Paragliding

Paragliding is the recreational and ambitious event sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like ‘speed bag’ suspended below a fabric wing. The suspension lines maintain wing shape, air pressure entering vents in the front of the wing, and the air’s aerodynamic forces running over the outside.

Despite not using an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover many hundreds of kilometres. However, flights of one to two hours and including some tens of kilometres are more the norm. By skilful exploitation of lift sources, the paragliding pilot may gain height, often climbing to altitudes of a few thousand metres.