimento flew 564 km taking off from Tacima, Paraiba, and landing nearly 11 hours later at the town of Novilho, Ceara, Brazil.
The most consecutive tandem paraglider infinity tumbles is 140 and was achieved by Pál Takáts, a Hungarian world acro champion in La Cumbre, Argentina, on 13 January 2014. The first infinity tumble performed in tandem also involves his name. He and his friend and co-pilot, Gábor Kézi (Hungary) inaugurated the manoeuvre in Oludeniz, Turkey on 19 May 2010.
The altitude record has been set by Antoine Girard, a french pilot, in 2016 in Pakistan flying at 8157 meters over Broad Peak (8051m). The oldest person to paraglide solo is the polish pilot Janusz Orlowski with an age of 91 years and 189 days. He flew solo in Brezska Wola, Poland, on 22 July 2017. The oldest person to paraglide tandem is Margaret McKenzie McAlpine from the Scotland, who was 104 years and 168 days old when she completed a tandem flight in Karaoglanoglu, Northern Cyprus on 14 April 2012. By that time she was not new at extreme sports – she had celebrated her 80th birthday with a bungee jump.
The average size of a canopy can be equal to a small-size flat with its 28 m2, and the 36
total length of the lines could reach to 700 meters.
finish line in Monaco. The competition usually last more than a week, sometimes almost 2 weeks. It is hardly predictable due to weather conditions and also the decisions of the competitors. The swiss pilot Chrigel Maurer has five consecutive victories under his belt.
There are several events and festivals about paragliding all year around. The most spectacular one probably is Coupe Icare at Saint Hilaire, France, where pilots compete for the prizes in funny costumes. The toughest adventure race in paragliding is the Red Bull X-Alps which takes place every other year. Pilots from all over the world arrive to hike and fly 1,000 km across the Alps starting from Salzburg and reaching the
It is possible to fly either tandem or solo for people with disabilities too. Special wheelchairs are produced to make it easy to launch and land for people who can’t walk.
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Links Erasmus+
European Commission - Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) (http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/index_en.php) E+ Programme Guide (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmusplus/resources/programme-guide_en) Erasmus+ Programme Guide 2019 (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/resources/programmeguide_en) Erasmus+ Project Results Platform (https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/projects/)
Paragliding Schools Czech Republic: El Speedo (https://elspeedo.cz/en/) HNÍZDO - studentský klub paraglidingu (http://www.pghnizdo.cz/zakladnikurz-paraglidingu/) MAC škola paraglidingu (http://www.macskola.cz/en/o-skole) Hungary: Airborne (www.airborneclub.hu) Cloudbase (www.cloudbase.com) Fair-Play (www.sikloernyozes.com) Fly Away (www.flyaway.hu) Free Air (www.freeair.hu) Romania: Aeroclubul Turbulencia (http://turbulencia.nextra.ro/ ) Centrul de Parapanta Paramania (https://www.paramania.ro/) Clubul Sportiv SKY FLY (http://skyfly.ro/) Clubul Sportiv Air Adrenaline (http://www.airadrenaline.ro/parapantasibiu) Clubul Sportiv Airsports (http://www.airsports.ro/ro/) Slovakia: El Speedo (https://elspeedo.cz/en/) X – air adventure s.r.o. (www.x-air.sk) JUSTFLY, s.r.o. (www.justfly.sk)
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Meteorology
https://xcmag.com/magazine-articles/understanding-microburstsmeteorology-column-from-issue-163/ http://paraglidinginfo.com/category/meteorology/ https://flybubble.com/meteorology-for-pilots-simplified-4th-edition https://paraventureparagliding.satora.co.uk/meteorology/ https://www.windy.com
Paragliding
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ http://www.leonardoxc.net/ https://xcglobe.com/flights https://www.livetrack24.com/ https://airtribune.com/feed https://www.paraglidingmap.com/
Aviation humour
http://www.pilotfriend.com/humour/jokes/cliches.htm https://aviationhumor.net http://byrongliding.com/articles/aviation-humour
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ISBN: 978-606-93838-6-5 Special thanks for the creation of this brochure goes to the management team of Paragliding Communities: Tihamer Juhasz, Istvan Sarig, Monika Sarig, Dorottya Salamon, Cristian Manu, Pavel Rancz, Rui Pereira, Attila Fabian, Kristof Takacsy and Adrian-Dan Vilcan; and to our close collaborators who provided us with media and guidance during the writing process: Pal Takats, Martin Bastow and Calin Popa.