Adventure Sports

P aragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport for flying paragliders. Paragliding is engine less or motor free sport and practised by the adventurous people. This type of sports need courage and need to be decisive. Historical Development of Paragliding Domina C.

Jalbert, in , invented advanced governable gliding parachutes with multi-cells and controls for lateral glide. In one of the articles, in Flight magazine, Walter Neumark predicted that a glider pilot would be able to launch himself by running over the edge of a cliff or down a slope. French engineer Pierre Lemoigne produced improved parachute designs that led to the Para-commander. David Barish, during , developed the ‘sail wing’ that was used to sail slope-soaring as a summer activity for ski resorts.

In the year , Canadian authors Patrick Gilligan and Bertrand Dubois from Switzerland, wrote the first flight manual with the title ‘The Paragliding Manual’, officially coining the word ‘Paragliding’. Classification of Paragliding Paragliding is classified as— . Light-weight gliding . Free flying glider .

Foot-launched glider: Foot launched glider is like an aircraft with no rigid primary structure. Sitting Position The paraglider (pilot) sits in a harness, suspended below a fabric wing comprising a large number of interconnected baffled cells. Wing shape is maintained by the suspension lines. Despite not using an engine, paragliders, flight can last many hours and cover hundreds of kilometers.

Though, the norms for flight of one to two hours that covers around some tens of kilometers are considered valid for gliding purposes. By skillful exploitation of sources on lift, the pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand meters. First World Championship The first official Paragliding World Championship was held in Austria, in . Strength of Paraglider Structure Paraglider lines are usually made from spectra that are immensely strong.

For example, a single . mm diameter line (about the thinnest used) can have a breaking strength of kg. Paraglider wings typically have an area of – square meters ( – sq ft) with a span of – meters ( – ft) and weigh – kilograms ( . – .

lb). Combined weight of wing, harness, reserve, instruments, helmet, etc., weigh around – kilograms ( – lb). Speed of Paragliders The speed range of paragliders is typically – kilometres per hour ( – mph). Carrying Capacity and Storage of Paragliders For storage and carrying, the wing is usually folded into a stuff-sack (bag), which can then be stowed in a large back- pack along with the harness.

The complete equipment packs into a rucksack that can be carried easily on the pilot’s back, in a car, or on public transport. Instruments Instruments used in paragliding are— . Variometer: The main purpose of a variometer is to help a pilot find and stay in the ‘core’ of a thermal to maximise height gain and, conversely, to indicate when a pilot is in sinking air and needs to find rising air. A variometer also indicates the climb rate or sink- rate with short audio signals (beeps, which increase in pitch and tempo during ascent, and a droning sound, which gets deeper as the rate of descent increases) or a visual display.

It also shows altitude — either above takeoff, above sea level or flight level at higher altitudes. . Radio: Radio communications are used in training to communicate with other pilots, or to report where and when they intend to land. These radios normally operate on a range of frequencies in different locations.

In rare cases, pilots use radios to talk to airport control towers or air traffic controllers. Many pilots carry a cell phone so they can call for pickup if they land away from their intended point of destination. . GPS (Global Positioning System): GPS is a necessary accessory while flying in competitions.

The recorded Do You Know? Canadian Domina Jalbert invented and patented (in ) parafoil in an aerofoil shape; an open leading edge and a closed trailing edge, inflated by passage through the air. GPS track of a flight can be used to analyse the flying technique or can be shared with other pilots. GPS is also used to determine drift due to the prevailing wind when flying at altitude, providing position information to allow restricted airspace to be avoided and identifying one’s location to aid the retrieval teams after landing out in unfamiliar territory.

Flying Techniques There are different ways of flying as with all the aircrafts, launching and landing are done into wind. Paragliders, like hang gliders do not ‘jump’ at any time. There is one assisted launch technique used in flatland areas and two launching techniques used on the higher ground. .

Forward launch: In low winds, the wing is inflated with a forward launch, where the pilot runs forward with the wing behind so that the air pressure generated by the forward movement inflates the wing. . Reverse launch: In higher winds, a reverse launch is used, with the pilot facing the wing to bring it up into a flying position, then turning around under the wing and running to complete the launch. Reverse launches have a number of advantages over the forward launch.

Landing Landing a paraglider, as with all unpowered aircrafts which cannot abort a landing, involves some specific techniques and traffic patterns. Paragliding pilots most commonly lose their height by flying a figure of in over landing zone until the correct height is achieved, then line up into the wind and give the glider full speed. Once the correct height (about a meter above ground) is achieved the pilot will ‘stall’ (pause) the glider in order to land. Control through Speed Bar Mechanism Paraglider can be controlled with the help of breaks and accelerator attached with the paraglider.

These are the speed bar mechanism called control breaks, which are held in pilot’s hand. Breaks are used to adjust the speed of the glider. Types of Competitions . Cross-country flying is the classical form of paragliding competitions with championships in club, regional, national and international levels.

. Aerobatic competitions demand the participants to perform certain manoeuvres. Competitions are held for individual pilots as well as for pairs that show synchronous performances. This form is the most spectacular for spectators on the ground to watch.

. In Bivouac flying competitions, a certain route has to be flown or hiked, which may take over several days. Sky Parachutes have the maximum resemblance with paragliders but the sports are very different. Whereas with sky-diving, the parachute is ‘only’ a tool to safely return to earth after free fall, the paraglider allows longer flights and the use of thermals.