(from a club website I setup once)
Imagine this... you are flying... free as a bird, soaring from the treetops to the clouds and back, you're passing over the tops of mountains at 3000m, looking down at untouched snow-capped peaks, passing over glaciers that skiers never see, flying over beaches full of people, villages, towns.... People look up and stare, they point, their children wave and their dogs bark.
Imagine it..... go on..... imagine it all in complete silence. No motor, no aeroplane, just you and the clouds.
All this from an aircraft that fits into a rucksack, no higher than your desk, no wider than your chair, and weighs roughly 15kg. Throw it on the back seat of your car and go flying for the day, it's that simple!
Well almost. As with most sports, especially aerial sports, you need to get trained and qualified first. This should take less than two weeks of good weather and then you're free to buy your own gear and fly whenever you want. For further information on how to find safe, professional training, just contact one of the Members or check out one of the clubs or schools on the Links page.
Please be careful. We can't stress strongly enough the importance of making sure you are ready for paragliding. It's highly addictive, it's exciting and it's fun. And your partner might not like the idea!
Equipment Guide
Your training at a local school is likely to cost in the region of €400, and once trained, you only need three pieces of equipment, a paraglider, a harness and a helmet. However, as you progress in the sport you will need other accessories to assist your flying.
Wing
Obviously you are going to need a paraglider. They come in many shapes, sizes and colours and are classed according to the ease with which they collapse in mid-air, their speed and their safety. The beginners wings can be flown by a sack of potatoes, with almost no chance of collapse, and the competition wings will collapse without constant pilot input. As for the size, this is completely dependant upon the pilot's "naked weight", which can be from 50-120Kg approximately. All wings are tested and graded by one of 2 certification bodies, the EN standard or the older DHV (German Federation) and are as follows;
EN DHV Target Group
EN-A DHV 1 Beginners wing, very difficult to collapse, quite slow & very safe
EN-B DHV 1-2 Intermediate wing, difficult to collapse, quite fast & safe
EN-C DHV 2 Performance wing, can collapse but fast
EN-D DHV 2-3 High performance wing, easy to collapse and very fast
Proto Proto Competition wing, very easy to collapse in mid-air, very fast & unsafe
A modern, new DHV 1-2 wing, most sensible weekend pilots use these, will cost somewhere between €2000 and €2500. A well maintained, second-hand wing should be between €1000 and €1500.
Harness
You are also going to need something to sit in. Harnesses come in all types from lightweight mountaineering ones to some as comfortable as a sofa. They are also available in many sizes to fit everyone, and should cost between €150 to €350. Second-hand harnesses are also available. Most harnesses have optional back-protectors, in case you land on your ass, this will allow you to walk to the ambulance
Helmet
**FACT** If you fly without a helmet you will get hurt. I've held an injured pilot after an accident, and it was the helmet that had saved his life. An open-face helmet will cost you around €70 and a full face helmet will cost €150.
Reserve
Once you have learned to fly and are regularly in the air at great height, you are going to want the security of a reserve parachute, in case it all goes wrong. These come in all sizes, some are advanced steerable versions, and some are basic round chutes, the cost should be between €250 to €350.
Vario
The most essential piece of H/W you will have to assist your flying is your vario. It straps to your leg or your harness and is a combined variometer and altimeter. A vario displays your vertical velocity, ie; how fast you are climbing or descending. You might think this a little crazy, however, at 3000m you are often unaware of your verticle movement, as you have no local fixed reference and the air in which you are flying may be going up or down with you.
Radio/Suit/Shades/GPS
You may also want to buy a radio to talk to the other fliers, a flying-suit and a pair of sleek shades. If you really have too much money, a GPS to tell your wife where to pick you up! (apologies to any potential female fliers!)
OK, so what do I fly with?
Paraglider Nove Mamboo, DHV 1-2, it's getting a bit old now
Helmet Charly Insider, full face with built-in earpiece & mic
Harness Kortel Kamasutra II, top of the range cross-country harness
Reserve APCO Mayday, non-steerable basic round canopy
Clothing SupAir summer suit, over fleece with WindStopper gloves & walking boots
Vario Brauniger IQ-One
GPS Garmin 76S
Radio ICOM 2m VHF with finger PTT switch
Other Stuff Mobile Phone, Map Case, Camelbak, Book
and ... RayBan Predators
Rod Bailey
link to this entry
