Fly like a seagull, fly like an eagle, fly like a falcon!
You may already have passed by a beach or a mountain and been dazzled by the sight of one or more colourful wings dancing in the breeze, carrying a paraglider pilot suspended beneath them, and that vision may have raised some questions. Perhaps you even felt the desire to experience the freedom and immense joy known only to birds. Birds, and the people who dare to dream and set out in search of those dreams.
FAQ
What is free flight?
It is flying using the forces of nature and relying on the pilot's own strength to take off and land using the lower limbs.
Paragliding is an adventure sport, recreational and competitive, within the glider class: it is a light free-flying aircraft launched on foot, with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a seat or harness, or lies inside a pod suspended beneath the wing made of fabric. The shape of the wing is maintained by the suspension lines, by the pressure of the air entering the openings at the front of the wing and by the aerodynamic forces of the air flowing outside it.
Although it does not use an engine, paraglider flights can last many hours and cover distances of many hundreds of kilometres, although flights of one to two hours covering a few dozen kilometres are more common. By learning to use breezes and rising air currents, the pilot can gain altitude, often climbing to heights of several thousand metres.
Is it only possible for experts and highly trained people?
No, it is not actually very difficult to become a paraglider pilot. The first thing you need is the desire to do it. As long as you are of legal age, you can think about joining the group of pilots who share the skies with seagulls and eagles.
And is it safe?
Yes, in the same way that driving a car or a motorbike is safe, as long as you know how it is done.
But is paragliding only that?
Starting from calm and simple ridge soaring, you may want to acquire the skills for higher flights. For example, advanced thermal flying. In that case the pilot uses rising warm air currents, climbs inside them turning like an eagle and may eventually decide to turn away from the wind and launch into cross-country flying, covering many kilometres.