Paragliding

Paragliding is foot-launched aviation using a flexible fabric wing, suspended pilot, and steering controls. Pilots gain height and extend flights by exploiting rising air currents.

Paraglider: A lightweight, ram-air fabric wing designed to carry a suspended pilot through the air. Its flexible airfoil generates lift while lines and controls let the pilot steer.
Ram-air parachute: A fabric canopy whose open cells inflate under forward airflow to form an airfoil. Paraglider wings use the same basic pressurized canopy structure.
Cross-country paragliding: Paragliding focused on covering distance by linking sources of rising air. Pilots use thermals and route planning to fly beyond the launch area.
Hang gliding: Foot-launched flight using a rigid-framed wing controlled by shifting the pilot’s weight. Its rigid structure and weight-shift steering contrast with a paraglider’s flexible wing and brake lines.
Thermal: A rising column of warm air formed when the ground heats the atmosphere unevenly. Pilots circle within thermals to gain altitude and stay aloft.
Airfoil: A shaped surface that produces aerodynamic forces as air flows around it. A paraglider wing is a flexible airfoil rather than a rigid aircraft wing.
Hike-and-fly: A mountain sport combining ascent on foot with a lightweight paraglider descent or flight. Paragliding makes remote launches accessible without mechanical transport.
Parachuting: A descent through the air under a parachute, typically after exiting an aircraft. Paragliders are designed for sustained, steerable flight rather than primarily for landing.
Ridge lift: Ascending airflow created when wind meets a mountain ridge or other obstacle. It provides sustained lift along windward slopes.
Suspension line: A load-bearing line connecting a canopy to the harness or risers beneath it. Lines transfer the pilot’s weight to the wing and transmit steering inputs.

Linked from 7 pages