What is paragliding?
Through paragliding, humans can soar like birds for many hours on slopes, climb thousands of meters on thermal bubbles and fly hundreds of kilometers over varied landscapes.
You could also describe paragliding as the realization of the dream of being able to fly using nature's own forces. All you need is a wing, a harness and a helmet, all of which can be contained in a large backpack that even fits in the trunk of a small car.
Paragliding is more than just a hobby. Within the sport, there are many opportunities for competitions and progression. The technology is constantly developing and the boundaries are constantly being pushed by pilots around the world. Below is a brief overview of the different flying disciplines you can strive for. As well as a small teaser video with some delicious paragliding from different places in the world.
Ridge soaring
The ridges along the Danish coast are perfect for flying with hanggliders and paragliders. When the wind blows directly onto a slope, the wind is pushed upwards. Because of this upward wind, you can stay in the air and fly back and forth along the coast. When the wind speed is in the range between 7 and 14 meters per second, the so-called "mechanical lift" is suitable for flying with hanggliders (however, the pleasure is questionable at more than 12 meters per second). The wind speed should generally be slightly lower if you are flying a paraglider.
Winching and thermal flying
Paragliders can be pulled up into the air, similar to glider planes. This can be done using a winch or special cars that are designed to winch paragliders. Winching takes places at flying sites with approximately 1000 m long tracks that are approved by the Danish Transport Authority (formerly the Danish Civil Aviation Administration). When a pilot is fully winched upwards, they can reach a height of approximately 350 to 450 meters. When the pilot has freed himself from the line, he or she can either have a downflight (10 minutes) or try to find thermals (upward, warm air currents) that can keep one flying (and rising) for hours. In Denmark, you can fly up to 3000 meters with the right equipment. In the Alps and other mountainous countries, you can fly Cross-Country (XC) by starting up on the mountain and flying many hundreds of kilomters, using thermals (upward winds created by the sun) and landing far from the starting point. A small video example of thermal flight, where we sometimes have the pleasure of flying together with birds of prey.
Flying with a motor
PPG (power paraglider) is rapidly growing and work is underway on a new set of rules that, among other things, attempts to provide faster and safer access for interested parties who are not already paraglider or hangglider pilots.
A PPG committee has been established within the DHPU, which, among other things, has the task of assisting the board with coordination and preparation of proposals to promote motorized paragliding and hanggliding in Denmark and to promote the safety and reputation of the sport.
A few video examples of PPG possibilities from pure idyllic to actual racing.
Acro flying
Within the acrobatic discipline of paragliding, the pilots perform a series of maneuvers on all 3 axes, either solo or synchronously with another acro pilot. Here, among others, the world champion in acro is seen doing some maneuvers: