Ten Years Ago

The theme for issue 72, whose sunny cover shows a hang glider in a steep turn over Hawaii. Readers were taken on a tour of the Canaries the Portuguese archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores and the Pacific Ocean’s Hawaii. Samll, volcanic landmasses in the sea, sun-drenched and battered by north-easterly trade winds, each island is a lure for sun-seekers and pilots looking for something different.

For instance, the “aggressive, almost violent” landscape of Tenerife is dominated by the 3700m Mount Teide, the highest landmass in Spain and third largest volcano in the world (the other two are in Hawaii). Most of the flying happens in the south of the island, which thus tends to breed very technical pilots with good lee-side flying skillson an island where take off is often at 1000m and cloudbase at 1700m. The rewards are reportedly fantastic offering varied views of deep verdant gorges and seashore moonscapes.

In the Portfolio pages Welsh photographer Ray Wood captured some stunning landscapes, a dark red sky and black silhouettes of a summit cross and a lone walker descending a rocky ridge, sadly uncaptioned. Ray’s images ranges from beautiful compositions filled with the lurid purples and fluorescent pinks of early 1990s paragliding, to some telling reportage shots. In one Bob Drury stands on in amusement as an angry Welsh farmer marches straight across his laid-out glider in protest, on the summit of Snowdon. In another the viewer can only look in horror, grateful that the picture suspends time, for what happened next must surely have been unpleasant. Pilot Patrice Bonnefond is mid-fall beneath a glider that is a total mess, a few metres above the ground just after take-off at the 1993 Worlds in Verbier. I hope Patrice was not too badly injured.

Competitions still had a bad reputation when it come to accidents. The competitive flying world at the time was digesting CIVL’s announcement of new pilot entry requirements for the 2001 paragliding World Championships. It said pilots had to have an FAI Gold Badge, have flown 100 km and also to have finished in the top 2/3 of a PWC. CIVL said it was a necessary move to make competitions safer, as inexperienced pilots were “maiming or killing themselves far too often.

Posted by: Lets Go Paraglide

Want to fly? Learn how to paraglide.

Flying is a wonderful feeling. Most people experience flying at sometime in their life. This experience usually take place in a large commercial jet aircraft. People use this type of transportation to get from one location to another in the quickest form possible. There are however other forms of flying which may offer people a higher level of satisfaction.  Paragliding: This is an outdoor sport where people have the opportunity to fly while keepeing close to nature. You get to feel the wind blowing through your hair while soring through the air supported only by a harness, some lines and a parachute know as a paraglider.

Paraglidng offers more control than hang gliding does. This sport is an inexpensive way to fly. It does require some training but can be learned in a relatively short period of time.  Hang Gliding: This sport also entails flying high above the ground while maintaining a tight connection to the element. This sport uses a hang glider as a mode of flying. The hang glider is a great way to fly with out a motor. This sport has been gaining popularity over the past 20 years. Hang Gliding was invented before paragliding. 

Power Paragliding:

Power paragliding is similar to paraglidng but does not require wind to create lift. Instead the power paraglider creates it's velocity and lift with a small gas powered motor which powers a propeller. The motor and propeller are either strapped to the pilots back or attached to a small go cart type vehicle called a trike or a quad. When using a trik or a quad the motor and propeller are attached to the rear frame of the vehicle. There is then a parachute know as a paraglider attached with long lines the the vehicle which allows the quad or trike to glide through the air while the motor provides thrust.

The other option pilots use when paragliding is the solo method. This is when a pilot attaches the motor and propeller to their back using a back pack type device. They then sit in a harness which attaches to the lines which lead the the paraglider.  These forms of flying require some training and effort. To become a pilot in any of these sports it is important to understand how the sport works as well as how the air and weather work together. Once someone becomes a pilot and begins flying in these extreme sports they will immediately understand why these forms of flying are becoming more popular in the United States and all over the world.

Are you a paragliding or hangglider pilot?

For those people who had a dream of flying but really are not sure about jumping off the side of a mountain, paragliding might be your answer. Paragliding is not to be confused with parasailing. Paragliding is soaring through the air freely. You soar thru the air like a bird on the wind.Not to be Confused with Parasailing
Parasailing is where you are tethered to a boat, or car or some other moving vehicle. Parasailing is more like a kite. You are fixed to it and it is the equivalent to a boat flying you.Difference Between Hang Gliding and Paragliding.

The main difference between two is, hang gliding has a fixed wing that you fly like a glider while a paraglider is more flexible and slower.The fixed wing on a hang glider will be the plane and you will be hanging down from it in a prone position, thus the name hang gliding. Faster and more rigid, hang gliding gives more of a rush.While both paragliding and hang gliding will have almost the same capabilities of soaring, you do not have to jump off a cliff, mountain or structure to paraglide. In order to take off, you will pull back on the cords that will allow the flexible chute to fill with air and lift you off the ground.The Power to Choose Liftoff
With paragliding, if you something feels "off," you have the option to abort launch.
Hang gliders, on the other hand, once you start, you are committed and have to take off. As a general rule, gravity doesn't reverse itself. Therefore, once you jump off the cliff, it does not matter what you see, you got to go.

Safety Rules Fall Under the USHGA
Both sports are governed by the USHGA (United States Hang Gliding Association). Neither paragliding nor hang gliding requires a license since both sports are self-governed.They both have ratings that will allow you to know how you are developing and thus keep you safe. Biting off more than you can chew could be deadly. The ratings also give you an idea on how difficult a particular area is to glide in.Take lessons and establish a rating before you buy either of the equipment for hang gliding or paragliding. Safety first is the best solution for a sport that will give you the opportunity to soar like a bird and see the world from a perspective you could only dream of.

Slow Paced and Easy to Learn
Paragliding is slower and generally is easier to learn than hang gliding. Either the hang glider or the paraglide will cost you about $3,600 to $5,000 to get your own equipment. Properly taken care of it will last approximately four years or more. I would suggest checking both of them out before you make a commitment. After checking them out, you can make an informed decision on which you prefer.