Paragliding

Paragliding is a recreational sport of assisted human flight. It makes use of a paraglider which is a motorless and inflatable wing. It is typically made with rip-stop nylon and is fixed with Kevlar lines which secure the harness of the pilot. The pilot basically sits in the harness  and the launches it using his or her foot by running off inclined surfaces, hills or mountains. The pilot them steers the wing through weight shift and through the application of brakes which changes the shape of the wing’s rear edge.

The paraglider’s function is to fly through wind currents. The current record for staying in the air is over 11 hours. The distance record is 300 kilometers or 186 miles. The average flight for paragliding enthusiasts is around three hours, reaching heights of about 4,500 meters or 15,000 feet.

Many enthusiasts choose paragliding because of the advantage that the paraglider’s entire wing and harness can be folded up into a 30-pound backpack. This makes it convenient and easy for paragliding enthusiasts to hitch-hike back coming from a flight as well as to transport his wing on a bus or airline by checking it in as a piece of baggage.

Today, paragliders are available in a wide range of prices but usually start at around $3,000. If you are planning to purchase a paraglider, you need to make sure that it has certifications of quality. These certifications should be explained by the dealer in detail.
Some other recommended additional equipment that you could consider purchasing would be a variometer or an altimeter. This would tell you how quickly you are rising or falling. Another piece of equipment that you could purchase would be a 2-way radio to use as a communication device. Although these pieces of equipment could get a bit pricey, the investment would be well worth it as you would be able to enjoy soaring through the sky safely.

Also, if you have not have tried paragliding before, it would be essential to take a couple of paragliding courses to make sure that you would have the proper skills before flying solo, literally. Later on, if you are interested in continuing on with the sport, it would be advisable to get some certification by going through some more advanced training. Just keep in mind that before taking any paragliding courses, whether a beginner course or an advanced course, it would be recommended to check if the instructors have been certified by the appropriate organizations. For instance, in the US, paragliding instructors should be certified by the USHGA or the US Hang Gliding Association.

There are some sports which are a bit similar to paragliding and these would include hang gliding, parasailing and parachuting. Although hang gliding has the most similarities with paragliding, it has some key differences from the latter. A hang glider is much heavier and has to be transported using a roof rack. Another difference would be that a hang glider suspends its pilot in a sort of a prone position, instead of a sitting position. Hang gliders also fly a bit faster and higher compared to paragliders, with record heights reaching 5,334 meters or 17,500 feet.

Parachuting and parasailing are also quite different from hang gliding and paragliding. A parachutist generally jumps from a plane to do a free-fall as he travels towards the ground, while a parasailer does not freely through the air but is pulled by a motorized boat.

Paragliding can offer you one of the most exciting adventures of your lifetime. You can easily grow fond of this recreational sport as you would not only get an adrenaline rush but it also gives you an opportunity to take in the beautiful landscapes below. With the proper training and equipment, you would surely have hours and hours of enjoyable soaring in the air. Also remember to bring along sunglasses or special eyewear to protect your eyes from the sun and from the elements of nature as you glide through the air. You can get quality eyewear and sunglasses such as Gucci sunglasses from the many online eyewear stores.