Thinking that I may well like to get into this and will sign up to an introductory course soon.

Who here has / does paraglide/s?

I did it once along the south of the Isle of wight
it was a great experiance

expensive sport to get into, even more so than MTBing even at the beginnner level ££££'s on basic kit + ££££'s on training + Lots of time
Very location and weather dependant which massivly cuts down how often you can do it in the UK!

I also know somebody who broke his back doing it 😯
He fully recovered after a year or so but needless to say no longer partakes in the sport, but he certainly wouldn't put anybody off it though
He does WW Kayaking now

Its something I've had vague thoughts about. I got into mountain biking /cycling because of a weird rhumatic knee that stopped me hillwalking. Can go up hill all day, but coming back down again is rubbish, I have to do this funny high kick with one leg. (Oddly my GF has a similar prob so we come down hills together like a pair of chorus girls)

I had this notion that paragliding would be a way of climbing hills and not having to worry about walking back down again, but I'd imagine that its not really as convenient as that

Used to do it about 20 years ago, currently looking at doing paramotoring instead as you get more flyable days and it's somewhat safer (though like all things it's a safe as you make it). I did start doing training again in the UK, but remembered how much frustrating waiting around is involved, so am now looking at portugal for more reliable weather 🙂
If you haven't heard of paramotors, they're paragliders with lawn mowers on your back http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkdRgslgN8M

I had a go a couple of years ago. It's a great feeling, but from memory the pilot's licence takes about ten days of perfect flying conditions to get and the kit is fairly expensive, and I never took it any further.

It'd be worth doing a taster day to see what you think…..

I signed up for a course on the Isle of Wight but MrsWCA spotted the invoice on the bank statement and cancelled it 🙁

Yes. I liked it.

My gf bought me an introductory lesson for my birthday a couple of years ago (presumably she hadn't seen the price of the kit) which was the first day of a basic "club pilot" course or something like that. I personally didn't find it at all easy to get the hang of, which frustrated me as normally I pick things up pretty quickly, and I effectively spent a day unravelling a big ball of tangled string.

You need to give it a lot of time, effort and money before you can just go out flying.

BTW if you're near the peaks/central England, have a look at http://www.d-f-c.co.uk

eviljoe – should have ironed those trousers before posting a picture on STW

Interesting.
Been thinking about this.
Cannot make my mind up if it is safe or not.
You see a lot of them taking the lifts up in Austria.
I had a flight booked for my b'day in the summer in Cham but could not make it.

The simple answer is that it's not safe.
What you have do is work out if the level of risk is acceptable for the reward 🙂

Had a go with a club in NWales 12 years ago, using a borrowed chute, including two flights of several minutes; It was mental.

I was flying off a hill near Penmenmawr and landing in a field next to the Little Chef. I was supposed to land on the beach but was unhappy about flying over the road and the railway line given that I didn't really know what the hell I was doing. The first flight I stalled shortly after running off the hill [gulp] and plummeted briefly which was a scrotum tightening. The second flight was a bit more controlled except I crashed into a hedge and it took sometime to extricate the chute.

Decided that it was a lot of work and cash to learn to fly the thing properly i.e. to soar, rather than just following instructions barked over a radio shoved in my pocket.

Fun though.

I've done it once on holiday. Extremely exhilarating.

Signed up for a course here in Scotland but after the first 3 lessons were canceled because of poor weather I realised I probably live in the wrong country.

Having since heard stories of how dangerous it can be I'm kind of glad I never took it any further.

Try gliding instead. Much safer, (slightly) less weather dependent, and just as fun.

I learnt several years ago as something to get into once my knees finally gave up and I couldn't bike anymore. Lanzarote is a great place to qualify at this time of year, reliale flying conditions on the whole. Went on lots of week long flying holidays abroad, always with guided groups.

Its safe if you follow the rules. The paragliders are very stable (learners ones especialy) and seldom are thecause of accidents, its usually user error that causes accidents.

Its absolutely amazing, gliding silently on the thermals, just like those birds of prey you look up at in the sky and wish you could emulate. There is very little noise and its the ultimate head space up in the sky.

It could also be called parawaiting, as you'll spend lots of time on hills waiting for the right flying conditions. I have a glider and all of the associated kit, to be completely honest, mine has been in the garage untouched for the last 3 years. I love my bikes too much to do much else, you cant beat riding out of your garage and into you local trails, rain or shine, no waiting.

Give paragliding a try, it is an amazing feeling/sport. Second only to the mountainbike!

I did a taster weekend and loved it.

However I have a mate who did it properly, if he got 3 good flying days a year he was happy (restricted flying sites, wind speed and direction required to be correct for site), kit expensive, need a PPL D I think. So I suggest doing a full cost benefit analysis – It didn't seem anywhere near worth it to me – but you can buy a large powerkite without lessons and hurt yourself on a much more regular and cheaper basis …. ;+)

agree with gusamc.

powerkites can be bloody good fun and addictive. plus, with the uk being where it is ther is no shortage of wind.

find a steep grassy hill and run of it at the right angle and you can then 'fly' with the right kite.

I paraglide on a regular basis and have done for the last 4 years. Yes it is weather dependent but you still get plenty of flying days per year. its doesn't have to be expensive in fact all my equipment paraglider harness, reserve parachute, vario and helmet cost me £600 second hand. Before you can fly alone you need what is called club pilot this takes around 9 days and costs around £800-£900.
It can be frustrating when you are learning but well worth it when you start thermic flying and start going xc- British record is 200km and world record 502km.
I know a good school in the peaks let me know if you want the details

Strange. I flew alone after half a morning's instruction.

The French are much less fussy about that sort of thing 🙂

alone meaning unsupervised

If you're interested you need to read this book apparently..

Touching Cloudbase

Did it for 5 or 6 years, had some fantastic experiences, but the bottom line was that following one accident too many I packed it in. The foil design of the paraglider wing can, I understand, only be taken so far. Unlike hang gliders where devices such as stall recovery systems are built in – not witstanding the fact you have a bit of metal around you.

It's a great sport, certainly try it but remember its not the fall that kills you, its the sharp stop at the bottom.

How easy is it to fly one to France?

🙂

i used to jump off Hay Bluff, loved it…

restricted here though… and don't have the openess of the uk

After watching a learners session I came to the conclusion that para gliding was followed by plegic real quick.

Looks like a good buzz for those who think they are bulletproof though 🙂

I did a tandem in Australia a few years ago and loved it- I was quite keen to follow it up when I got back but didn't, mainly because (as others above have said) it's a big investment in time and money to get to the point where you can just go off and do it. This is especially true if you have another outdoorsy thing you're into already, and at the time I was quite into climbing.

I had a long day's lesson in Whistler a few years ago. It didn't do a great deal for me, being quite inactive in some ways. All my landings were good except the last one, which cost me some skin & clothing. I still bear the scars.

Before:

After:

Lembit bust himself up pretty badly with paragliding, hence the funny walk and chin in another timezone to the rest of his face.

I kite-surf and Paraglide, both pretty dangerous in terms of participant to death ratio. However I can swim, I cannot fly.

Not even a little bit….